(Curtis Haaima photo)
Months of practising, planning and fundraising will come to fruition for the Renfrew Vipers Amateur Wrestling Club this weekend.
More than 200 wrestlers will descend upon the myFM Centre in Renfrew this weekend for the 2025 Canada East Wrestling Festival.
Curtis Haaima, Vipers president, says it’s been about 14 years since the club hosted this major competition.
Registrations have poured in from far and wide.
Wrestlers and their families will arrive Friday and then on Saturday, wrestling starts at 9 a.m. for all age categories. After a break for lunch, opening ceremonies will be held at 1 p.m. with wrestling continuing after that. Competition for three of the four age categories will wrap up on Saturday.
Haaima tells us that Sunday will also be an exciting day.
The community is invited to come check out some premium wrestling competition. There is a spectator fee of $5 per person with a little nod to moms on Sunday, which is Mother’s Day.
Haaima said they are looking forward to welcoming wrestling teams from across the Eastern provinces and to seeing past and present wrestlers and families out cheering on the club.
He also thanked businesses and the community for their tremendous support for the club and this event.
Wrestlers have had a busy and successful season this far. The Vipers recently attended the Youth Provincials in Orillia on May 3. Coaches say they each performed well and brought home hardware, including several gold medals.
(Written by Sherry Haaima)