Tucker County wrestler Wenkai Campbell displays his many trophies.
PARSONS – A third-grade student at Tucker Valley Elementary/Middle School is doing well in a sport he really wanted to learn – wrestling. Wenkai Campbell decided he wanted to wrestle after his father took him to a high school state championship. Currently, wrestling is not offered at any level in Tucker County, so Wenkai and his family travel to other counties to participate in this sport.
“I liked watching the championship and my father told me he wrestled in high school,” Wenkai said. “My grandma said my father was an all-state wrestler and I wanted to be like him. Dad said wrestling would help me be a better football player, too, and I like football.”
Wenkai’s father, Dr. Eddie Campbell said Wenkai asked to wrestle after attending the state high school wrestling tournament in Huntington.
“Unfortunately, there is no wrestling club here in Tucker County, so we traveled to Elkins to wrestle with their club,” Campbell said. “This year, we decided to try Preston County’s mat club which is only about 40 minutes from our home. I really wanted Wenkai to be able to wrestle if that is what he wanted to do so we make the trip to Kingwood three or four times a week.”
Wenkai said he finds wrestling fun, and said he likes competing against other boys. He said he likes that after a match, everyone is still friends and it is fun to see who is tougher during a match.
“I am doing real well now,” Wenkai said. “I am the undefeated Coalfield Conference Champion. I was 21-0 in the conference and my record overall is 32-11. I have won seven trophies in tournaments this year. This is really my first year. I started slow, but I learned a lot from my coaches and my dad. I am getting better every day because I practice a lot.”
Campbell said there are several ways that wrestling has helped his son.
“Physically, he is stronger and faster than before he started, which will help him in other sports,” Campbell said. “As a 9-year-old, he is in excellent condition. Beyond the physical aspect, his mother and I have seen tremendous growth in his maturity.”
Campbell said wrestling has help develop Wenkai’s ability to be independent, self-disciplined and confident.
Wenkai Campbell follows in his father’s footsteps as a wrestler in school. He said wrestling is helping him become stronger and helping him become a better all-around athlete.
“He is still a little boy but he monitors his own weight, creates his own practice schedule, keeps up with his school work and focuses and sets goals for himself,” Campbell said. “Wrestling is a one on one sport and you have to learn to believe in your own ability and have confidence in yourself. He relishes the opportunity to walk on the mat and compete. We are very pleased with the growth we have seen in Wenkai since he began wrestling.”
Wrestling is not the only sport Wenkai enjoys.
“I play football and baseball. I go fishing with mom and dad. This year, I got a rifle and dad is teaching me to shoot so I can start hunting someday. I can play the piano and I love to do art. My mom teaches me Chinese every day.”
Campbell said if his son wants to continue wrestling, and there is no Tucker County program, they will make sure Wenkai still gets to wrestle.
“Most people recognize my love of sports and the benefits it brings to young people,” Campbell said. “My goal is to provide as many opportunities for our children in this county to participate in programs that they enjoy and that will develop them as they grow into adulthood.
“Kids should not have to sacrifice or give up things they enjoy because they live in a small county,” Campbell said. “I completely understand that we are a basketball community and in no way do I think or want to replace or take away basketball with other sports.”
Campbell said there are currently about 25 boys and 25 girls that play basketball at Tucker County High School.
“That leaves about 250 high school students that don’t have a sport at Tucker County High School,” Campbell said. “Wrestling would be a great option but even if that didn’t pan out, our kids need more options. This extends down in to the middle schools as well where we see the same situation exist.”
Campbell said wrestling is based on self-discipline, hard work, skill and determination.
“Wrestling is perhaps the purest form of athletic competition to exist in the realm of organized sports. There are no bats, balls, pads or helmets. There is no time to rethink strategy, regroup or to even catch your breath. There’s only you and your opponent of equal size and weight. Experience, preparation and the will to succeed play a role in who will come out on top. The combination of physical and mental discipline required to be successful is unmatched by any other sport. It truly builds character and teaches kids how to be humble winners and to accept failure by learning to lose graciously.”
Campbell said Wenkai has worked harder at wrestling in the past few months than he and his wife have seen him work at anything.
“He is one of those kids who seem to be good at anything he wants to do, and things seem to come easy for him,” Campbell said. “This was not the case with wrestling. He walked into a situation where he didn’t know anyone and had to make new friends. In fact, many of the boys on his team played football against him this past fall. He has developed some close bonds with those boys now.”
Campbell said the experience is great. “He struggled at the beginning of the season because of his inexperience and that was frustrating for him. Wenkai likes to succeed and his early failures have been a good life lesson for him.”
Campbell said Wenkai started the season 2-7 with many tears following those defeats.
“He never quit though and he was determined to get better,” Campbell said. “Since that point on, he has gone 30-4 and his only losses came to an opponent from Pittsburgh, Baltimore, a state runner-up from Ohio and a national champion. He went undefeated in the conference at 21-0 and won both the Northern Regional and the conference championship by pinning all of his opponents in those two tournaments. He has not lost to a wrestler from W.Va. since early Dec. Zhilan and I never expected him to find success so quickly. His coaches tell me he is a dream to coach because he listens and absorbs everything they teach him. I think you can tell we are very proud of our little mat rat.”
Campbell said he and his family are excited about Wenkai’s wrestling experiences.
“I would love for other boys and girls to be able to have similar experiences – but even more than that, I would like to see Tucker County kids participate in the sports they love right here in their own community,” Campbell said. “Parents of students interested in wrestling can contact me and I can put them in touch with the organizers in Preston County or in Elkins. If parents want to explore forming a Tucker Wrestling Club, I would be thrilled to work with them as well.”
Wenkai said kids interested in wrestling should just do it.
“It is fun, but it is very hard,” Wenkai said. “In fact, it is the hardest thing I have ever done. It is harder to do than football, but wrestling will make you a better football player because you will be more powerful and faster. Welcome to my world.”
