Central Oregonian
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Wilson wrestles in South Africa
CCHS senior finishes tour with 15-3 record
Crook County High School wrestler Trevor Wilson wrestled 21 matches in South Africa during the month of August. Wilson finished the tour with an 15-3 record.
It wasn’t an ordinary summer for Crook County High School wrestler Trevor Wilson.
The senior to be just returned from a two week trip to South Africa, where he wrestled a series of matches for the Oregon National Team.
“The whole thing was amazing,” Wilson said. “The team did very well. I think we won most of our duals and we did very well in the tournaments.”
The Oregon National Team competed in six dual meets and two tournaments during their tour. South Africa has club sports rather than high school athletes. Consequently, the Oregon athletes often wrestled against much-older competition.
The team competed against wrestlers from the South African Presidential League ,which was made up primarily of wrestlers in their early to mid-20s.
In spite of the age disadvantage, the 17-year-old Wilson wrestled at 152-pounds, and finished the trip with a 15-3 record, Wilson also won his weight class in the West Province Tournament.
“It was pretty hard because a lot of the wrestlers were a lot stronger than me and had a lot more technique,” Wilson said.
In addition to the wrestling, the Oregon team was able to do some sightseeing on the trip. The team visited a wildlife refuge, a unique local geologic feature called Table Mountain, and a professional rugby match.
Wilson said that the rugby match was the highlight of the trip for him and that he would like to give rugby a try.
The other thing that made a lasting impression on Wilson was the racial tension that he witnessed during the trip.
“The slum houses really surprised me,” he said. “I didn’t think it was going to be that bad. They were all really close to together and all just kind of metal shacks that were just thrown together with a lot of people.”
Wilson added that although the majority of the wrestlers he competed against were not from the slums, there were a few wrestlers that were.
“There were a few wrestlers from the slums, and then most of the white wrestlers were pretty well off,” he added. “The blacks hated the whites and the whites hated the blacks. They didn’t want to be around each other. They have a law where the blacks have to be able to do anything that the whites can, and the whites didn’t care for that because they had to pay their own way, and the blacks are paid by the government to do it.”
Wilson was quick to add that the racial tension didn’t show up during matches, and that all of the Oregon wrestlers were very well-treated no matter where they went during their stay in South Africa.
“I think the tension was just within their own country,” he said. “We were treated very well, and I would absolutely go again.”
