Folkstyle wrestling has been around since early history of the United States. As wrestling is becoming more popular many people don’t realize that the Roanoke Valley has have an AAU wrestling club, The Roanoke Gladiators. The group is an established AAU team that is coached by Robert Martin, Chance Craft, Jim Forbes, and Angie Forbes.
The team currently consists of over 30 member’s ages ranging from 4-18. Members are from Roanoke and surrounding areas. Even though these kids do not all attend the same schools or live in the same location, when they step on the mat they are proud to represent this committed team of wrestlers.
Some members have been wrestling since the age of 4 and are now wrestling on their middle and high school teams and some have gone on to wrestle at the college level. In addition to wrestling instruction the group emphasizes character, sportsmanship, dedication and equipping leaders for the future. They practice 2-3 times a week and attend tournaments on weekends.
This year several members have competed and placed at local, state, and national tournaments. If you have a son or daughter that is interested in wrestling, keep an eye out for sign up information that will be announced at local schools and newspapers in the fall.
