There was more than show choirs bringing crowds to Danville over the weekend. Danville High School hosted the Midwest Classic Show Choir Competition on Friday and Saturday. But the David S. Palmer Arena was packed on Sunday for the SJO Spartan Rumble.
Jaime Kofoot, treasurer of the sponsoring St. Joseph – Ogden Youth Wrestling organization, said Sunday’s event attracted about 800 kids for the matches. ‘’ Some of them local, but a lot of them from Indiana and up near the Chicago area. Really, they’re from all over,’’ said Kofoot. She added the kids involved range in age from 5 to 14, and basically involved kids from elementary and middle schools.
Kofoot thinks the tournament is a good learning experience for the young wrestlers. ‘’I think it teaches them sportsmanship. I think it teaches them discipline. And it kind of teaches them some organization as well. They have to get themselves from staging down to the mats and know when to go back for their next round,’’ added Kofoot.
And Kofoot (shown here on right) noted the David S. Palmer Arena is the perfect setting to host such an event. ‘’They have rooms for everything that we need, and plenty of room for vendors. And the concession stands are open. It’s also the best seating of any wrestling tournament, I think. With having the stadium seating – that’s not something we typically get at a wrestling tournament. So it’s really nice for all the fans who watch, too.’’
Hundreds of volunteers, along with vendors and Palmer Arena staff members helped with the event. There was continuous competition on 12 mats throughout the day.
