North Shore Wrestling Club founders hope to share the sport with the next generation
Several generations of wrestlers have come together at the North Shore Wrestling Club, which opened its doors in early March.
The club was founded by Chris Thom, President of the BC Wrestling Association and former Carson Graham Secondary Wrestler. He felt the sport was undersupported outside of high school and wanted to find a way to bring it to a larger group of people. With many clubs shutting down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Thom wanted to fill the void that had been created since the outbreak of the pandemic.
“Wrestling is a sport that has brought a lot to a lot of people and so we’re just trying to give something back,” Thom said. “It’s a really inclusive place for a lot of kids who don’t fit in with other sports to find a home and be active and work on developing their physical skills.”
With the support of former Olympic athletes, the club has gotten off to a flying start, with a few names catching the attention of the wrestling community. Justin Abdou, a former Canadian Olympic wrestler and head coach of the SFU wrestling team, said he grew up at clubs like North Shore Wrestling Club and looks forward to taking his son there, pointing to the opportunities wrestling offers Scholarships may provide in post-secondary education.
“I just think there are endless possibilities. I grew up in a small club in Moose Jaw, Sask., a small town, and four Olympians came out of that club because wrestling was an important thing in our community,” Abdou said.
Another significant figure who has helped the club is former Iran national wrestling coach Monsour Barzegar, an Olympic silver medalist and world champion who brought his grandson along as a coach. Wrestling is the national sport of Iran and holds great prominence in the Iranian-Canadian community with Barzegar holding a high profile in the wrestling community.
“When I wrestled for Canada in the national team, he was the head coach of Iran,” said Abdou. “So I wrestled his top wrestlers. He’s a wrestling legend. It would be exciting for me just to be around him and maybe save a few things for my own team. Abdou compared Barzegar to hockey greats like Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky, adding that his presence could potentially increase the number of Iranian-Canadians wanting to come out and take their kids to wrestling in Canada.
Speaking to the North Shore News through a translator, his son Manziar, Monsour Barzegar, expressed the importance of a good coach and talked about how important wrestling is to him and his children.
“My father believes that he should lead the new generation on the right path to find their purpose and to be a good member of their community,” Manziar said. Both Barzegars expressed that wrestling is not just a sport for them, but that it is of great importance to their family and community, and that they were excited to share it with the people at the club.
North Shore Wrestling Club runs programs for elementary school children, high school students, and adults, and provides wrestlers on the North Shore with a place to train during the off-season as they are year-round. Thom also mentioned that there have been no reported cases of COVID related to wrestlers in BC
“You don’t have to wrestle with yourself to get your kid there. Your child does not have to fit a specific shape, body type, background or ability. It’s really a place for everyone,” said Thom. “Wrestling is often a sport where people end up who don’t fit anywhere else. We have an open door for these people.”
The club operates out of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church at 1110 Gladwin Drive in North Vancouver. Visit the club’s website for more information or registration details.
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