Invitational Brian Muilenburg 2024
La Grande, Oregon
December 13-14
SENIOR WRESTLER
PROFILES INSIDE
PAGES 22 & 23
2024 Muilenburg Wrestling Tournament
December 13-14
La Grande High School Gym
708 K Ave. La Grande, OR 97850
2nd Street Gymnasium Entrance
Admission:
Tournament pass:
Adults: $15
Seniors: $12
Students: $10
Daily pass:
Adults: $9
Seniors: $7
Students: $6
2024 Muilenburg Wrestling Tournament
Schedule of Events
Entry Fee:
• $350.00 each team. Rosters with less than 10 participants will cost $30 per wrestler. Entry fee is due Dec. 5. Any team that does not submit payment prior to the deadline will forfeit their participation in the tournament. Mail checks to: La Grande High School, 708 K Ave, La Grande, OR 97850. (Memo: Muilenburg Tournament).
Weigh-ins:
• First weigh-in 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 13 (National High School Rule Book weights).
• Second weigh-in 8 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14.
*If your team is wrestling on the day before the tournament, please let us know immediately so we may let all schools know if there is a weight allowance.
Roster:
• Final team rosters and seeding information must be entered in trackwrestling by 7 p.m. PST Thursday, Dec. 12.
• No changes will be accepted after 7 p.m. PST Thursday.
• A username and password will be e-mailed to each coach.
• Please notify the head table of any scratches to the roster you sent for the seeding meeting upon arrival.
Coaches Meeting: Friday, 12:30 p.m. AV Auditorium.
Hospitality Room: Coaches and Officials only.
Wrestling Begins: 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13 • 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14
Awards:
• Top four wrestlers in each weight division. Place winners are asked to stay in uniform for awards.
• The Place Winners presentation will occur after the final match for each weight division.
• First and second place team trophy.
• Outstanding wrestler after a vote by head coaches.
Format:
• Teams will be allowed 2 scorers per weight class. JV and Varsity wrestlers will be in brackets together.
• If you have more than two wrestlers in a weight class, designate who your scorers are on your roster.
General Information:
• Please assist our custodial staff and ask your wrestlers and spectators to pick up after themselves.
• Concessions will be available all day to wrestlers and spectators.
• All school buses and school issued vehicles should park on H Ave along the North side of the street.
Admission Prices:
• Tournament pass: $15 for adults, $12 seniors, $10 for students.
• Daily pass: $9 for adults, $7 seniors, $6 for students.
Contact Info:
Tournament Director: Matt Wolcott, matt.wolcott@lagrandesd.org
LHS Athletic Director: Darren Goodman, Fax (541) 663-3413, Ph (541) 663-3305
‘A Six Minute Man’ A Wrestling Story of Struggle, Sacrifice and Success W
By KIRSTEN R. CALKINS
e often tell the stories of wrestlers on this website - their ups and downs and everything in between as they strive for success. But what about those who love them? What about the people who deeply feel those highs and lows every step of the way?
Kirsten Calkins hasn’t stepped on the mat to compete, but she has experienced wrestling at many levels over the years. She takes us on a journey from her childhood where she began hating the sport through watching her son battle for a championship at the New York State tournament a few weeks ago.
It’s an amazing story that wrestling families everywhere will relate to and recognize.
I was born with a basketball in my hands and it didn’t matter that I was a girl. My father was a collegiate point guard and a high school basketball coach. I grew up in a gym shooting hoops. When someone mentioned wrestling, I would just shake my head. It was the “other” winter sport, for the less sensible. I hated it.
Those grapplers were the enemy. During my dad’s practices, they would stampede up and down the stairs making the basketball plays inaudible. Their sticky bodies would drop sweat and blood on the ground. “Mean” was written all over their faces. In high school English class, I sat next to a wrestler who would spit into a cup every 30 seconds. I hated them.
Then in college, something went terribly wrong. I fell in love with the “enemy.” Surely this was a cruel joke? Suddenly, I was asked to appreciate the only sport that I despised. To keep the peace, I pretended. I watched my fiancé suffer from an injury that ended his Division I career. They said he would never wrestle again. He did, but was sent to Division III. Year after year, he would magically turn a 220-pound physique, into a 190-pound body. From November to March, I would eat and he would stare. His senior year, he missed becoming an All-American by one stinking match. He left college disappointed. I hated wrestling.
Five years later, something went terribly, terribly wrong...again. I gave birth to a BOY. My father immediately arrived with a basketball, and my husband promptly threw it into the yard for the dogs to destroy. There would be no talk of basketball in our house. Over and over I heard, “There is only one true sport.” I would roll my eyes. I hated wrestling.
Much to my chagrin, my son began to wrestle, barely out of Pull-Ups. He showed promise...until his first match. Full of false confidence, he went out on the mat and was pinned in 15 seconds. He stood up in defeat, trying to keep a stiff upper lip as sadness poured down his face. I hated wrestling.
After a few years, the unhappy faces showed up less often and smiles started to emerge. Yet, I still watched in total agony. The expectations became greater and the losses were felt deeper, especially when you were supposed to win. Even with a trophy in hand, mistakes were still noted. No one was ever satisfied. I hated wrestling.
Then there was “The Injury Year” – unrecognizable smashed finger, stitched lip #1, stitched lip #2, black eyes, internal bruising, blown out knee #1, blown out knee #2 and a pulled bicep, during a state semi-final match, that helped send my son to the consolations. Afterwards, his disappointed face looked into mine, “Mom, why does this keep happening to me?” I didn’t have an answer. I hated wrestling.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did. My son decided that he had a dream to chase - a state title. I watched my child give up outings with his teenage friends, a starting spot on the soccer team and all his free weekends. He would drive 2 hours, each way, to find a wrestler that could beat him up. He would go from wrestling practice,
directly to the weight room. And most horrifying of all, he gave up video games. His friends didn’t understand him anymore. He was alone. I hated wrestling.
At my son’s final high school match, I watched helplessly as he stepped up to the center stage, teetering on the edge of that state championship mat. There was nothing I could do, other than sit in agony one last time. So few know what it means to give up a “normal” life for a 6-minute match. I grimaced, surrounded by fans of wrestling and TV cameras analyzing every move. To them, my son’s dreams were just part of a show. I stared loathingly at them all. I hated wrestling.
Then something miraculous occurred, a victory. Thinking back on all the times that I had visualized this spectacular moment, I never imagined that my son would just stand there, barely a smile crossing his face. At the final whistle, I had expected leaps of joy and a million fist pumps. But he just stood calmly, seemingly content...like a pioneer at the end of a very long journey. He was tired, yet completely satisfied that he had made it. His work was done, the pressure relieved. As the referee lifted an exhausted arm into the air, my son raised one quiet index finger into the sky. With his final gesture, all of his childhood tears became mine. I stood hidden amongst the crowd and I cried. Somehow, during his last high school match, the boy had turned into a six-minute man.
When he walked off that mat, he knew more about life’s struggles, sacrifices and commitments than most 40-year-olds. Wrestling had transformed him into something greater.
To all wrestlers, I am sorry. I was wrong for so long. I love wrestling.
An open letter to the future wrestling parent
For those that don’t know me, my name is Jim Lenon. I’m a former Holt wrestler, 1996 state championship team member, Holt Athletics Hall of Fame member, and one of the former Holt wrestling club coaches from 2005 - 2015. Now.....I’m just a high school wrestling dad. Coming up through the program and navigating the oddities of youth wrestling, I often wished there was a manual or a way to make it all make sense. Well....here I go.
The early years:
It’s all so much fun. Watching the kids roll around on the mat. Most of the time, all you can do is smile and shake your head. Having matches end with a score of 22-16 because there were 10 headlocks thrown and rolled through was one of the most amusing things I have witnessed. Remember these days. Your son may not win a match for a full season (like mine) this does not mean they aren’t cut out for the sport.
As your wrestler grows and progresses through the sport, you will feel pride, sadness, defeat. You will feel times of anxiousness and even panic. This is normal. Remember, as a parent, your wrestler’s success has zero relation to you as a parent. Wins and Losses come with the realities of youth athletics.
Dads......let your young wrestlers cry if they come up short. The tears mean they care... that is a good thing.
Help your wrestler be an athlete. Did you know that being able to do a cartwheel, or a flip, can directly relate to being a better wrestler? Seems odd but it is true. Put as much emphasis on becoming a better athlete as you do on becoming a better wrestler. They go hand in hand.
Notes from a kids coach:
The Holt wrestling program has been, historically, one of the most successful wrestling programs in the state of Michigan. There are teams of people that work so hard to continue that tradition and keep it rolling. Support your coaches, support other team members and families. Continue to build this community. Take your kids to the high school dual meets, because to a 7 year old who loves wrestling, a starting Varsity Ram wrestler is a pretty cool person. Let them see young men compete that they might want to strive to be one day. This gives your wrestler goals.
Parents.......you are running a marathon you didn’t sign up for. Some wrestlers will find success right away. Some might not find success for 10 years, and then some (the hard truth) may never find success but simply love the sport. All three of these types are vital and important to a program. Run the race and support your athlete no matter the type and remember this is ALL ABOUT THEM! Personally I have had one son who found success early and another who is still searching for it. Beyond being my kids, they have been important to the program.
The elite wrestler parent:
The school based club is still a place for you. Recognize and remember, this is still your community. These kids around your early-developing wrestler are still his/ her schoolmates and these will most likely be the wrestlers your wrestler competes alongside as a high schooler. The pull to an “Elite” club will be real and, in honesty, it is ok to allow your wrestler to train at these clubs. But again remember......this is a marathon and burn out is a real thing. Work to balance a give and take attitude with
your wrestler where they give to the less skilled athletes at the school based club and then take from the more intensive training they might receive at an “Elite” club. I think this is so important - so many kids come home and if they didn’t wrestle with “good” kids, the parent says that the practice was useless for the more skilled wrestler. Not true, the skilled wrestler must be able to think through the move, articulate it, and teach it - all good learning tools and part of being a team, as well as the more skilled wrestler then learns from the more skilled wrestlers and coaches at the Elite club. Someone is always teaching and someone is always learning, and kids (even great ones) are always on both ends. Most coaches understand the need to have environments that will challenge your wrestler and support a balanced training at “Elite” clubs along with the school training.
The hard truth. In 2013, as a coach, I had 8 Elite wrestlers leave the club program because we did not train the kids hard enough. As of the 2018-19 high school season, only 1 of those 8 were still involved in the sport of wrestling. Again.......this is a marathon sport that demands large amounts of work over an extended period of time. Those that remained in our program that year are now members of the #5 ranked team in the state with currently 8 wrestlers ranked in the top 15 at their weight classes.
Junior High/High school:
Often times this is where the late developers catch up with the early. Playing field becomes more even and the early developers often become disheartened with the new challenges they are experiencing. This is ok. Let it happen. Don’t blame a coach, a school or yourself. Support the priority of hard work and perseverance. The opposite is also true... some kids will hit puberty and take off while some won’t hit puberty and will watch their success decrease substantially. This is a time when the kids who hit puberty late will be doubting themselves and wanting to quit.
Trust....this is hard for a parent. For in these years, at a place like Holt, your wrestler will be extremely challenged, tested and expected to grow (sometimes at a rapid pace). This can be difficult for a parent to watch and even harder to still extend trust in the process. History has proven that the process works.......trust it.
Academics. There can be a future in wrestling. There is not a “pro” league but through hard work and dedication wrestling can open some opportunities at the collegiate level. However, even at the scholarship D1 level this is not an option for wrestlers that do not show good behaviors in the class room. Help your wrestle establish good study habits for this is vital. Wrestling has the smallest percentage of High school to College transition rate out of all sports. On average there are 258,208 high school wrestlers. Only 7,049 are able to make the vertical jump to NCAA which is 2.7%. A high GPA could legitimately be the tipping point between your wrestler being recruited.
Enjoy the ride. As parents we are gifted with a limited time with our kids. Make them memorable. Those that have been involved in Holt wrestling know that “The fun is in the memories”. So make as many as you can.
So as your season begins I hope that we all remember that wrestling is one of the best sports to prepare our kids for LIFE. The hardships, the challenges, the disappointments, and the rewards are all earned. There is no purer sport around. So as a community lets rally around the youth, the Jr. High and the High school programs and make this a year one to remember. Go Rams!
THIRST CRUSHERS WRESTLING
Helping Grow our Nation’s Food
GROWING HEALTHY CROPS
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PENDLETON ROUND-UP & HAPPY CANYON
SEPTEMBER 10-13, 2025
Celebrating 115 Years
2024 La Grande Tigers Senior Wrestlers
Carson Weimer
Wrestling has pushed me to my limits, especially battling through multiple seasons with shoulder surgeries. It’s the purest sport, where success comes down to individual heart and performance—you own every win and loss. Wrestling has shaped my character through the highs and lows that only this sport provides. While football is my true passion, it has taught me resilience and discipline. It is true that once you’ve wrestled, everything in life is easy. Still, I secretly wish I could play basketball again!
Bobby Gulzow
Bobby was born in Astoria Oregon and started his journey with a few unexpected surprises. He entered the world with a Giant Congenital Nevus, a birthmark covering his back, and hundreds of satellite birthmarks covering his body. It was unfamiliar territory for us and his doctors, but OHSU surgeons were able to remove some of the riskier areas and conduct tests to rule-out other serious issues. One of his tests revealed that the base of his spinal cord was tethered, and required surgery. Without his birthmark condition, the test would have not been done, and he may have not been able to walk. Sometimes the things we most fear, lead to answers we most need. Bobby bounced around a few different schools as we transferred up the coast. He developed confidence and ability to shrug-off stares or rude comments. He has always been a cheerful, adventurous kid. His spots are with him for life, but certainly don’t define him or limit his life joy for friends, family, and fun.
We moved back to La Grande in June of 2014 and Bobby joined the mat club 3 months later. Like most of the kids around here, he tried every activity imaginable, but wrestling—That’s his jam. Even at seven, the absolute elation on his face from winning a match was palpable. The kid just loves to wrestle, can’t stop talking about it, dreaming about it, counting down the days between seasons. We learned very early that his birthmarks prevent him from sweating normally, and he overheats early in matches. He learned to overcome this by focusing on technique and fitness so he could end matches early. Don’t tell his sisters, but he is the most technical wrestler in the family. His speed and determination are so much fun to watch. The kid Just loves to wrestle.
Bobby has had some great opportunities and developed lifelong friendships in his ten years of wrestling. He has qualified for the state tournament every year, been a GrecoRoman and Freestyle State Champion, wrestled on the Junior National Dual Team as a cadet, and represented Team Oregon in the Cadet and Junior National Championship in Fargo. And as he likes to point out to his siblings, he is heading to Hawaii for a second time this winter. Bobby has an electric personality, delivers some pretty great one-liners, never stops moving, loves exploring and a little bit of mischief. This year has been his best academically and developmentally. We can’t wait to see what the season and future has in store for him, but for now, the kid just loves to wrestle.
Kenai Huff
My wrestling career started my 7th grade year after receiving a note from Coach Carson asking me to come out and try it. Little did I know what I was in for and I’d be lying if I told you it was easy.
I was a bit behind most kids since I was never involved with mat club, but I wrestled on. I learned a few fundamentals and tried to get up to speed. Growing my skill every week, I found some success, but that didn’t come without some losses along the way. Maybe wrestling wasn’t for me?
As I entered high school, I was reluctant to continue on. I still didn’t believe wrestling was for me. Begrudgingly, I pushed forward, still trying to get better every week and find ways to win. Things were changing around me. An injury to an upperclassman had put me in the spotlight as a Freshman. Some wins came after that, but there were definitely more losses. My biggest failure yet was when I failed to qualify for State at the District tournament. I didn’t have the skill or the strength I needed. Honestly, I wanted to quit. Maybe wrestling wasn’t for me? I had made up my mind. I was done.
Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a football player first. That became my main focus. I hit the gym hard and started to see massive gains. I started to develop into the athlete I wanted to be. But I was still done with wrestling. MAYBE wrestling wasn’t for me?
I had thought about it all summer. The only problem was I hadn’t told Coach Carson that. The season was right around the corner and that conversation needed to happen soon. I did get enough courage to tell my parents and Coach Carson that I was done wrestling. Little did I know what was about to happen. I listened to their pleas and requests. I listened and bought into something they had all seen in me. I wasn’t allowed to be done with wrestling. I had more inside of me. Maybe wrestling WAS for me?
Since my Sophomore year, it has been a grind. I have a different approach and different goals. I no longer asked myself if I am a wrestler. I no longer wondered. Wrestling WAS for me!
My career has been full of wins and losses. It’s been full of championships and shortcomings. It’s been full of injuries and setbacks. I have learned to face adversity head-on. I have learned to never quit. I have learned that wrestling IS for me and I am a wrestler!
Let my journey fuel yours. Wrestling is hard. You will likely want to quit and that’s the point. It’s not for everyone, but it could be for you. Get in the gym, go to camps, go to clinics, work hard, and take every opportunity to get better. Trust the process and be the best you can be. Get to work!
Thank you to my family and support system. Most of all, thank you to Coach Carson, Coach Belding, Coach Tuck, Coach May, Coach Paxton, Coach Hancock, Coach Sheets, Coach Lair, and Coach Anderson.
A Special
Thank you to our Donors
Rusty and Marlene Kilpartick
Kevin Reed
Mel Frederick
Trudy and Steve Robinson
Pat and Marlene O’Rourke
Doug McCann
Verl Miller
Jason Paullus
Pat Nearing
McPhetridge Family Trust
Curt Ater
Verl C. Miller
Vince and Julie Donivan
Eli and Shantay Mayes
Mike and Caroline McNall
Walt and Linda Anderson
Nat Farnam
Sue Schnell
Oregon Trail Electric Coop
Casey Kotter
John and Regina McCallum
Rob Stuart
Wallowa Lake TRAMWAY
Mike Becker General Contractor
Our Customers are our top priority! The staff at Mike Becker General Contractor Inc. is extremely diverse and distinctive. Unlike many other construction companies, we are able to provide a wide variety of services to our customers. The capability of providing such a broad range of products is a direct result of our staff possessing skills in a number of areas. Our organization feels that this diversity creates an unparalleled level of expertise and, as a result, a superior product for our clients.
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• Retirement Planning
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When you’re working to achieve your financial goals, it helps to have some trusted guidance along the way. I’m here to help you identify your goals and provide more support to work through any changes life may bring. I appreciate the opportunity to work with all my clients in and around La Grande, OR.
As both a Financial Advisor of COUNTRY Trust Bank® and Registered Representative of COUNTRY® Capital Management Company, I can help you plan for your financial future. As a COUNTRY Financial® Insurance Agent, I’m prepared to help you with insurance options to protect the people and the things that matter most. I’m here to support you as you plan for the future and to help you worry less and live more.
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A Tribute to a Champion THANK YOU to our 2024 Muilenburg Wrestling Tournament Buckle Sponsors
All-Phase Electrical
Ryan Jorgensen
August 22, 1980 - October 24, 2021
Ryan, “Jorgy” Christopher Jorgensen, 41, of La Grande, passed away on Sunday, October 24, 2021 at St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. Jorgy was born on August 22, 1980 in La Grande, Oregon to Jerry and Wendy (Lindsey) Jorgensen. He was raised in La Grande, and attended Heidi Ho, Greenwood Elementary, La Grande Middle School and La Grande High School.
Jorgy began his wrestling days when he was 6 years old. Jorgensen started in club wrestling and continued into La Grande Middle School, La Grande High School and 2 years at Oregon State University in Corvallis. Jorgensen lettered all 4 years in high school while being coached by Verl Miller, Kelly Edvalson, Miles Hancock, Amo Estrada and Klel Carson. Ryan was a state placer in 1998 and took 2nd place at State in 1999. Jorgensen was a league champion and 2-time runner up along with winning the Reno Tournament of Champions in 1999 and was a 2-time placer. Ryan was on the Oregon Junior Nationals wrestling team in 1998 and 1999. In 1996 Ryan wrestled at 141, in 1997 wrestled at 151, in 1998 he wrestled at 152 and during his senior year in high school in 1999 he wrestled at 171. Jorgensen has always said his top athletic thrill in wrestling was winning the Reno Tournament of Champions.
Jorgy enjoyed skiing, riding dirt bikes, fishing, hunting, shooting, and off-road drives in prized possession, his Toyota Landcruiser. He loved doing anything and everything with his family. He loved helping out and coaching both of his boys’ sports teams. He was a dedicated father and family man that would do whatever he could to help others. He truly had a heart of gold.
Brian Muilenburg
Invitational
Brian Muilenburg Accomplishments
December 12-14 • La Grande High School Gym
December 19, 1957 - August 8, 1978
Wrestling
1975 - 2nd Place District Tournament
1976 - Team Captain
Outstanding Wrestler
District Champion
5th Place State Tournament
Football
1976 - Outstanding Lineman
All-League Lineman
Future Farmers of America
1976 - State Farmer Award
1975-76 - Crop Production Award
1976 - Secretary, local association
1977-78 - Vice Noble Ruler of Alpha Gamma Rho, Oregon State University