Club cancels tournament due to safety concerns

The Tombey Mat Club has held their annual tournament for 40 years. This year, it remains uncertain whether the tournament will be held or not due to concerns raised by the Scio Rural Fire Protection Co-chiefs. “It's quite frustrating,” said Adam Mask, the club's president. He said he understands the concerns and will abide by the law. “That's not the problem.”

Mask said the concern, in his opinion, is that the club has asked the chiefs for help in figuring it out and he does not think they have given any.

The problem arose last year according to Co-Chief Richard Labelle. “We got a complaint last year,” he said, regarding the occupancy in the high school gym during the tournament. He said he was obligated to determine if the complaint was legitimate so visited the tournament. Not only was the gym overflowing, cars were also parked in several areas marked as fire lanes. Labelle said the department does not go looking for complaints but when someone calls, they investigate. “We are liable if we don't deal with the complaints.”

The problem brought forth a meeting of mat club parents on Thursday, December 6 to discuss concerns that the tournament was not being held. Mask said he did not know the fire chiefs would be attending and was surprised to see them there. “It was supposed to be a parents' meeting.”

Instead, it ended up being a very heated discussion between the chiefs and the 30 or so people present. The biggest sticking point in hammering out any type of agreement was the number of people allowed in the gym. “We know our gym is small,” said tournament director Rick Young. He told those gathered that the chiefs made him aware last year that occupancy was a problem. Due to the number of mats filling the gym floor, the total occupancy was dramatically cut in accordance with State Fire Marshal rules. In fact, the occupancy was basically cut in half, meaning about 600 people would be allowed in the gym during the tournament. The one point everyone seemed to agree on was that the tournament drew more than that number of spectators and wrestlers.

“Are we going to get your help?” Mask asked the fire chiefs.

Co-chief Duane Miller said that the department's hands were tied as far as allowing the tournament as planned to be held in the gym. “We have to support the law.”

“I'm not going to break the rules,” Labelle added.

Tina Mask, who has been part of Scio's wrestling community for years wondered if the chiefs really understood how much the tournament means to so many people. “This is our passion.”

Butch Parazoo has watched his sons and grandsons wrestle in the tournament. “We built a new fire station. Maybe we should have built a new gym.”

Labelle explained that the mats is what decreases the occupancy numbers so much because of the decreased area for chairs. “We didn't write the rules.” He said the numbers are set by the State Fire Marshal and that the district has to enforce the numbers for the safety of those who are in the gym. He then read for a list of tragic fires where overcrowding caused multiple deaths.

Matt Parazoo, the Scio High School wrestling coach who wrestled in the tournament as a youth, said he wasn't doubting the number. He did wonder if that was the same number given last year.

Mask said he said the club does have a few options, but none that will replace what the annual tournament has been bringing to young wrestlers for so many years. In regards to using two venues, “There's options we're looking at.” Mask said it would be extremely hard for parents with kids in separate classes to be wrestling at the same time in two different locations. The other idea, a two day tournament, would require going to a different type of tournament. “Our tournament has always been geared toward beginners,” he said.

Mask said he intends to go to the next fire board meeting on December 18 to see if he can get any help on ironing the situation out. “We'd like the community to get behind us.” Mask, who also wrestled in the tournament as a youngster, said it has been a part of wrestling in Scio for decades. “It's a huge tradition.” Mask is hopeful something can be worked out. “I want this thing to happen.”