Nearly 1,400 wrestlers gather in Spokane for annual memorial tournament

Wrestlers as young as 5 years old took to the mat Saturday to test their toughness, agility and skills in what is believed to be the largest one-day wrestling tournament in the country.

The annual Washington Little Guys Wrestling League event has been held since the mid-1980s. It was renamed the Jason Crawford Memorial Tournament in 1988, one year after Crawford, a local 12-year-old wrestler, died when he was hit by a car while crossing the street on a family trip in British Columbia.

Wayne Terry, current president of the League, was Crawford’s coach. “It was something he could do on his own,” he said of Crawford’s love of wrestling.

Crawford’s father, Dennis Crawford, moved to Georgia 26 years ago, but he still comes back to Spokane every year for the tournament named for his son.

“I’m just blessed enough to have it named after Jason,” Dennis Crawford said. “All my day is happy. I love coming here.”

The league includes 3,500 kids ages 5-14 in 80 teams across Washington. Nearly 1,400 of them were in the Spokane Convention Center on Saturday to see who would come out on top.

No matter their age, the wrestlers were determined as they tried various moves to gain dominance over their opponent. Coaches knelt on the sidelines, shouting encouragement and advice. The referees often flung themselves down on the mat to see if one of the competitors had been pinned.

Jessica Cardenas and her entire family, including her 3-month-old daughter, drove in from Prosser to watch her 10-year-old son, Omar, compete for the Prosser Wrestling Academy.

Cardenas said her son knows the results he sees on the mat are based on the time he spends in practice.

“He’s very competitive,” she said. “I think maybe I’m more nervous than he is.”

Cardenas and her husband, Nelson Cardenas, said they like the character that wrestling builds in their son. It makes him more confident and assertive, Nelson Cardenas said.

“He’s not going to be shy,” he said. “He’ll go out and get what he wants.”

Wrestling is just something Omar wanted to try, and he began the sport two years ago, his parents said.

“He knows it’s a sport, not a fight,” said Nelson Cardenas.