By Morgan McLeod
German-born Raphael Rhone looked on at the BC Summer Games wrestling competition on Saturday with wide eyes and enthusiastic cheers. Raphael is holidaying with his father and little brother and was excited to have the opportunity to see the Canadian wrestlers in competition.“
"Raphael has been training in wrestling since the age of 6,” his father, Dr. Peter Rhone said. “Unlike Canada, wrestlers in Germany start training at age 5, although they don’t enter competitions until age 6 or 7, they begin with gymnastics and strength training, and play games. The wrestling club that Raphael belongs to (AC 1897 Werdau) was founded in 1897 and is steeped in tradition with a proud and distinguished history. In many ways it functions similarly to Boy Scouts here in Canada. They don’t just wrestle, they camp together and learn many skills outside of wrestling, and form lifelong friendships.”
Raphael recently won 1st place in a free style wrestling competition in Hof, Germany. His favourite grip is the “Nackenhebel," which translates to neck lever or half Nelson. Raphael’s father commented, “The rules for free style wrestling are the same in Germany as they are in here in Canada.” At the end of the wrestling competition, Raphael walked out of the Chemainus Secondary gymnasium feeling fully inspired by the wrestling he saw at the BC Summer Games and he was excited to get back to his home gym in Werdau to tell his friends about his experiences.