MAS wrestling came to Calgary

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

Gleichen’s Andrew Bolinger just pulled off the first MAS wrestling event on Canadian soil.
Away from all the noise of the Calgary Stampede, Bolinger held the North American MAS Wrestling Championships on July 14 in Calgary on Seventh Ave.
“I got great response from everyone involved in the tournament. It was a great opportunity to show that Canada is serious about MAS wrestling,” said Bolinger. “We had a Canadian place on top of each division. That was really great to see.”
The event featured 31 MAS wrestlers, with a male and a female division, from four different countries. Following the tournament, Bolinger held a Strongman competition as well for nine of Western Canada’s top athletes.
The men’s side of the bracket played out in a double knockout format for the heavyweight and light heavyweight division. On the female side of things, the light heavyweight and heavyweight division used a round robin format to determine a winner. All matches were played with a best-of-three format.
Jeff Martens downed Devonta Montgomery 2-1 in the heavyweight final, while Quinton Faulk cooked Mitchell Koop 2-0 in the light heavyweight side of things.
Strathmore’s very own Brandon Thompson was excited to sign up to compete in the blossoming sport.
“I knew this sport was really popular in eastern Russia and that part of the world. I have been training for Strongman and grip strength events for a few years now, and it sounded like a pretty cool idea after speaking with Andrew about it,” said Thompson. “It was quite the experience to go up against some of these guys from all over the world and feel how strong they were.”
Thompson was swept in his first match against Koop and lost 2-0 to Jeremy Reay in his second match. Reay went on to finish fifth at the event.
“I couldn’t believe how sore I was all over from just two matches. Two days later and my legs and back are still sore,” said Thompson.
“I definitely will use this in my training again and I am looking forward to the next competition.”
Jen Bussey took the title in the heavyweight division on the women’s side, with Nicole Higham placing second and Tanya Farely finishing third.
In the light heavyweight women’s division, Osipova Sardana won gold, with Alyssa Anderson taking the silver and Nadia Kovionlar finishing third.
What made the event even more memorable was having the Minister Councillor of the Russian Embassy, Vladimir Proskuryakov, in attendance.
Also competing was powerlifting legend Odd Haguen, who lined up in the heavyweight division. Even at the age of 68, Haugen won his first-round match over Ryan Jabalee, but was eliminated after losing his next two matches.
“Getting the chance to meet him and watch him compete at his age was the highlight of the day for me,” said Thompson.
After the MAS wrestling sorted itself out, a five-event Strongman competition took place.
Athletes competed in the yoke walk, the overhead press, the loading medley, the deadlift and the famous Atlas stones.
By the time all the weight had been picked up and put down, Isaac Maze won the inaugural event with 49 points. Behind him was Travis Kush with 44 points and James Loach rounded out the podium with 39 points.
Strathmore’s Nolan Sauve was not competing, as he has another national event in two weeks’ time.
Bolinger received great reviews for both events and is looking forward to the next opportunity he can put on a power-lifting show in Calgary. Currently, there is no date set for the next MAS Wrestling event, but Bolinger and his team hope to have another before 2019.