New wrestling club forming in Moses Lake
Pictured in the back row from left to right are coach Matt Janke, Rylee Heath, Christian Knobb, Cyrus Knoll, Chase Clasen, Everett Ashley and coach Mark Janke. Front row from left are Cody Byers, Karson Voss, Carson Janke, Kadrian Hellwell and Gavin Longwell. Not pictured is Hunter Garland-Cruz.
MOSES LAKE - 'Through the sport of wrestling, we will inspire and develop youth to maximize their potential as wrestlers and Americans, while building a strong foundation of teamwork and personal development with the ultimate goal of creating future Olympians.'
That's the mission statement of the newly formed Freedom Wrestling Academy based in Moses Lake.
The academy, run by coaches Matt and Mark Janke, opened its doors Oct. 1, and is currently looking for members ages 7 to 15 years-old.
"We are a patriotic family and that's how we came up with the name for the academy," Matt Janke said. "Our uniform colors will be red, white and blue."
Unlike the Moses Lake Wrestling Club that has approximately 80 kids in the program, the number of wrestlers accepted into the academy, Janke said, will be limited to 20 kids.
"Our hope is to eventually produce advanced wrestlers we can feed into the Moses Lake High School program, and its too hard to provide individual attention to a larger group," he said. "That's why we are limiting the enrollment."
Janke and his brother Mark will be coaching the group. Both have extensive experiences as wrestlers.
Mark was a three-year Tri-State Champion and received a full-ride scholarship to wrestle for the University of Oklahoma. But after coaching change and a knee injury, he found himself back in Moses Lake. He was later recruited by John Owens at North Idaho College and became a two-time National Champion.
Matt was also a Tri-State Champion and an assistant coach under Owens for three years.
The two intend to teach mainly freestyle wrestling, but will instruct collegian as well.
The academy participated in its first tournament Oct. 27 at Highline Community College in Des Moines.
The nine wrestlers who made the trip produced outstanding results.
Taking first in their weight class were Hunter Garland-Cruz and Everett Ashley. Carson Janke placed second, and Christian Knopp, Cyrus Knoll, Gavin Longwill and Karson Voss finished third respectively.
The initial cost to join the Freedom Wrestling Academy is $50 per person, For more information, contact Matt Janke at (509) 989-9526 or Mark Janke at (509) 760-9732.
*The title of this article said "Wresting", it should say "Wrestling"