INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE / November 13, 1991

 

 

Wrestler sets sights high

By the time he got to Phoenix,
Walter McLean was thinking about
Barcelona.

And why not? After travelling to
the Sunkist International Tourna-
ment, Nov. 8 in Phoenix, the
Douglas College wrestler was still
savouring his Commonwealth Cham-
pionship gold-medal victory over
India’s Ashok Kumar, the world’s
seventh-ranked 57 kilo wrestler in
mid-October. Coupled with the
Commonwealth gold won in
Dunedin, New Zealand, an impres-
sive Phoenix finish would propel the
21-year-old Port Alberni athlete into
Canadian team trials for the 1992
Barcelona Olympics. That’s some-
thing McLean had not expected a
year ago.

“After losing the Canadian final, |
didn’t think | had a chance for the
‘92 team. I’ve always shot for 1996
in Atlanta and not 1992, which is
what my high school coach told
me. Now | realize that a chance for
‘92 may be there.”

Douglas College coach Dave
McKay believes McLean has the
stuff to reach the Olympic level.

“(McLean) has an outside shot at
the Olympic team this time around,
and his recent results certainly make
him a strong contender,” says
McKay, who has charted McLean’s
progress and co-coached him for

 

eight years. “The first time |
saw him as a junior high
wrestler, he weighed 90
pounds and was this tena-
cious, aggressive
competitor with poor tech-
nique. He still has the same
drive but has learned a few
things since then.”
Wrestler and coach
both admit that McLean
must develop greater dis-
cipline in training and
technique to succeed in
top international events.
“One of my problems is
I’m not a very technical
wrestler. In matches I’m al-
ways thinking ‘go, go, go’
and | try to manhandle my
opponent,” says
McLean. “The guys I’m
wrestling in international
meets are all older and
stronger than | am, so |
won't be able to over-
power them. That’s why

Ip eT

 

 

 

 

working on technique is so Posing with a practice dummy, Douglas
College’s Walter McLean questions his
“mean on the mat” reputation.

important.”
McLean’s reputation for

 

tenacity on the mat is

belied by a laid-back personality.
Laughing, he admits his transforma-
tion mystifies both friends and
family.

“The funniest part was the first
time my mother came to watch one
of my matches. She said that as
soon as | started wrestling, it was
like watching a completely
different person.” @

 

W orld 47-kilo champion Trish Mc-
Naughton of the U.S. will be one of

  
 
  
  
 
  

 

Douglas College hosts national sporting first

the featured athletes on Nov. 14
when Douglas College hosts the
first women’s international wres-
tling event ever held in Canada.
The event boasts three of the
world’s top women’s wrestling
powers: number-one ranked Japan,
number-two ranked Venezuela and
the number-five ranked U.S. team.
The exhibition tournament fea-
tures five bouts and will begin at
noon in the gym.
The afternoon will also feature

for the Douglas College Wres-
tling Club, as it hosts Grand

the season’s opening dual meet

Valley State University of Allendale,
Mich.

Admission is free. For further in-
formation, contact Douglas College
wrestling coach Dave McKay at
527-5243. @

Also...

The Royals women’s soccer
team completed its first BCCAA
women’s season with a fourth-place
finish, losing a shootout to Cariboo
College in the league’s bronze
medal game on Nov. 3.