Wahawk Athletics

WATERLOO, Iowa - Gable Museum director Kyle Klingman likes to remind me frequently that the city of Waterloo is the "wrestling capital of the world."

As a historian of the sport, Klingman would know.

And like any wrestling fan in the state of Iowa, I can spout off names like Gable, Siddens, Anderson, Natvig, Yagla, Eriksen, Jarrard and say I know the history of wrestling in Waterloo.

But it took a great event like this weekend's Battle of Waterloo for me to fully understand what Klingman means when he calls Waterloo the wrestling capital of the world.

Jeff Frost had a vision. Brenton Shavers shared it. Aundra Meeks joined the cause, and those three enlisted the help of Steve Knipp, Steve Gillen and Scott Becker.

Many more joined, too many names to write in this space, and during the winter of 2009 the Battle of Waterloo was born.

It unfolded Friday and Saturday at Young Arena as 32 high school wrestling teams and thousands of fans converged on the Cedar Valley for what turned out to be an extravaganza of wrestling.

It was a swing-for-the-fences type of effort, and it cleared by a mile.

It was not just a Babe Ruth or Josh Gibson bomb, but a Bugs Bunny get in a cab, drive 10 blocks to ride an elevator to the top of the Empire State building to haul in the catch success.

"This was a great atmosphere," Waverly-Shell Rock head coach Rick Caldwell said. "I think the committee did an awesome job.

"I'm really proud to be from the Cedar Valley and that we can pull something off like this with workers, facilities and fans. This place was packed for a pretty long time."

When Frost approached Shavers back in early 2009 about an idea to host a tournament similar to the highly successful Clash in Rochester, Minn., it was just a concept.

Frost, then athletic director at Waterloo West, already was the host of two tournaments at West - the Dan Gable Invitational and the Siddens Duals.

But while those tournaments celebrated the history of West High wrestling, Frost, now with the Cedar Valley Catholic School System, wanted to host an event that celebrated the great history of wrestling in Waterloo, a city that has won more prep state championships, produced more individual state champs and crowned more NCAA individual national champions than any other city in the state of Iowa.

That, in a nutshell, was how the Battle of Waterloo was formed.

Nobody knew what to expect, but the excitement continued to grow in the days leading up to the event. It exploded when the wrestlers hit the mat.

Charles City's Jesse Etherington, a state placer as a freshman last year, said "it's like competing at the state tournament."

Wisconsin recruit and Waverly-Shell Rock two-time state champion Cody Caldwell called it "an awesome atmosphere."

"I think it met and exceeded everything I imagined or thought it would or could be," Frost said. "It was a tremendous, tremendous experience to watch.

"And it all goes back to so many people's hard work as a committee who had a similar vision.

"It was the hard work of the committee, hard work of so many volunteers, the city of Waterloo coming together with Aaron Buzza and the CVB, the Sports Commission ... Young Arena was instrumental, First Student and you guys, The Courier, were amazing with your coverage.

"I would get into naming people to thank, but I can't because there are so many who contributed and if not for them this event would've not been possible."

It was also successful because the current athletic directors at East (Todd Coulter), West (Anthony Pappas) and Columbus (Meeks) were able to pool their resources to make the event come to fruition.

Frost recieved hundreds of compliments from fans, coaches and officials.

It made him proud. It also made him and the committee want to make it better.

There were hiccups, but they largely went unnoticed because of the great organization.

Nobody saw the committee scramble to find replacement mats late Thursday night when some of the rented mats they received were in poor condition, causing volunteers to be at Young Arena until nearly 2 a.m. Friday morning before many of them returned to help with weigh-ins at 6 a.m.

That, in itself, was probably the only major hiccup of the entire weekend.

"We have a list," Frost said. "We were sitting down late tonight, and we've got a list of things we want to improve, do better."

Attendance was good - great on Saturday night - but the feeling is when the word spreads about how well the tournament was run and the excitement it brought, the crowds will be bigger.

And as far as competitors, Frost has a waiting list of nearly 20 teams wanting to get in. It will probably get bigger now.

Many fans who couldn't make it to Young Arena followed the action on The Courier's website where we dedicated a section to the Battle of Waterloo with results, scores, stories, photos, video and live chats.

During the weekend, 2,584 people logged in for updates or to ask questions during the live chat.

When you add it all up - from the organizers, participants, volunteers and fans - Klingman's words ring true. Waterloo is the wrestling capital of the world.