Community Boxing Club Members In National Tournament
Friday, January 2nd, 2015 -- 11:31 AM
Two teenage boxers from the Community Boxing Club in Neillsville are about to take part in a national boxing tournament in Nevada.Jake Waltemate, 17, of Neillsville, and Chayanne Carroll, 16, of Thorp are registered for the 2015 Youth National Championships and Junior Open. Competition starts on January 5 at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno.
Waltemate and Carroll qualified by winning state and regional tournaments in Plover. The regional tournament involved competitors from four states.
Their coach, Dale Berger, has trained boxers for nearly 20 years. He said this is the first time he will take boxers to this tournament. Berger said that if they win this tournament they can be named to the 2015 national team which means international competition. They would also get ranked for other tournaments and possibly get invited to Olympic trials. It won't be easy though. Berger said they are kids from California, Texas and the east coast. Both boxers have the 2014 national champion in their weight classes.
Berger said Waltemate has been boxing for four years and has been to the National Silver Gloves Tournament in 2012 and 2013. He said this is Carroll's first national tournament. Berger also said that the teenagers have been training "incredibly hard" for the tournament three to four nights per week, and that they could end up boxing five days in a row if they advance to the tournament championship.
They plan to leave for the tournament on Saturday.
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