Wrestlers Find You Can’t Get To Reno From Here Mother Nature Interferes With CV Travel Plans
In a scene straight out of the movie “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” an attempt by Central Valley’s wrestling team to participate in a prestigious tournament in Reno, Nev., became a nightmarish experience.
Like movie protagonists Steve Martin and John Candy, who ran into weather-caused travel delays trying to make it home for the holidays, CV’s wrestlers found that getting to Reno was not only difficult but ultimately impossible.
Thirteen wrestlers and coach Dale Ethridge spent 17 hours either in an airplane or in the Oakland airport. It took two more days for Ethridge’s wife, Tracy, CV assistant coaches and their wives to get home.
“It was ugly,” said Dale Ethridge. “All the kids wanted to go and I’m in the middle of three options. It was either gamble (on getting to Reno) or get our $2,400 back and fly home.”
He chose the latter after investigating the possibility of flying to different airports, renting vans or cars and hoping they could drive to Reno. He even considered Amtrak, but the trains weren’t able to run.
It was even suggested, like in the movie, that the team rent a moving van.
“They were only kidding,” said Ethridge.
Central Valley, which finished second in state last year, had scheduled to compete in the Super 25 Reno Tournament of Champions.
“It’s a reward,” Ethridge said at the beginning of this season. “I’m not worried about how we do.”
He couldn’t know then that the worst flooding in four decades would close Reno’s airport.
“The baggage claim area was under four inches of standing water,” said Ethridge. “The Truckee River was flowing down main street (of town) and closed casinos for the first time since 1955.”
It wasn’t until the Bears arrived in Oakland last Thursday that they discovered their plight.
After exploring his options, Ethridge said, “ultimately we had to abort the mission and come back. Only 14 teams had made it to Reno. I didn’t know if the tournament would run.”
On stand-by, 15 of the 23 people in the CV party got a flight to Portland at 5:30 p.m. They had 15 minutes to race to the gate and made it barely in time.
“We sprinted through the airport dodging people,” said Ethridge.
The others in the party were to hook up with them on a flight that left two hours later.
“As I get to the gate my wife hands me a ticket and bag,” said Ethridge. “She said there was only room for 14 and for me to go.”
As it turned out, Tracy and the other coaches would be split up on two different flights and finally got home at varying times on Saturday.
It was to have been a mini-vacation for the coach and his wife, who spends weekdays in Pullman attending Washington State University.
Ever the coach, Ethridge tried to find a silver lining following the stormy sojourn.
“It helps keep things in perspective,” said Ethridge, of the experience. “You can be state ranked or whatever, but Mother Nature is more powerful.”
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