Last year's tournament drew nearly 2,000 wrestlers and their families to the area, filling hotels and restaurants in downtown San Jose. This year, California USA Wrestling Inc and Dollamur Inc. have teamed up to make the 2007 Dave Schultz Kids/Cadets Junior FILA State Freestyle wrestling event the premier youth tournament in the country. "We are extremely proud to have Dollamur Inc as our title sponsor," said Duane Morgan, California USA Wrestling State Chairman & Event Director. "They are the best mat manufacturers in the country. Their generous contribution to California USA Wrestling will make this event even bigger and better."
This annual championship is an important event for the sport of wrestling, according to Gary Abbott, of USA Wrestling, "California is a wrestling hotbed that takes a leadership role in the sport at all levels. There are more active wrestlers in the state of California than any other state, and many of its top wrestlers achieve at the highest levels. The Kids/Cadet Freestyle Championships should be an outstanding showcase of talent, as top young stars from across the state will battle for state titles. You can see the stars of the future by watching the champions from this event." Gary also talked about the tournaments namesake. "Dave Schultz was an ambassador of goodwill within wrestling, with so many friends all around the world. This native Californian changed the sport of wrestling forever, and we recognize his many achievements by naming this outstanding tournament in his honor."
On the local level, Stanford Head Wrestling Coach and Olympian, Kerry McCoy talks about the value of his freestyle wrestling experience as a young competitor, "Freestyle was important because it helped me continue to learn the sport and continue to improve. Many of the kids in my area took time off or played other sports in the spring, I was getting better. So it was very important in my development to wrestle freestyle when the folkstyle season ended. I would not be where I am today if I did not wrestle freestyle as a youth."
Competition begins at 8am on both Saturday and Sunday at the McEnery Convention Center, 150 W. San Carlos St. San Jose, CA
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