BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
Like a wounded, cornered angry grizzly bear,
Chelmsford wrestler Cale Predon is ready to strike and unleash
more hell on the grappling world.
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Cale Predon meets the current
Ontario champion in Sarnia Saturday (tomorrow). He's
hoping for a shot at the 2005 Canada Summer
Games. |
Predon, 17, was recently crowned the gold
medal champion in the 130-kilogram category in both the
freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling events at the Canadian
Amateur Wrestling Championships in Newfoundland despite just
coming off knee surgery.
The two golds are only a blip on Predon's
wrestling radar screen as he's now eyeballing a shot at the
2005 Canada Summer Games, his true dream.
"Winning the golds at nationals was a huge
boost for me," said Predon. "The big thing for me now is to go
to the Canada Summer Games. I didn't get the chance to qualify
for the games at the provincial championships earlier this year
because of my knee injury. I really want the spot because going
to the
games would be the highlight of my wrestling
career thus far."
It will not be an easy task for Predon to get
the spot, as he must wrestle the current Ontario champion in
Sarnia Saturday (tomorrow).
First, he must defeat the champion in two
straight matches without losing one, and that's only the
beginning of the hectic ride if Predon prevails.
"The current champ gets the advantage of one
match up on me," said Predon. "I faced him last year and I beat
him."
Gaining the qualifying spot would mean more
challenges because Predon could lose the spot if the current
champion shows more effort in a series
of training camps leading up to the Canada
Summer Games, or he could lose his spot to the next top two
wrestlers in Ontario, who can also challenge for the right to
go.
"If I get the spot, I will work harder than I
have ever before to keep it," said Predon. "I am ready and I
want to go to the Canada Summer Games so bad."
Winning the gold medals in Newfoundland was a
monumental achievement for the young man considering just three
months ago, he had surgery on his knee to repair extensive
cartilage damage, and didn't wrestle elite competition going
into the championships.
"It feels great to win the golds because this
year was so devastating for me because of the knee injury,"
said Predon. "I only had three weeks to prepare for nationals,
so for me, to wrestle as good as I did, was surprising. The
toughest part was the final match in freestyle. My opponent was
strong on leg attacks and I am weak on defence of my legs. The
guy picked me up twice, and it wasn't fun. I caught him
shooting in with under hooks and pinned him in the second round
for the win."
Experience was a key factor in Predon's
success in Newfoundland.
"Cale had already been to three national
tournaments and one international tournament in his life, so
this enabled him to be calm and not panic when he was losing in
the final," said Predon's coach, Paul Berthiaume. "Cale was
losing 4-0, but pinned his opponent with just 15 seconds left
in the
match."
