2017 SOVA Annual Award Winners

Dave Brown Middle School Wrestler of the Year: Karon Smith (Pin-2-Win)
Pat Chall Volunteer of the Year: Natasha Turner (Raider Nation)
Brad Thomas Coach of the Year: Chris Johns (New Kent)
Ben Atthshuler Referee of the Year: Richard Harrell (Raider Nation)
Norm & Ronnie Thacker Percent Most New Kids: SWOPATA

SOVA’s Mission Goals:
• Introduction to the sport of high school style wrestling to the league’s communities.
• Focus on participation, not match/tournament outcome.
• Provide even playing fields to the greatest extent possible with respect to age, weight, experience, and capabilities for the largest number of kids’ possible.
• To promote the community interest in support of their community teams.
• To teach fundamental wrestling skills.
• To provide guidelines for continued wrestling development.
• To cater to the beginning and advancing (but not Elite) wrestlers.
• Promote and develop good sportsmanship.
• To have area youth coaches eliminate/stop the promotion of weight cutting among youth wrestlers.
• To create more fans, adult volunteers and participants for the local middle school and high school programs.
• To encourage high school wrestlers to become kid referees and to provide them opportunities to develop/practice their refereeing skills.
• To develop a safe and healthy environment at all practices, scrimmages and member tournaments. To enact/modify rules that enhances safety of participants. (I.E. By minimizing/eliminates the effect of moves that promote choking, head/neck and shoulder injuries, etc)

Member Clubs
SOVA currently has 11 clubs from the Peninsula and surrounding areas. Participating Clubs come from Gloucester, Hampton, King William, Mathews, Middlesex, New Kent, Newport News, Northern Neck, Poquoson, Williamsburg, and York County.

Clubs Participating: Gloucester Wrestling Assoc., King William, Mathews, Menchville Monarchs, Middlesex, New Kent, Northern Neck, Poquoson, Raider Nation, SWOPATA, Williamsburg, and York.

Prospective clubs seeking admittance to the League need to contact Natasha Turner (nturner1128@gmail.com).  Note: All new teams have a mandatory 1-year probation period.

League Meets
League scrimmages are typically held on Friday evenings and Saturday/Sunday afternoons usually in a tri-meet (3-team) fashion. The primary purpose of the scrimmages is to introduce new wrestlers to live competition, as well as to provide competitive matches for the League's experienced wrestlers. SOVA offers an annual Rookie Tournament for new wrestlers with 0-1 year’s experience at Tabb High School, as well as the league tournament at the end of each season at the Gloucester High School.

Match Pairing for Scrimmages
To promote a safe, objective, unbiased matchmaking standard across the league, SOVA has adopted the Williamsburg Matchmaker Program. All individuals are split in 2 groups (rookie/experienced) and then paired based on age and weight. League rules for weight is +/- 5 lbs maximum, and a maximum of 1 year difference in age.