CARLYLE - Wendy Marcotte always enjoyed sports and basketball was at the top of her list, until she was introduced to wrestling.
Raised in Prince Albert, during her school years she played basketball until Grade 10.
She had fully intended to join the basketball team until one day the high school wrestling coach asked her to help out with another student.
When the student wrestler could not move Marcotte off her stomach in a wrestling maneuver, the coach was impressed and asked Marcotte if she would be interested in joining the club.
It was from that moment that Marcotte became hooked on the sport, remaining with the team through Grade 12.
After graduation she attended the University of Regina in the arts and science program with the intention of becoming a teacher, but had a change of heart and completed the early childhood education program instead.
While at the U of R, Marcotte joined the wrestling team and has continued with her passion and love for the sport.
Marcotte returned to P.A., where she coached wrestling at her old high school and also managed the P.A. Wrestling Club.
In 2017 she moved to Carlyle and coached with a partner in Manor.
COVID-19 hit and shut everything down for a couple of years, and when things began to open up, Marcotte realized how much she missed the sport and decided to open her own studio for wrestling in Carlyle.
While she was getting things organized for her studio, she was asked to coach the wrestling team for Team South East at the 2023 Saskatchewan Winter Games in Regina. Her team did very well at the event.
Running a daycare from her home in Carlyle, she started her wrestling studio there by converting her garage into the space she needed.
Marcotte also needed a name and the kids selected Wendy’s Wrestling Rascals.
Offering the program to her daycare kids only, she had several that signed up and it officially began in October.
In November, they began to practise for their first tournament, held on Dec. 10 in Weyburn. This gave the athletes six weeks to prepare for the competition.
Three of Marcotte’s students attended, with Weston Dormoth receiving a silver medal, Kendrick Dormoth taking the bronze medal and Lincoln Brown placing fourth.
Marcotte was incredibly pleased with the placings considering the short span they had to train.
In January 2024, Marcotte will open her studio to the public for all to enjoy the global sport.
Wrestling is a wonderful way to strengthen the body, it creates strategic thinking and the ability to rapidly change situations. These are all things that will be taught at Marcotte’s wrestling studio and so much more, but above all she wants it to be fun.
