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The first high school wrestling event in 20 years in Whitehorse was a big success.

The 鈥淔all Brawl鈥� took place at CSSC Mercier school on Wednesday from noon to 3 p.m.

It was organized by the Yukon Schools Athletic Association and Grapple Yukon, a new wrestling organization.

Toosis Abel-Chitze, 13, from Pelly Crossing took part in the wrestling and got taken down hard by one opponent.

鈥淚 got slammed pretty good but I still got up,鈥� he stated.

Despite the hard fall, Chitze enjoyed the event.

鈥淚t was good.鈥�

Kaleb Parry, 16, of F.H. Collins, was also there to wrestle.

鈥淚t was pretty interesting. Got to wrestle a few people. It was a lot of fun. I haven鈥檛 wrestled 鈥� it鈥檚 hard wrestling recently and it was nice to get out here and wrestle against a few more people.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檝e done some of the elementary school tournaments back when but not recently. I just started again recently 鈥� I鈥檓 trying out for the Arctic Games team and if I make that 鈥� that鈥檇 be pretty sweet.鈥�

Of his last match, Parry said 鈥淚t was hard. It was sweaty. We were both in jeans 鈥� but it was pretty fun.鈥�

Noah Lapierre, 13, from Mercier and Nicholas Shorty, 14, from Pelly took part in the last bout of the day.

Shorty said 鈥淚 wanted to see how good everyone is and 鈥︹��

鈥淲anted to see girls!鈥� Chitze interjected.

鈥溾�� and see girls. I just wanted to have fun, too. It was really fun,鈥� finished Shorty.

Grapple Yukon assistant coach Dave Gillis came with four boys, including Chitze and Shorty.

鈥淚 brought four athletes from Pelly from Eliza Van Bibber School. We were supposed to have a lot more but stomach flu going around 鈥� but the guys who showed up, they鈥檝e been coming to practice for months now.

The other boys with Gillis were Tyson Simon Joe and Keelan Sawyer.

鈥淲e started last year, so this is our first actual competition against other teams, so it was just rippin鈥� the Band-Aid off and maybe having them a chance to see the sport, actually compete against somebody else instead of people they train against consistently,鈥� related Gillis.

鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of Nic, Toosis, Keelan and Tyson. They came from Pelly, they showed up early this morning, great group of athletes.

Gillis said the afternoon went well.

鈥淭his is the first time wrestling against people who aren鈥檛 their friends, so getting over those nerves and just seeing what the sport鈥檚 all about.鈥�

The event also included a judo demonstration.

Lia Hinchey took part in it.

鈥淲e have a very strong club,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to get more athletes to join.鈥�

Hinchey enjoys both wrestling and judo.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been really fun. I鈥檝e been doing judo a lot longer. We travel a lot for judo and go to lots of tournaments and starting to do that for wrestling as well.鈥�

Hinchey is going into the Arctic Winter Games in wrestling and the Canada Winter Games in judo.

She said she鈥檚 looking forward to the Games.

鈥淚 think it will be really fun.鈥�

Hinchey added, 鈥淲e have a really good group of kids and we need more people in wrestling and judo.鈥�

Jason Basnett, head coach for Grapple Yukon, also said the afternoon went great.

鈥淚t went fantastic. We had to be kind of fluid in our expectations because there鈥檚 so many kids sick at all the schools right now, so we didn鈥檛 have as many show up as we thought we would. But I think it worked really well. We got a bunch of training in. People tried some new stuff. We got kids from Pelly wrestling with kids from Whitehorse, met some new friends.

鈥淲e鈥檙e looking to make Arctic Winter Games team, Indigenous Games team, as well as for other teams in the future, so getting all these kids together to meet each other, this is kind of the start of a beautiful thing, hopefully.鈥�

鈥淲e had the judo kids come out and do some excellent demos of judo. Liam Gishler did the judo demo along with Hinchey.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e both longtime judo athletes, as well as wrestling and have been training forever,鈥� said Basnett. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to the Canada Winter Games for judo. And they鈥檙e going to go to Arctic Winter Games for wrestling. Don鈥檛 tell them because they鈥檒l get fat heads, but they鈥檙e kind of our superstars right now 鈥� they鈥檙e pretty good.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 really pleased with how it went, really happy that the Pelly guys got down here,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e got lots of kids out and they showed some pretty good spirit, some good wrestling.鈥�

鈥淥ur trials are in Pelly Dec. 10. People have to register online before the trials 鈥� so we know they鈥檙e coming, and then we form the Arctic Winter Games team.

鈥淥ther kids or other people, if they want to wrestle, or want to do judo, we鈥檙e always training. So come on out. And if you鈥檙e too old for Arctics, that鈥檚 OK, there鈥檚 other Games 鈥� we鈥檒l get to Nationals and stuff,鈥� Basnett added.

For those interested in wrestling in the Arctic Winter Games or just coming to check it out, Grapple Yukon practices take place Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Yukon Regional Training Centre at 123 Copper Road in Whitehorse.

鈥淥nce we have the trials and decide the team, then we鈥檙e going to be practicing more often and then the Games are (the) end of January,鈥� added Basnett.