ST. GEORGE – The Rocky Mountain Nationals Triple Crown of Youth Wrestling will kick off its second annual Jacobs Challenge tournament, on Saturday, February 12 at the Dixie Center in St. George, Utah. The event will feature youth wrestlers ages K thru Ninth Grade competing from around the nation.
“A national wrestling event has never been hosted in St. George, Utah,” said Rocky Mountain Nationals Director, Ed Gutierrez. “We are very excited to be working with the local community and seeing it develop.” Gutierrez said 700 participants representing 10 different states are expected for the event. He projects nearly 200 local participants will be involved. “This is a great opportunity for local wrestlers to match their skills against some of the nation’s best,” he said.
Kevin Lewis, Director of Sports and Events for the St. George Convention and Tourism Office said the RMN tournament is a nice addition to the event schedule in the area. “Youth wrestling will introduce new families to our area and once they’ve experienced it, I think they’ll come back again and again,” said Lewis. “We have a great facility and a wonderful community that will make this tournament a highlight on the RMN circuit.”
RMN Events recently concluded eight of their national tournaments extending from the state of Washington to Florida. RMN Events has shared joint efforts with organizations such as Disney World and Universal Studios. “Our partnership with Disney and Universal Studios is a natural outgrowth of what we’re trying to do with these tournaments,” said Gutierrez. “Amateur wrestling, and youth wrestling in particular, is a family sport. Seldom does a youngster get involved in it, especially at this national level, without the whole family being involved. It’s appropriate that we hold these events in places that accommodate families and incorporate a whole lot of family fun. These exciting new sites make these events more than just wrestling tournaments. They become a whole family experience.”
With the expansion of the tournament series, and the addition of high profile venues, RMN’s events will continue to enjoy broader media coverage this year. Fox Sports has broadcasted numerous events via the RMN tournament series. RMN Events also has produced the Colorado High School State Championships held at the Pepsi Center in February.
RMN initiated its inaugural Rocky Mountain Nationals tournament in 1999. The initial concept was to bring together the most outstanding amateur wrestlers in the country, ages 5 thru 18, to compete for national titles. The concept has been retained and built upon in the ten years RMN has produced its events.
When it expanded to three events, the idea of the Triple Crown of Youth Wrestling came into being; any wrestler who won all three RMN events in the same year became a Triple Crown Champion. Now, with twenty-two events in the series, and a growing number of competitors each year, wrestlers who win three of the series events, one of which must include the Rocky Mountain Nationals tournament held in March, will be crowned Triple Crown Champions.