Action at the Freestyle and Greco Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota begins on Saturday with the Women’s Cadet tournament. But plenty of wrestling will take place much closer to home in the Empire State this weekend, from Long Island to Fulton to Rochester.

On July 13, a pair of Takedown Tournaments will take place different parts of the state.   Friends of Massapequa Wrestling will host “Friday Night Lights” in John Burns Park beginning at 5 p.m..  The event will continue for several hours, featuring competition in seven divisions, from Intermediate to Masters.  Up to 400 grapplers have taken the mat at this event in the past.

For more information on the Massapequa Friday Night Lights, see the flyer:

Click to access 2012MassapequaTakedown.pdf

The success of this event on Long Island in recent years caught the eye of some in the upstate area and resulted in the first “Friday Night Lights” event held by the Friends of Section 3 Wrestling in 2011.  The second edition will also be held on July 13, at Fulton High School’s Athletic Complex, starting at 6 p.m.

“We saw the event in Massapequa and thought it would be a perfect fit up here as well,” said John Drew, one of the organizers. “Vito Mundo, who runs it down there in Long Island was very supportive and instrumental in getting us off the ground.”

In last year’s inaugural event, Drew said 327 wrestlers participated, from five different states.  This year, a group from Canada will add an international component.  According to Drew, pre-registration is well ahead of where it was in 2011 and he expects to reach 400 grapplers, which is the maximum that can be accommodated.

“We had a bracket with four state placers in it last year, so it’s not all just for fun – we definitely have kids who really want to come out and win it,” Drew said.  “But overall, we like to call it a wrestling festival rather than a wrestling tournament, with vendors, concessions and sprinklers for the kids.  It’s a family-friendly atmosphere and a fun night for everyone.”

For more information on the Section 3 “Friday Night Lights”, please see the flyer:

Click to access fnl.pdf

For those who prefer wrestling on the sand, Ontario Beach Park in Rochester will be the place to be on July 14-15.  On Saturday, the US Beach National Championships will occur in six divisions and on Sunday the Senior Beach World Team Trials will take place, with the winners advancing to the World Beach championships in September.  In addition, Sunday’s action will include the National High School Beach Duals.