Young wrestler wins gold

The Western Canada Summer Games held last month revealed a very strong team of upcoming wrestlers from B.C. including Sun Peaks’ Alize Perriard-Abdoh.

With scores of 4-0 and 3-1 with a pin, Perriard was awarded the gold medal after beating her opponent from Manitoba in the 46 kg category.

Perriard says the win was a surprise for her, and something made more memorable by her team and coaches.

“None of this would’ve been possible without the volunteers and coaches that used their time to make the games possible,” said Perriard-Abdoh. “Special thanks to Brian Dick who’s always been an amazing coach. I couldn’t have done it without him.”

“It’s nice to have the team because they’re all very supportive. They kept yelling at me from the sidelines, which made it more exciting.”
She may be young but she’s a veteran of the sport, wrestling as a member of the NorKam Wrestling Team with her older sister Aliocha. The 15-year-old’s personal best so far is winning fourth place at the Nationals.

“It was very rewarding watching Alize win the gold, especially as it showcased how much her wrestling has improved over the past few months,” said Lyndsay Belisle, Team B.C. regional development coach. “She trained and wrestled hard and deserved to win. Alize should be very proud of herself.”

Many people may see Perriard as a shy teenager, but what people don’t know is that she is a very motivated athlete, which becomes apparent on the wrestling mat.

“Alize has been training with Team B.C. for less than a year, but she has been wrestling for seven years,” said Belisle. “She made Team B.C. at the team qualifiers in May.”

“Alize is a tough competitor, she has the determination to continually work and improve and is always asking what she can do to be better. Alize is a very coachable athlete and I think she’s going to be tough to beat.”
Team B.C. won 22 medals in total at the wrestling matches with 11 gold medals, six silvers and five bronze.

Belisle attributed the success of the athletes to the hard work of the coaches.

“I think that the athlete’s success had a lot to do with the many coaches who worked with (them, whether from their own club, their individual coaches or with Team B.C.) Also the support and commitment of many of the parents,” she said. “They committed hours of time and energy to help these athletes be able to perform at their best.”