FARMINGTON – Young wrestlers from across the state gathered in Farmington for a week of training with Olympic silver medalist Sissaouri Guivi after Mat Cat coach Gregg Loewen reconnected with his old friend.
Loewen met Guivi at the 1996 Olympics and had the honor of escorting the famed wrestler to the mat for his competition. After Loewen had the opportunity to get the entire Canadian team to sign his home country’s flag, Guivi used the flag to run his victory lap as a silver medalist.
After keeping the flag for 22 years, Loewen decided to have it framed and presented to Guivi as a parting gift for his work with the young wrestlers around the state.
“We reconnected over Facebook and Guivi immediately offered to come do this camp for us. He is probably the most credentialed wrestler int he world, so we are truly fortunate to have him here,” Loewen said.
The camp brought 20 7th through 12th grade wrestlers from as far as Bangor and Portland to the area for the week of training. Students were hosted by local families, though Loewen said he hopes to offer housing on the University of Maine at Farmington campus if the event continues.
“This really has potential to be a national quality camp. We hope it will be an annual thing,” he said.
In addition to practices and matches, Loewen organized a trip to Sugarloaf’s anti-gravity center, a barbecue at his own house and a special practice where campers got to help “train” younger wrestlers who joined for the day.
The kids were honored with an awards ceremony at the end of the week, along with a match that parents could attend. The group also presented Guivi with the signed Canadian flag.
“It was really different for him. He usually works with elite athletes and here he was working with young kids. I think he really enjoyed it though,” Loewen said.
my boys had a blast this year and hope to attend next year. Hopefully more kids will attend last year they learned a lot from all coaches
This photo is from Tuesday evening, where the red shirts (week long campers) coached some younger kids during a 2 hour evening clinic. Sissaouri Guivi “Gia” was awesome! He is front row, 2nd from the right.
A special thank you to all the parents and friends that helped out all week. This camp would not have been possible without all the volunteer assistance.