More than 60 boys teams and 40 girls teams will be competing for two days at the prestigious wrestling tournament, one of the biggest sporting events of the year in Clark County
Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com
It comes at the end of every calendar year, and it is always among the biggest sporting events of the year in Clark County.
Pac Coast Wrestling is back, and it is getting bigger every year.
This year’s high school wrestling extravaganza returns to the Clark County Event Center in Ridgefield on Dec. 27 and 28, two full days of wrestling. The latest update from tournament organizers: There will be 63 boys teams and 46 girls teams, representing a total of 67 schools from the Northwest.
“It’s something to be proud of in our neck of the woods, to have this big of a tournament here,” said Vinycia Seman-Boyer, the coordinator of the event and vice president for the Evergreen High School wrestling boosters.
Evergreen has been the longtime host of the Pac Coast Wrestling Championships.
For years, the event was held at Evergreen. But long ago, when the high school went through a renovation, the gym space was limited, making it too small to hold the event. Pac Coast was moved to Hudson’s Bay High School. Last year, in an effort to add even more wrestlers, Pac Coast was moved again to the event center at the Clark County fairgrounds.
“It was a great experience, not just for us fans and parents, but for the kids,” Seman-Boyer said. “They really took it to another level.”
The E-Way is proud to be associated with the event.
“To have this, to be able to put on this huge event, it really spotlights our school,” Seman-Boyer said. “This is something we are able to give back to the community.”
While she is proud to be an Evergreen parent helping Evergreen host this event, she also emphasized that it takes the entire Southwest Washington wrestling community to truly make this special.
For example, Camas, La Center, Prairie, Ridgefield, Seton Catholic and Skyview wrestling programs are providing mats for the event. Also, the U.S. Army is providing mats.
“We couldn’t do it without them,” Seman-Boyer said.
Tickets for the Pac Coast Wrestling Championships are $30 for two-days, or $20 for a day. It is $5 off that price for senior citizens, active military, veterans, and children. Parking at the event center is $6 a day per vehicle.
Doors open at 8 a.m. Friday, Dec. 27, with wrestling to start at 9:30 a.m. Wrestling will continue Saturday, with championship matches to conclude the event.
Last year, 13 of the 14 boys champions would go on to win state championships in Washington and Oregon. In the girls competition, eight Pac Coast champions would go on to win state titles.
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