The fifth annual Battle of Niverville Wrestling Tournament drew 133 athletes to the CRRC on December 20, making it the largest competitor turnout in the event’s history and one of the largest held in Manitoba for a competition at this level.

Hosted by WAMMA Niverville, the day-long event welcomed competitors of all ages and experience levels, ranging from complete novices to highly skilled wrestlers.

“This is the biggest turnout we’ve had in Niverville,” says local wrestling coach Jens Reuter. “We originally had about 140 athletes registered, but weather the day before reduced that number to 133.”

Reuter noted that participation in wrestling declined during the COVID pandemic but has seen a steady increase in the past couple of years.

“Leading up to the event, we took to advertising a lot on social media and by word of mouth throughout the wrestling community. We are really happy with the turnout this year.”

While there were several fantastic matches, including those of experienced wrestlers, Reuter described the youngest competitors as some of the most exciting to watch.

“We had a lot of first-time, very young wrestlers who competed really hard,” says Reuter. “You could see spectators leaning forward in their seats enjoying the energy of the matches.”

Among the many people present at the CRRC was coach Reuter’s daughter, 14-year-old Lilyanne, who has been wrestling since the age of five. Although she was unable to compete due to lack of competitors in her category, she remained active during the event, assisting with coaching and encouraging some of the youngest competitors. 

“Watching our really young kids wrestle for the first time was memorable,” says Lilyanne. “We had a few younger girls who went out and gave it their all. It was really cute. They were great.”

Besides being able to instill her own expertise into the younger groups and enjoying the vigour in their matches, Lilyanne was also impressed by the higher-tiered athletes.

“There were a lot of highlights throughout the day, including some really high-level wrestlers that came out to compete. They did a lot of fun tricks and moves that were exciting to watch.”

In addition to tournament matches, the morning included qualifying matches for the Manitoba Winter Games, set to take place in Thompson this March. Local athletes Noah Fast, Lilyanne Reuter, Benjamin Reuter, and Ryan Unrau all met the requirements to advance.

Benjamin, Reuter’s son, also assisted during the event. It proved to be a welcome distraction from pre-match nerves in his home gym. Aside from offering help with the scoreboard, Benjamin won all three of his matches, and one in a particularly unique way.

“During one of my matches I ended up on the bottom,” says Benjamin. “And that’s not where you want to be as a wrestler. Fortunately, I was able to pin my opponent while he was on top of me. It was a good, funny win.”

Of course, the goal is to remain on top in a wrestling match, but the moment showed that even from the bottom, it’s still possible to come out on top.

In addition to the Manitoba Winter Games in March, WAMMA Niverville is already looking forward to the sixth annual Battle of Niverville Wrestling tournament in 2026, expected to take place next December.