Newly married wrestling coaches Monte and Wendy McNaughton could certainly be dubbed a power couple after their performance at this year's Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg. The duo - who live in Carlyle - coached Team Saskatchewan's boys' and girls' wrestling teams to 4th place overall and also helped Saskatchewan's wrestling squads bring home one silver medal and five bronze medals.
“It was pretty exciting,” says Wendy. “It was our first time coaching as the McNaughtons. We've been coaching against each other for five years and now, we're finally together.”
“It's exciting to be a part of it,” says Monte. “And it's exciting to have our name attached it it.”
“Four years ago, I was at the Canada Summer Games with a wrestler,” he adds. “Back then, it was quite a big deal as a spectator, so this time, being there as a coach, it was really inspiring and new.”
“Before this, I'd never attended the Games before,” says Wendy. “I'd seen a lot of the coaches who were there before and taking a chair next to them as a coach was really exciting.”
The 2017 Canada Summer Games were held July 28-August 13 in Winnipeg. And as two of Saskatchewan's four-person coaching squad for the province's top male and female wrestlers, the McNaughtons helped lead 11 male wrestlers and 10 female wrestlers from throughout Saskatchewan.
“We had 10 girls and 11 boys,” says Monte. “They were from Saskatoon, Regina, Weyburn, Swift Current, Warman and Prince Albert.”
“There were four (wrestling) coaches,” he adds. “We were two of them. The other coaches were Dan McGee from the University of Regina and Brook Smith from P.A. Our team manager was Kristine Ursu, formerly of the U of R.”
“We drove to Regina and rode the bus with the team,” says Wendy. “We left Regina on August 5th and came back on the 13th.”
“We had one camp in Regina prior to the Games,” says Monte. “There wasn't a whole lot of time together as a team until we got on the bus. We really counted on their home coaches to get the wrestlers ready and they did a great job.”
“Monte coached quite a few of them at Westerns,” explains Wendy. “And a lot of them we knew from coaching, but it was still daunting trying to pull a team together that quickly.”
“They competed in 11 different weight classes,” she adds. “So it was an exciting and exhiliarating experience for both of us.”
The competition was dual format, explains Monte. “Two competing teams sit across from each other on benches, ranked from the lightest-weight wrestler to the heaviest-weight,” he says. “It's one match after another after another.”
“That was one of the biggest adjustments for me as a coach,” says Wendy. “Competing back to back like that, doesn't give you a lot of time to talk with each of the 10 or 11 athletes you're coaching.”
“But it's a really exciting challenge, too,” she adds.
Competing in the Axworthy Health and Recplex meant that even as experienced coaches, the couple had to adjust their coaching game somewhat.
“The size and sound of the crowds was a big adjustment,” says Monte. “And we were coaching althletes we don't normally coach all of the time, so there may be some key words we'd use that they might not know.”
“When we coach at high school tournaments, there are 10 mats. At the Canada Games, it was one mat,” he says. “It was pretty loud with all of the spectators in the stands, so our wrestlers couldn't always hear what we were saying.”
“But we knew it was going to be a grind and a marathon of a week,” adds Monte.
Both McNaughtons say the closing ceremony was an experience not to be missed, even after an exciting, exhausting week of competition.
“It was hot,” says Wendy. “And it took a long time to get everybody lined up. We spent almost two hours standing around waiting. But then, once you enter the stadium, you realize you're part of something huge.”
“And there were so many people from Saskatchewan in the stands, cheering us on.”
Monte agrees, adding: “Honestly, by that time, everybody was burnt out and worn out. But then, my mom started texting us - she was watching on TSN. And Katrina LeMay Doan was there and there were so many people from Saskatchewan cheering us on.”
“ It was really cool to be on the field with all of those fans in the stands waving us on,” he adds.
“The takeaway is that wrestlers from rural Saskatchewan do really well. We are good at this and we can hang with the big leagues.”
