Circle K Fieldhouse at NexusPark will host this weekend’s Indiana State Wrestling Association Men’s and Women’s Folkstyle State Meet
The Republic file photo
Columbus will once again be hosting a huge wrestling tournament.
The Indiana State Wrestling Association is having its Men’s and Women’s Folkstyle State Meet that runs Friday through Sunday at the Circle K Fieldhouse at Nexus Park.
The meet was previously held at Warren Central, but with the numbers of wrestlers in the tournament growing, the event was moved to Columbus. ISWA chairperson Pat Culp said that there should be around 3,000 wrestlers competing in various divisions and age groups. She added that Indiana hosts the largest folkstyle meet in the country.
“We have hosted it at Warren Central High School, and they have been tremendous host to us. We just outgrew it, even as big as Warren Central is,” Culp said. “We knew about the new fieldhouse in Columbus, so we were in contact with them as they were building it. We needed more space. That’s what it came really down to.”
Weigh-ins will be from 6:30-9 p.m. Friday. There will be four separate sessions. The men’s and women’s 6U, 8U and 10U will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, the next session will be the 16U, U23 and Masters divisions beginning at noon Saturday.
The third session features 12U and 14U at 8 a.m. Sunday, with the Juniors concluding the competition at 1 p.m. Sunday. Doors open at 7 a.m. for both days.
Spectator passes are $25, but ages 10 and under are free. The pass is valid for all four sessions Saturday and Sunday. Tickets may be purchased online at gofan.co and search Indiana State Wrestling Association, and they may also be purchased at the door by scanning a QR code when arriving.
“They’re all really excited,” Culp said. “They love the idea of a big venue to where we’ve got 30 mats in one location, but at Warren Central, we used four to five different locations like the fieldhouse, the gym, two cafeterias and the elementary school. They love the idea that it is like a true state event because we are all under the same roofs, and everybody can watch everybody.
“We’re really looking forward to it. We’re all very excited about it,” she added. “The people clear up in the northwest Indiana is a little bit farther for them than Warren Central, but really only 50 minutes, but other than that, we’re all very, very excited.”
