Photo by Erin Nelson
John Carroll’s Leona Kenny-Parkman competes in a match against Daphne’s Emily Sasser at the AHSAA girls state championships at Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021.
More than 70 wrestling teams from at least 28 states are headed to Hoover this weekend for Deep South Duals Wrestling tournament at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.
The event is scheduled for Friday through Sunday, July 29-31, and will include girls and boys from kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as adults. Adult divisions run from 30 and younger to 60 and under.
Registration to participate in the tournament remains open until Friday, July 29.
Admission to watch costs $22 per day or $56 for a weekend pass, but children under age 5 are admitted free.
The tournament is in the Finley Center, which can accommodate up to 26 wrestling matches simultaneously.
"We are excited to watch them compete and provide a first-class experience this Friday through Sunday," said Shannon Ealy, general manager of the Hoover Metropolitan Complex, in a news release. “There is nothing like being at the Finley Center and seeing multiple exciting matches happening simultaneously.”
The Deep South Duals Wrestling organization said it is especially proud to offer wrestling for girls, especially since the NCAA recognized women’s wrestling as an emerging sport in 2020. Since 1994, the number of females wrestling at the high school level has grown from 804 to more than 28,000, according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
For more information about registering for the Deep South Duals Wrestling tournament, contact tournament director David Hall at 205-966-1398.