Calling All Wrestlers to the ‘Grapple on the Grass’ Wrestling Tournament in Johnston, Rhode Island

Calling all wrestlers and grapplers, there's a big wrestling tournament going down in Rhode Island you might regret not signing up for.

Over at Johnston High School in Johnston, Rhode Island, the Johnston Youth Wrestling Organization is gearing up for its first annual 'Grappling on the Grass' tournament, which is expected to hold up to 350 wrestlers from across the country.

Located at  345 Cherry Hill Drive, this fun-filled family day with something for everyone to enjoy.

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From youth to age 19, wrestlers will compete in both freestyle (Olympic style) and folkstyle (high school format) wrestling matches that will take place on the turf (on mats of course). There will be three or four mats running at the same time throughout the competition to help the tournament flow smoothly. Weigh-ins will occur between 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM and the matches will kick off at 5:00 PM. Gates will open at 4:30 to the public, and admission is $5.00 for adults and free for anyone under 18 years old.

Along with some friendly competitive wrestling, the National Guard will be present with a massive rock wall for kids to climb as well as food trucks to grab a snack, lunch, or even dinner.

Walter Borden is the tournament organizer alongside John Antonucci, as well as the head coach of an independent recreation youth program in Johnston, Rhode Island. Together, their goal was to create a tailgating atmosphere full of fun for the entire family.

"I'm feeling really good about the event," Borden said, "We received a lot of interest and since wrestling is really big with MMA on the rise, we're looking at a great turnout. This is a great way to keep the kids active and currently, our group has doubled and grown from 30 to around 60. We're ready to go."

'Grappling on the Grass' will kick off with freestyle (run about 2 hours), and will eventually switch over to folkstyle- expected to last a few hours at most.

This is a USA event and headgear is required. There will be parking adjacent to the field and behind the school. All coaches must have a valid USA Coaches card. Restrooms will be available at the stadium as well as Concessions and merchandise. In the event of foul weather, the rain date will be held the following day with identical start times.