Sweet Home High School saw a record number of athletes during the 24th annual Santiam Men’s Wrestling Camp that took place July 7-9.
The second camp of the summer put on by head coach Steve Thorpe took place during a heat wave with temperatures reaching 105 at the height. Regardless, athletes still packed both gyms and the wrestling room at the Sweet Home High.
“Many records [were] set with this camp,” Thorpe said. “[The] most wrestlers we’ve ever had attend the camp, and it was the hottest.”
Attending athletes were not just Sweet Home kids, as this annual camp brings kids from all over Oregonl; the camp even saw national members of the Saskatchewan Wrestling Team, a wrestling program based out of Saskatoon, Canada.
“I would actually say it’s the best camp that I’ve ever had at Sweet Home,” Thorpe said. “It’s the best Santiam Camp.”
With a high number of wrestlers, many college representatives attended the camp, including Corban University, Southern Oregon University, Linfield University, and the University of Saint Mary’s. These representatives were able to talk to kids, as well as run a work session.
This camp has grown substantially from when it first started back in July of 2000. When it first began, it was known as the Junior National Team Camp and was held in Hood River. According to an article written by Alex Paul in 2000,the camp started with 57 wrestlers and was held in Hood River for nine years before moving to Sweet Home.
Now that number has multiplied by four; Thorpe mentioned that over 200 kids were in attendance at this year’s camp, not including those who didn’t pre register for the camp.
“It was above and beyond what I ever expected,” Thorpe said. “It was incredible. The camp is no longer just a wrestling camp, it’s become a tradition for many people.”
The camp also saw the return of Scottie Stockman, who attended this same camp in high school and used this year’s camp to help mentally and physically prepare for his upcoming fight.
“I was beyond excited to be a part of this year’s Santiam Wrestling Camp. It was the best camp I’d been to,” Stockman said. “ Coach Thorpe runs as elite a program as he ever has. The guy doesn’t miss. Santiam camp (allowed) some of the very best wrestling coaches, technicians, and tacticians in the state to come in and run practices for the athletes. It’s one of the most motivational atmospheres you could imagine.”
According to souraiders.com, Stockman graduated from SHHS in 2012. He finished in the top-two at 11 individual events and, during his last two seasons, he helped the Huskies finish as a state runner-up.
“You see a lot of kids become more than what they are there, and what’s even cooler is you see them realize it too,” Stockman continued “The camp coaches who ran the practices were showing some seriously cutting edge, top of line stuff and I’m glad I was there to be able to learn it myself as well.”
Stockman said Sweet Home’s mat room is different and called it a major league ministry, a program that has “saved a lot of lives, pushed people up into the stratosphere of various professions,” acted as a therapeutic measure, and reduced violent crime rates in the community through preventative efforts.
“The Sweet Home Wrestling program turns average people into great athletes, and oftentimes, troubled youth into incredibly effective contributing members of society,” he said. “It turns bad eggs into good apples. Changes boys into good men, and changes girls into strong women. The program asks virtually nothing in return from the wrestlers, other than they show up, buy into the values and principles of the organization, and do the work that needs to be done.”
Stockman added that it’s been called a military style team by many, though he believes it’s even more similar to favorite pro sports teams watched on tv.
“For me personally, being in the wrestling facility gets real sentimental real quick because there’s not a single more impactful place, community, or coaching staff that’s been more instrumental in turning my life around. This year’s Santiam Camp was an awesome reminder of that for me, being around and exchanging words with a few of the local legends at the facility. Everybody who takes part in the Sweet Home Wrestling program, whether it be as an athlete, a parent, a coach, a volunteer, a booster club member, an advocate, or a cheering spectator in the stands, is an absolute winner.”
