IOC Wrestling Decision Hits Home In Lakewood

Some things are just hard to imagine. Thanksgiving without turkey. The Oscars without the Red Carpet. The Olympics without wrestling. Last month the International Olympic Committee decided to do the unthinkable…drop wrestling from the games beginning in 2020. The sport of wrestling not only dates back to the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, but to the ancient games in 708 B.C. Along with track and field, wrestling has been a cornerstone of the Olympic movement and a sport with global appeal.

The IOC’s decision is a blow to the greater Cleveland community, and to Lakewood in particular. Many Lakewood residents are aware of the 28 state championships (as of this writing) won by St. Edward High School. However, the sport’s local history dates back much further, and the sport plays a major role in the community to this day. In addition to St. Ed’s illustrious program, about 100 local kids currently wrestle in Lakewood City School and Recreation programs.

“I was in shock when I heard the news”, said Vinnie Curiale, Head Wrestling Coach at Lakewood High School. In addition to the high school program, Curiale instructs wrestlers in the “Little Ranger” grade school recreation program, which has upwards of 60 participants. There are also about 25 kids in the Lakewood middle school program. He believes that the program teaches much more than physical fitness. “Wrestling is a great influence on kids because you get a discipline that no other sport can teach”, says Curiale, who is an LHS alum.

Wrestling has a rich history in our town, as Lakewood High School’s program dates back to the 1920s. The Rangers delivered the city’s first high school championship in 1948, sharing the state title with traditional power West Tech.  LHS has also had seven individual state champions over the years. Greater Cleveland dominated the Ohio high school wrestling scene during the 1940s and 1950s, so much so that Lakewood High was chosen to host the OHSAA Wrestling Championships from 1955 through 1958. The following year the event was moved to St. John Arena on the Ohio State University campus in Columbus.

St. Edward High School, founded in 1949, did not form its first varsity wrestling team until 1958. The program was launched by football coach Joe Figlar, whose primary aim was to use wrestling as a way to keep football players in shape. These goals changed dramatically when real estate magnate Howard Ferguson became coach in the mid 1970s.  The team won ten consecutive state titles from 1978 through 1987, and became nationally renowned as one of the best athletic programs in the nation. Ferguson died suddenly of a heart attack in 1989, and long-time assistant Greg Urbas took the reins. Urbas, a math teacher and former Marine, has led the program to 17 state titles, including a dual-meet title this February. The list of Eagle individual state champions (100 names long and growing) includes Andy Hrovat (Class of 1998), who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. 

Despite the statewide dominance of St. Edward, Lakewood High continued to produce quality wrestling. The Rangers have won seven conference titles since the 1970s, and Lakewood has continued to build its roster numbers in recent years.

The success of local wrestling has attracted plenty of attention from major colleges. In 2007, Ohio State University moved its dual meet with Northwestern from its home campus to the main gym at St. Edward. “Cleveland has and will always be a hotbed for US wrestling,” says Northwestern Head Coach Drew Pariano, who has successfully recruited numerous athletes from St. Edward.

Lakewood’s relationship with wrestling even spawned a critically-acclaimed motion picture. Former Ranger wrestler Mark Norman, a teammate of Curiale at Lakewood High School, produced a wrestling documentary with his brother Pat. The film, released in 2009, followed the story of two local wrestlers – one from Lakewood High (Matt Curley), one from St. Edward (Lance Palmer). The film captures the passion, drive and discipline that make wrestling a global favorite.

The IOC’s decision potentially threatens the sport’s future in the US. Many kids wrestle with the goal of making the Olympics. Some fear the decision could damage institutional commitment at the college level. “It could have devastating affects in that athletic directors may choose to shut down wrestling programs because the sport has lost its focus on the ultimate goal: An Olympic Champion,” says Pariano. Cuts at the college level would eliminate scholarship opportunities, adversely impacting high school participation.   

The IOC executive board will meet again this May in St. Petersburg, Russia. The US wrestling community, including many people in Lakewood, remain optimistic that the IOC’s decision will be reversed. For many, shock has turned to action. 

“We had several news crews on site,” said Pariano the day of the announcement. “We could at least utilize the exposure as a forum to discuss the value of international wrestling.” Protests and petitions have flooded the IOC from every corner of the world, including Iran, Bulgaria, Turkey, Russia, and numerous former Soviet republics. If the IOC comes to its senses, wrestling will be restored. A positive outcome would help Lakewood to continue its strong tradition on the mat.