Somers Wrestler wins Eastern National Championship

Somer’s Tim Vollaro out scored Pennsylvania’s Michael Stoudt to win the 2003 Middle Atlantic Wrestling Association (MAWA) Eastern National Championship in the Junior 130 pound division. Also, earning seventh place in the Eastern Nationals was Douglas Vollaro, who wrestled in the Midget Unlimited division.

Tim Vollaro is a sixth grade student at Mabelle B. Avery Middle School and Douglas Vollaro is a third grade student at Somers Elementary School in Somers, CT. They wrestle with Coach Scott Zachary in the Somers Youth Wrestling program. Commenting on Tim’s performances, Coach Zachary said,  “Tim was dominant during the Eastern National Finals. He wrestled 4 flawless matches. His preparation throughout the regular CT season paid off. Tim and I agreed he would wrestle the entire regular season up one age group to get the experience of wrestling stronger and more experienced opponents. He had a tough season of wrestling. Starting at the CT State Championships, Tim dropped back down to his age group and was undefeated from that point forward with a record of 14-0. That included the CT State Championship along with the series of MAWA tournaments concluding with the Eastern National Championship.

Vollaro’s path to the championship began with a 3-0 record in the MAWA district tournament held at Windham High School in Willimantic, CT, where he along with 800 other wrestlers in various age and weight divisions competed for the opportunity to move to the MAWA East Region tournament. In Bethlehem, PA, Vollaro (4-0) defeated wrestlers from five district tournaments to advance to the Eastern Nationals at Pennsylvania State University held on April 12-13. 2003. Bracketed against the winners of the three other regional tournaments held in two Pennsylvania locations and Maryland, Vollaro posted a 4-0 record.   The Middle Atlantic Wrestling Association Scholastic Program has a 36-year history and this year held 27 district tournaments attended by more than 11,100 wrestlers in 8 different states with competitors from 15 states.

 Through it all Tim has taken it all in stride. Over the past four years, Tim has set a great example for our team with his dedication and hard work.” In the off-season, Tim and four of his teammates from the Somers Youth Wrestling Team are now training at The Northeast Wrestling Club run by Coach Ralph Powers in South Windsor, CT.