The Hampden Grange acquires new wrestling space
The club will be located at 49 Emerson Mill Rd.
HAMPDEN, Maine (WABI) - 49 Emerson Mill Rd. is the future site of The Hampden Grange Wrestling Club.
The roughly 6,000 sq. ft. space has room for wrestling, demonstrations, meals, locker rooms, and lodging.
“It was very difficult to find space to host practice. I started helping out with Bangor Parks and Rec wrestling last year. This year, the season was even cut shorter because of the lack of space. I turned to my wife and said ‘we’re going to buy a building and have a place where wrestling is a priority,’ and here we are,” said Aaron James, building owner.
The club will have a place to teach wrestlers five years old and up year round.
“I wrestled from the time I was six years old until I graduated college. It taught me everything about discipline, consistency, and teamwork. People think of it as an individual sport, but it takes a team. It takes a village,” said Jeff Whalen, volunteer coach.
Coaches say there’s a gigantic need for this facility in the area.
“It’s hard for me to express in words how important this is. This is going to help thousands of kids over the years having this. It’s a space where wrestling will be the No. 1 priority,” said James.
“I’m ecstatic that there’s this opportunity for kids to participate in the sport of wrestling. You’ll see in the coming years, maybe not initially in the first or second year, but looking at year five, you’re going to see some serious wrestlers come out of this area,” said Whalen.
James became the building owner this week after the plan started last summer. The plan is to have mats ready for the fall.
James is looking forward to having the practice space for future camps and high school co-op teams. You can visit The Hampden Grange on Facebook for more information.
Copyright 2023 WABI. All rights reserved.