Remembering Joel Easter

    Dedication. Enthusiasm. Passion.

   All three of those words echoed throughout the obituary for Bedford icon Joel Easter, who passed away late last week.

   One of the most accomplished wrestlers in Bedford’s storied history, Easter was also a small business owner and a beloved family man. On the mat, Joel collected three state medals, including a runner-up finish as a junior 105-pounder.

   I’ll remember Joel for his coaching style and the pride he showed upon the wrestling achievements of his sons Trey and Ryan.

   A memory that sticks with me came when Trey capped off a strong high school career with a seventh-place medal in the state tournament. 

   I was standing in the back hall of Hershey’s Giant Center after the medal ceremony, and in giving Trey time before interviewing him, those joyous few moments between a father and son were pretty cool to see.

   The next year, along comes Ryan and all he does is win four state medals, the first to do so, one-upping his dad in the process. And again, the father-son moments were the same from a journalist’s perspective and must have been just as cherished from a family mindset.

   While I’m sure it did happen, I always thought how cool would those dinner conversations discussing state medals have been for the Easter clan, like “Hey, we’ve got eight state medals, come beat that!”

   And it’s probably cliche to say coaches have a special insight to their particular sport, but I’ll also remember Joel Easter for that. On more than one occasion at a big tournament, I’d just happen to be standing close enough to hear him describe the larger picture in either an individual match or a round, whether Bedford was involved in it or not, and think “yeah, this guy knows what’s up.”

   No doubt, Joel will be missed in Bedford wrestling, Pennsylvania wrestling, and beyond. 

   My deepest condolences go out to Sheila, Trey, Ryan and the extended Easter family.

SanctionPA hits magic number

   We made it!

   On Tuesday afternoon, the SanctionPA committee announced that 100 school districts in Pennsylvania have now approved the formation of a girls wrestling program.

   With that comes the fulfilling of a standard set by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) that would make the sport eligible for inclusion in the state’s official array of sponsored sports.

Officially, Pennridge is the 100th program. The process began less than three years ago in the formation of a grassroots committee made up of coaches, administrators, and others interested in promoting and building the idea of girls wrestling to get to a day like today. That group and it’s end goal, of which I have represented District 5, is a testament to our dedication to this initiative.

   “Meeting the 100-school threshold further cements SanctionPA’s viewpoint that if you create equitable opportunities for girls athletics, growth will follow,” said SanctionPA president Brooke Zumas, who is also the girls coach at Parkland High School. “When we launched this initiative in March 2020, girls wrestling as a whole was treated as a novelty and not as a legitimate sport on its own validation. But with the collaborative work of people across Pennsylvania, it is clear that girls wrestling is a robust and needed sport that fulfills what was a void in the wrestling community and our state. In a few weeks, athletes will compete in what we hope to be the last non-PIAA sanctioned Pennsylvania girls wrestling state tournament. We congratulate each and every school and athlete, past and present, who helped pave the pathway for the great sport of girls wrestling in Pennsylvania.”

   High school girls wrestling participation in Pennsylvania grew by over 80% during the 2022-23 season and has experienced over a 400% growth in the past five years. Since the school year began last fall, 46 schools have approved a girls wrestling program.

   “PIAA would like to congratulate those member schools that are sponsoring girls’ wrestling and supporting their growth,” said PIAA executive director Robert Lombardi. “We are looking forward to developing a first class program to highlight these athletes and wish to thank all those involved with SanctionPA for their commitment to this growing sport.”

Pennsylvania girls in preseason national rankings

    As the high school girls wrestling season draws near, here is a rundown of girls from Pennsylvania schools listed in the latest national rankings by USA Wrestling. Not included are those from out of state who attend a Pennsylvania prep school, such as Wyoming Seminary, or those that are not of high school age:

100 pounds

4. Valarie Solorio, Canon-McMillan

21. Julia Horger, Bensalem

106 pounds

9. Lexia Schechterly, Lake Lehman

17. Ana Malovich, Butler

112 pounds

5. Aubre Krazer, Easton

117 pounds

11. Sierra Chiesa, Northwestern

23. Journie Rodriguez, JP McCaskey

26. Eliana White-Vega, Cumberland Valley

122 pounds

9. Savannah Witt, Palisades

10. Haylie Jaffe, Kennett

127 pounds

4. Jordyn Fouse, Bishop McCort

132 pounds

16. Isabella Dias, Harry S. Truman

138 pounds

9. Marissa Rumsey, Williamsport

145 pounds

None listed

152 pounds

14. Avry Rahal, Mercer

17. Raegan Snider, Bishop McCort

28. Patron Plummer, Chestnut Ridge

164 pounds

11. Jael Miller, Punxsutawney

17. Abbie Miles, Laurel

180 pounds

None listed

200 pounds

None listed

225 pounds

None listed

Remembering Jim Clark

   In the sports world, it’s a small group of athletes and coaches who can say they went out on top.

   Chestnut Ridge coaching icon Jim Clark was one member of that club.

   Tonight, the local wrestling community is mourning the loss of Clark, who passed away after a brief battle with cancer.

   Clark put together one of the finest coaching careers Bedford County has seen in any sport, as he guided his Lions’ teams to a dual meet record of 342-158-3 over 31 years. 

   A large number of his wrestlers enjoyed individual success as well, with Clark in the head chair for 56 district champions, six regional champs, and nine state medalists.

   But perhaps Clark’s shining moment came in his final season in 2008, when the late Gary Pfahler captured the school’s first state wrestling championship in the 140-pound weight class. 

   Sitting matside for the Bedford Gazette that afternoon, I can still recall the emotional celebratory reactions of Clark and his longtime assistant coach, Scott McGill, after Pfahler held off a late takedown attempt by Burrell’s Jordan Shields when the final whistle sounded. 

   And when Clark had his arm around Pfahler walking away from the mat, both with big smiles, it was like they were on Cloud Nine, and rightly so. 

   It was the county’s first state wrestling title in 25 years. And it’s my opinion that the Clark/Pfahler combination for that elusive gold medal knocked down the door for what has transpired since on the big stage, as this area has captured four individual state championships and multiple team state medals in the last 13 years.

   Clark retired after that championship match for Pfahler, and he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame that spring. I went to that event in State College and in chatting with him, he was still in awe of being able to help win a state title for one of his own in what he knew was going to be his last head coaching assignment. 

   When writing about his retirement, he spoke of the time factor in going over lineups and putting his teams in the best position to win. His coaching resume speaks to that kind of dedication and why the 342 dual meet wins remain at the top of the county and district record book.

   Clark is also a member of the Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2009.

   My condolences go out to Clark’s family and the Chestnut Ridge program.

Girls Wrestling ready for another big year

    When Brooke Zumas and Chris Atkinson started putting together what became the SanctionPA committee for girls wrestling in Pennsylvania, they knew the potential was there to create a sizable movement.

   In just a couple of years, it's become quite the movement.

   With the 2022-23 high school season starting soon, 75 schools across the state have formed a girls wrestling team. Extensive work from the grassroots committee and of course the schools has put the goal of getting 100 schools on board to cross a PIAA mandate to sponsor the sport well within reach.

   "Since the first girls team formed at a PIAA school (J.P. McCaskey in March 2020), the sport has shown phenomenal growth throughout Pennsylvania," said Zumas, who coaches the girls team at Parkland High School in District 11. "Every year, there are more girls than before that are wrestling in the state. Every year is history-making in its own right."

   In the time since the high school season ended seven months ago at the MyHouse State Championships at Central Dauphin High School, 40 new teams have been formed. Those 40 schools are from all around the state, further enhancing its presence in Pennsylvania.

   "I'm amazed at the support, particularly in the past year for the girls and in schools adding teams," said Atkinson. "It's getting really exciting with the addition of each new school as we get closer to 100. You can feel the buzz growing across the Commonwealth."

   Overall, 10 of the 12 PIAA districts in Pennsylvania have at least one girls wrestling program at a member school. District 3 has consistently led the way and has 27 of them, with District 11 at eight teams, and Districts 1 and 2 with seven apiece.

   Atkinson, who coaches at District 1's Souderton Area High School, continues to highlight the need for more education about girls wrestling, despite the ongoing growth.

   "I still feel like we have pockets in the communities who think girls wrestling is just a fad," he said. "Many stigmas associated with girls and wrestling are unfounded and just bad misconceptions. We need to more forward from that through education and promotion of the sport."

   Given the rate of schools forming teams, the 100-program barrier is likely to happen sooner than later.    It's probably a good bet to see it happen at some point during this high school season or by next summer, but a full-fledged state sanctioned sport may still have to wait a year, as the PIAA is currently in the first year of its next two-year enrollment cycle. 

   If that is the case, a state tournament that SanctionPA and its advocates would like to see run in conjunction with the boys likely wouldn't happen until the 2024-25 school year. That said, the extra time might be needed to discuss logistics of holding a boys (two classes) and girls state tournament together at one location. 

   In a meeting of the Pennsylvania Athletic Oversight Committee last month, PIAA executive director Robert Lombardi said he is a proponent of hosting a combined state tournament, as it would further enhance the standing of girls wrestling, but was concerned about the postseason timeline as well as numbers when it came to coaches and officials.

   In terms of this coming season, a number of highlighted tournaments return for the girls, including Queen of the Mountain at Central Mountain on December 18, the Powerade girls tournament on December 28 at Canon-McMillan, and Mid-Winter Mayhem at IUP's Kovalchick Center on January 14. Several other schools are also holding tournaments and some dual meets are also scheduled.

   "There continues to be ample competition opportunities available for girls, and we are excited for another record-breaking season," said Zumas. "Girls wrestling is wrestling, and I think everyone that loves this sport is understanding that more and more, and working to support and grow the sport."

   The state is broken into three regional tournaments, all of which are set for Sunday, March 5. Parkland hosts the East Regional (Districts 1, 2, 11, 12), J.P. McCaskey will hold the Central Regional (Districts 3, 4, 5), and Kiski Area will host the West Regional (Districts 6, 7, 8, 9, 10).

   Central Dauphin will once again be the site of the MyHouse State Championships, which will take place on Sunday, March 13. 

   

   

Remembering My Dad

    Everyone has those days that get etched in the mind from some circumstance, good or bad. You can't remember what you ate for breakfast yesterday, yet the tiniest things from those particular minutes or hours stay with you.

   Those days. For me, June 2, 2021 will forever be a time to pause, reflect, and remember. 

   One year ago marks the final time I saw my dad in person. It was early on a Wednesday morning, the last day of several that my dad had been spending with us after traveling north from his home in Florida. 

   It was like old times as we chatted for close to two hours about life. We talked about sports, something near and dear to both our hearts. We discussed what was going on in the world, what was going on with my family. In hindsight, it's of course become one of those things you wish would have lasted longer, if just for a minute more.

   But life gets in the way. I had to get some sleep, and my dad needed to get ready to head a bit further down the road to visit my sister and her family. 

   I'll never forget the last hug we had. Then I turned around and walked out the door.

   

   We would talk again and exchange text messages on the phone, but about two months later, God called my dad home. It was a major shock to my system. The cliche is that you're never ready for it, but man, I sure was not. It can happen to anyone at any age, though even at 74 years old, I thought my dad still had a lot of life to live. 

   Again, in hindsight, there's so much I wish we would have talked about over the years. I feel like I've learned more about him in the short months since than before last June. 

   My dad fought for this country in the U.S. Army. Of course, I knew that, but I knew none of his service record or awards until I read old paperwork on it. 

   Before retirement, my dad worked all over the country and made numerous contacts and friends across a long career while also doing much of the same with church work. Of course, I knew that too, but to have someone travel in from Oklahoma to my dad's memorial service at his home church in Florida, even for one person, means you made an impact somewhere, somehow.

   If you know me, I'm about as private of a person as can be when it comes to discussing emotions or thoughts. It's probably why writing came so natural to me. Covering a wrestling match or a softball game was always easy. Talking about myself, let alone trying to eulogize a parent - not so much.

   That part would have been easy for my dad. I even joked during my eulogy that he probably would have enjoyed writing and delivering his own version if he could have. I did not inherit the gift of public speaking from him. Looking at the crowd there that day, my dad was the person who could have known nobody there and fit right in. Me, I'd be in the corner taking in my own personal thoughts with maybe a few quick hellos.

   In some ways, it seems like it's been that long since those first few days of a 'new' reality. In other ways not. The word I use most with the last year is 'numb'. I know it's real, but I haven't felt like myself. It's been difficult not being able to pick up the phone and just say hello, or for him to text me about NCAA wrestling or how the Bedford County teams are doing, as he still would despite me not in full-time journalism anymore. (Yes, sports fans, I still follow along).

   In between planning services, trying to clean out a house and selling one from 1,000 miles away, and the associated decisions that need to be made while also working and maintaining your own family life hasn't been easy, or fun for that matter.

   It hasn't left a whole lot of time to grieve or reflect, and that has been the hardest part. You feel so distracted. You want the clock to stop even though you know it can't. You want moments back that you know aren't available until we meet again in Heaven. 

   I closed my eulogy that day by saying "My father wasn't a perfect man, but he was the perfect dad for me." 

   My dad wasn't perfect, I'm not either, but I believe he had a kind heart and truly cared for people. I try to do the same as much as possible so my son can someday say the same about me.

   Healing is taking it's time, but it's starting to come now that most of the extraneous, necessary things have been taken care of. Which is leaving more minutes for memories.

   And those are many, from throwing the ball in the yard, to a trip to the Little League World Series, to him holding his grandson for the first time and so much more in-between and around, my dad was that 'perfect' dad.

   My dad made an impact. That's what matters above all else.

   Thanks Dad.

   

   

Northern Bedford adds girls wrestling

    Most people who attend a wrestling match at Northern Bedford County High School drive up or down Route 36 on their way to it.

   In something that’s purely coincidental but also somewhat fitting, you’ll be taking that same-numbered roadway to find the newest, and numerically similar, sanctioned girls wrestling program in Pennsylvania. On Tuesday night, Northern Bedford became the 36th official girls program in the state after receiving unanimous formal approval at the district’s regular board meeting.

   Locally, NBC joins Chestnut Ridge in sponsoring girls wrestling at the varsity level. The two District 5 schools each added their names to a growing list of girls teams within five months of each other.

   “I’m excited to hear that Northern Bedford has added girls wrestling,” said Ryan Spring, a District 5 representative on the SanctionPA task force. “I figured they would be at some point because of the strong girls’ youth program they have put together over the last several years. To see it happen for the high school girls already competing for Northern Bedford, and for those to come up in the future, is outstanding.

   “I’m also proud of the task force’s work over the last two years. Together, we’ve worked hard through the Covid pandemic and other challenges to get 36 schools on the map and receive the PIAA’s emerging sport status. 

   “During my time covering boys wrestling for the Bedford Gazette, I saw such passion for the sport from so many in this area. I had no doubt that wrestling on the girls’ side would be well-received here. That was a main reason in joining the task force when Brooke (Zumas) and Chris (Atkinson) were seeking others from around the state to put this together. Having two of the 36 make their home in Bedford County is pretty special given that we’re part of the smallest district in Pennsylvania.”

   As aforementioned, Northern Bedford has built a solid foundation with its girls youth program. Many of those young ladies have enjoyed tremendous success. That includes current high-schoolers Jordyn Fouse and Raegan Snider.

   At the 2022 MyHouse PA Girls state tournament last month, Fouse won the 130-pound championship while Snider placed sixth at 136. Fouse has been a household name to those close to the sport for years, and she has also gained national recognition is being ranked in or near the top 10 of her weight class across the country by USA Wrestling.

   That pipeline of talent should only continue to happen for Northern Bedford with the success shown by Fouse, Snider, and others that so many times is seen as a harbinger of future accomplishments.

   “Dave and Jen Fouse were the ones who started the girls (elementary) program at NBC,” said veteran Black Panthers’ boys coach Brian Dutchcot, who oversaw three girls on the high school team and four in junior high this past season.“I’m sure their vision one day was to see a varsity program.”

   Statewide, of the 36 official girls wrestling programs, Northern Bedford becomes the 21st school to approve a team since the start of the 2021-22 academic year.