Lincoln Logger Wrestling ends season with placements at state tournament; seeks community help for future.

The Lincoln Loggers Wrestling Club, with the help of coaches Ezra Schwalm, Shane Smith and Nick Hessler wrapped up their 2020 season with a trip to the State Tournament last weekend.

The team of 12 local kids aged 5-13 have been hard at work this wrestling season.

"Everybody throughout the season gave a lot of effort and wrestled tough. Three of the four older wrestlers are first-time wrestlers this year. Overall they did really well and had some very good moments during the season," Schwalm said. "We started with 11 wrestlers, got up to 12, and everyone stuck it out. We didn't lose anyone this year. They were all consistent all season long and I'm proud of all of them."

Eleven of the 12 team members went to state this year. Elijah Barnett placed third; Grayson Dawkins took first place, Barnett and Myles Greany placed third, Silas Hessler and Wyatt Kirby placed fifth and Garrett Schwalm and Abbie Serich placed sixth.

The team today wouldn't be here without the efforts of Bob Zadick, who coached various programs in Great Falls for 27 years before bringing the program to Lincoln in December of 2016. He was sparked by his love for the sport, asking various kids when wandering around town if they would be interested in learning.

Wendy Dietz, whose son Roegun had been wrestling at age five as part of a team in Simms, was also instrumental in getting the team going in Lincoln."One night, while in the Montanan Steakhouse, I approached Bob about starting a program in Lincoln," Dietz recalled, "and I'll be darned if that next season he jumped at any interest, rounded up a place-the Lincoln Community Hall- and some mats and got a season going."

They had six consistent kids that year. She said Luke Shimer got wind of the program and approached Bob to see if he wanted any company coaching, and Bob obliged. In 2017 and 2018 they had around 12 kids, but in 2019 the number was down to eight as some kids aged out of the program. In addition, the Zadicks decided to spend winters in Great Falls. That's when Ezra Schwalm stepped up and took the reins. He and colleagues Shane Smith and Stevie Fehrs of Lincoln, and Nick Hessler of Ovando, worked with the team, taking them to various tournaments throughout the state.

The team participates in "Little Guy" tournaments that are often very busy, with many mats running simultaneously. There is the potential to have more than one Lincoln wrestler competing at a time, so multiple coaches are needed. Schwalm is always looking for additional coaching support.

With the season now over, the team is now looking toward next year and hoping someone in the community will be able to help them. Currently, the team practices three nights a week at the Community Hall, from December to February. After each practice, mats are rolled up and moved to the side or hauled out of the building, when the Hall has other events lined up. In the coming months the team is hoping to find a building they can utilize for practice at little to no cost throughout the year. According to Schwalm, the ideal space would be approximately 30 feet by 30 feet, where they could leave mats out, especially during their peak months, or rolled up without having to haul them out of the building during the rest of the year.

"It's tough for the kids to progress if they are only practicing for three months, and don't do anything else the rest of the year." Schwalm said.

"The community has been really good to us," he said. "We want to thank Wendi & Chuck Dietz who donated the singlet uniforms for the wrestlers, and Mountain View CoOp who sponsored the t-shirts for the kids and three coaches with their names printed on the backs of the shirts."

In the coming year, they are looking to take on some tournaments that may require additional travel, and hope to open the team up to some older kids in the coming year. To do this, they will be having some additional fundraisers, including a gun raffle, and possibly continuing their sweatshirt sales. Funds raised help offset travel costs for families with kids who want to wrestle.

They've also submitted their paperwork for their non-profit status. If you would like to make a donation to the Lincoln Loggers Wrestling Club, you can contact Schwalm directly at 406-362-3223.

This year's team members include Elijah Barnett, age 11, McKenna Copenhaver, age 11, Grayson Dawkins, age 10, Michael Dove, age 7, Myles Greany, age 8, Silas Hessler, age 5, Wyatt Kirby, age 10, Ryan Perez, age 6, Garrett Schwalm, age 7 Abbie Serich, age 13, and Tristan Tronstad, age 8.

If you would like to follow what's going on with the team, visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/lincolnloggerswrestling/. Like their page to keep up with latest news for the kids and the team.