Making Massapequa A Statewide Wrestling Mecca

Written by Joe Scotchie Friday, 08 July 2011 00:00

Thanks to its parades and films by the Movie Man, John Carpenter, the Village of Massapequa Park has become both the Parade Capital and Movie Capital of Long Island. Now it is on its way to becoming the Wrestling Capital, not just of Long Island, but all of New York State.

This Friday, July 8, the annual Friday Night Lights Take Down Wrestling Tournament will be held at John J. Burns Park.

In order to accommodate the growth of the tournament, the sponsors and the members of the Massapequa High School Wrestling coaching staff have added a 7th division. This Intermediate Division will cover the spectrum of eligible wrestlers by providing a fun atmosphere on all levels of wrestling. 

The sponsors have also added more surfaces on the park space to handle the large pool of entries, and to ensure that the length of this all-night marathon is the same as last year’s successful tournament.  

In all, the sponsors and all the members of the Massapequa Wrestling coaching staff have created a fun night for the parents, wrestlers and their younger children with access to all the park’s facilities.  There will be music throughout the evening and concessions, pizza and T-shirts available to all. Admission for spectators is free.  A D.J. will be on hand to provide music.

Wrestling for the youth group begins at 5 p.m. For adults, the lights at Burns Park will be turned on, allowing them to compete all throughout the pleasant summer evening.

According to the organizers, the event has become the premier “fun wrestling” tournament for athletes throughout the tri-state area. Wrestlers from grade school ages all the way to 60 years old are expected to attend. Organizers expect to have over 300 wrestlers participating in this event.

The introduction of the Intermediate Division will mean the arrival to the tournament of Steve Poulin, a wrestler from upstate New York who has gained national attention through his skill development that began at five-years-old.

Steve and other youth wrestlers already have a large global following as his parents and youth coach already have over 7 million views on Steve’s first video on YouTube. They are also building a large fan base in up to 24 countries so far.

For more information visit the website at www.League Lineup.com/MassapequaWrestling.