Nolan O'Rourke captures U.S. wrestling title

Nolan O'Rourkestill has to explain hisweekends don't include getting hit over the head with fold-up chairs or being chased around the ring by someone wearingspandex in kabuki makeup.

"It's like,'is it the WWE stuff?' It's like 'no it'skindalike theOlympicstuff,'" O'Rourke patiently tells people who find out his chosen sport is wrestling.

At 13,Stanhope'sO'Rourkehas the next five years planned out, and it includes a lot of time in the gym and on the wrestling mat where he's quickly making a name for himself, and carving out some P.E.I. sports history.

"No one has ever medalledat Canada Games for P.E.I. and when I go to Canada Games I'll be 18. So itwould be really nice to medal there."

After spending time in karate,O'Rourkefound the sport of competitive wrestling thathe had seen in the Olympics and was soon hooked.

"There isn't really another sport like it, you have to get all the techniques right, you need perfect timing, speed, strength, you to be smart," said O'Rourke.

His success has taken him halfway acrossCanada and into the United States, where last weekend he won the Maine State Championship in hisdivision.

"I get to train with a lot of guys that are older than me so they are more experiencedand better," said O'Rourke.

He has the advantage at this early stage of his career to head to places like Montreal to train.

Growing into the sport

"In Nolan's case he's really lean, he moves very well," said his strength coach Kris MacPhee."Dealingwith those older wrestlers or perhaps those who have a slight size or strength advantage, and I think that he has identified that as a gap he would like to close."

Prince Edward Island has had some success in wrestling onthe national stage, mostly with femalewrestlers.

In the last eight years we've had six or eight kids that have gone on to do quite well," saidGlen Floodof Wrestling PEI. "The sky is the limit right now."

O'Rourkeisn't only looking to break the Island's medal droughtat the Canada Games, he sees wrestling as a way to further his educationtoo.

"I really want to go to university and train," said the young wrestler, "you get a lot of training time and when you see people when they go to university they come back they're just so much better."

O'Rourke's next competition is the Canada East Wrestling Festival being held in Monctonin early May.

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