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Canadian
Wrestling Legend - HARRY GERIS to be inducted to London Sports Hall of
Fame
London, Ontario, CANADA -
The London Sports Hall of Fame has seven new inductees.
The names of 2009 London's Sports Hall of Fame had been released to the
media
recently. The inductees will be officially inducted on Thursday,
November 5th
at induction dinner at the London's Western Fair's Carousel Room and
they will
be immortalized on plaques to be displayed at the London's - John
Labatt Centre
( Hockey Arena).
One of the inductee's to 2009 London's Sports Hall of Fame is a
wrestler Harry
GERIS ( Gentle Giant ) in Athlete-Legend category. Harry will join
Peter
Michienzi his team mate from 1968 Olympic Games as the only other
wrestlers
that has been inducted to London Sports Hall of Fame.
Harry Geris, a Canadian Olympic wrestler who represented Canada in the
1968,
1972, and 1976 Olympics, and the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth
Games
competed at 100kg or 120kg weight class.
Geris was born in Deurne in the Netherlands, November 22, 1947 and
emigrated to
Canada as a child and grew up in London, Ontario along with his eight
siblings.
Geris attended H.B. Beal Secondary School where he tried out for
numerous
sporting teams including basketball, football and wrestling. Harry
excelled at
wrestling and was a member of H.B. Beal's wrestling team, where he
earned two
O.F.S.A.A. ( Ontario High School ) gold medals under wrestling coach
Fred
Flectcher. While at H.B. Beal Geris won his first of ten Canadian
National
Championships, which led him to representing Canada at three Olympic
Games.
His performance in High School Wrestling got the attention of the Head
Coach of
Joliet Junior College wrestling program in Illinois, USA, Henry
Pillard. Coach
Pillard recruited Geris to Joliet College ( Chicago area ) wrestling
squad and
as a result Harry won the N.C.A.A. Junior College Wrestling
Championship in
1968. His performance at the 1968 Junior College N.C.A.A. Championships
earned
Harry a scholarship to wrestle at perennial powerhouse Oklahoma State
University where he earned All-American status competing at the 1972
N.C.A.A.
National Tournament.
Geris also
represented Canada
at the International wrestling events, Pan-American Games, the
Commonwealth
Games and the World Cup, winning the Bronze medals at all three events.
Dr.
Glynn Leyshon of London, former head coach of UWO Mustangs and a
National coach
was Harry's coach to the 1969 Worlds, 1973 World Cup (Toledo, Ohio),
Student
World Games ( Moscow, Russia) and World Wrestling Championships (
Tehran,
Iran).
Harry's love for the sport of wrestling was passed on to his three
sons, Jason,
Shawn, and Ryan. They all attended Sir Wilfrid Laurier Seconday School
in
London where they were members of the Laurier wrestling team. All three
boys
excelled in the sport and earned an impressive collection of accolades
in their
father's sport.
Geris was inducted into the U.S. National Junior College Wrestling Hall
of Fame
in 1980 and the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame in May 1984.
Besides
his prowess on the wrestling mat, Harry also served in administrative
capacity
as the President of London-Western Wrestling Club and Ontario Amateur
Wrestling
Association and he was a member of Board of Directors of the Canadian
Amateur
Wrestling Association. Harry also served as the President of The
Optimist Club
of Middlesex-London (1977-78).
Geris remained involved in Olympic style wrestling at Elementary , High
School
and University level until his death in 2008. For the last five years
of his
life, Geris had been a volunteer wrestling coach with the Western
Mustangs,
assisting head coach Ray Takahashi. The two were teammates on the 1976
Canadian
Olympic team in Montreal. Harry's body was found by a construction
worker at
7:30 am on April 24, 2008, behind Saunders Secondary School in London,
Ontario
where he was delivering wrestling mats for an upcoming Thames Valley
Elementary
School wrestling tournament.
In April 2009 the Thames Valley Elementary School Association ( London
and area
) decided to name their Wrestling Championships - " The Harry Geris
Elementary Wrestling Championships" in recognition of Harry's
contribution
to the sport of WRESTLING in London and Thames Valley district.
The first wrestling tournament that honoured Harry Geris was in
November, 2008
in Williamsburg, Kentucky, USA " Harry Geris Open " - a women's
wrestling tournament. Coach Kip Flanik, women's wrestling coach at
University
of Cumberlands named the tournament in honour of Harry Geris as Harry
was a
great supporter of Women's wrestling and a personal friend.
The "Harry Geris Open" is an annual women's wrestling duals
competition and 8 - university wrestling teams from USA and Canada took
part
including the University of Western Ontario where Geris was a volunteer
wrestling coach. The UWO team to the inaugural "Harry Geris Open" in
Kentucky was coached by Harry's long time friend Josip Mrkoci also a
Western
Mustangs volunteer wrestling coach.
Shawn Geris, Harry's son and former students of the late Harry Geris, -
Toufic
Zabian, Sean Barker, and Adam Summers, along with Todd Lupa, have
formed the
"Harry Geris Wrestling Club", in honour of their former mentor and
coach. The club has been set up in 2008 in east London on Dundas St.
location
of the Adrenaline Training Centre. The Club all ready had some sucess
at
Provincial and National level ( one gold and one silver medal ).
Dr. Glynn Leyshon who coached Harry on a number of International
wrestling
events said about Harry " He stood tall and muscular unlike many of his
opponents who often were beefy and flaccid. For all his physical
attributes and
wrestling prowess, the thing he is equally remembered for is his gentle
nature
and kindness. Harry got as much from helping some new wrestler at a
tournament
or being a volunteer coach, driver or a referee as from winning another
medal.
He did an awful lot for the sport of wrestling and, as a friend, he'd
do
anything for you. You only had to ask and he'd do it".
For
more information contact:
Name: Josip MRKOCI - Vice-President Administration
& Marketing
Organization: Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association
Email: josipwrestling@hotmail.com
Phone:
+1.(613) 748-5686
Cell: + 1. (519) 668-9901
URL: http://www.wrestling.ca/
Imphal,
May 25 2009: The Manipur Wrestling Association will be
organising the 11th Men's, Junior Boys', Sub Junior Boys' 9th Women's
Junior Girls' Sub Junior Girls' Free Style, Greco Roman Style State
Level Wrestling Championship, 2009 from May 29 to 31 next at Indoor
Stadium, Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, Khuman Lampak, Imphal, stated a
press release of (MWA), issued by its secretary, N Phoni today.
Interested wrestlers ar informed to report to the secretary, MWA at 7
am in the morning of May 29 next with date of birth certificate for
measuring weight, further stated the release.
Menlo College sisters Katherine and Sara Fulp-Allen will try for spots in the World Wrestling Championships at the U.S. team trials this weekend in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The winning wrestler at each weight class will represent the U.S. at the world championships in Denmark in September. Both women are coming off runner-up finishes at last month's U.S. Nationals.
Katherine, a Menlo College senior-to-be, competes at 112 pounds while Sara, a 2007 Menlo graduate, wrestles at 105.5 pounds. If the Fulp-Allens finish in the top three they will be part of the U.S. National Team for 2009-10.
Katherine led former Olympian Patricia Miranda 2-1 in the second period of their championship match at the U.S. Nationals before the Stanford alumna pinned Fulp-Allen. As a junior, Fulp-Allen won her first Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association national championship and was named WCWA Wrestler of the Year in addition to being an Academic All-American. She is ranked No. 2 in the U.S. Senior Women's Rankings.
Sara, also ranked No. 2 in her weight class, lost a decision to 2008 world champion and Olympian Clarissa Chun 3-0, 1-0 in her title match at the nationals. During her Menlo career, Sara was a three-time All-American and won two national titles under her father and head coach Lee Allen, who also coaches Katherine and the rest of the current Oaks women's wrestlers.
COUNTDOWN TO COUNCIL BLUFFS: U.S. World Team Trials Women’s preview at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. |
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2008 World champion Clarissa
Chun highlights this weight class. She has had a tremendous season
winning her second career U.S. Senior Nationals title and second Pan
American title. Chun also represented the U.S. at the Women’s
World Cup in China this year. She placed fifth at the 2008 Olympics,
making her mark on the international level. Sara Fulp-Allen will be a top contender for Chun if she makes it past the Challenge Tournament. She was the 2008 World University silver medalist and placed second behind Chun at the 2009 U.S. Nationals. She won the National title in 2005 and has been nationally ranked since high school. Alyssa Lampe, who was second at the 2008 World Team Trials and a past Junior World medalist, moved up to 51 kg at the U.S. Nationals this year. If she drops back to 48 kg, she is a top contender for the title. High school stars C.C. Weber and Victoria Anthony are making a big impact on the Senior level. Weber placed third at Nationals and Anthony placed fourth. Both wrestlers have qualified for the 2009 U.S. Junior World Team, Weber at 48 kg and Anthony at 44 kg. Out of the college ranks comes Joey Miller, Gabrielle Henry, Nicole Woody, Stephanie Waters and Ashley Shannon. Woody is a former Junior World champion and claimed the University Nationals title this year. Miller was the 2009 WCWA Nationals silver medalist. Henry was the University Nationals champion at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. Waters was the University Nationals runner-up and Shannon was the 2009 WCWA Nationals champion at 44 kg. Other qualifiers are U.S. Nationals placer Amantha Hordagoda and Lene Wood, the WCWA Nationals runner-up at 44 kg. 2009 U.S. Nationals results at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. 1st - Clarissa Chun, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Sara Fulp-Allen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC), 3-0, 1-0 3rd - CC Weber, Goodrich, Mich. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Victoria Anthony, Huntington Beach, Calif (Team So Cal), 0-2, 1-0, 1-1 5th - Joey Miller, Woodward, Okla. (OCU Stars) dec. Amantha Hordagoda, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC), 3-1 ,3-0 7th - Gabrielle Henry, Columbus, Ohio (Cumberlands) dec. Ashley Shannon, Odenton, Md. (Cumberlands), 2-2, 1-0 2009 World Team Trials Qualifers at 48 kg/105.5 pounds U.S. Nationals Champion - Clarissa Chun, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) U.S. Nationals, second place – Sara Fulp-Allen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) U.S. Nationals, third place - CC Weber, Goodrich, Mich. (Sunkist Kids) U.S. Nationals, fourth place – Victoria Anthony, Huntington Beach, Calif (Team So Cal) U.S. Nationals, fifth place – Joey Miller, Woodward, Okla. (OCU Stars) U.S. Nationals, sixth place - Amantha Hordagoda, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) U.S. Nationals, seventh place - Gabrielle Henry, Columbus, Ohio (Univ. of the Cumberlands) New York AC International Champion – Alyssa Lampe, Tomahawk, Wis. (Sunkist Kids) WCWA Nationals champion 44 kg – Ashley Shannon, Odenton, Md. (Univ. of the Cumberlands) WCWA Nationals runner-up 44 kg – Lene Wood, Frisco, Texas (OCU Stars) University Nationals Champion – Nicole Woody, Gambrills, Md. (OCU Stars) University Nationals Runner-up - Stephanie Waters, Joliet, Ill. (OCU Stars) |
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