Saanich’s Shew sisters continued their rise in the province’s wrestling ranks as Zena (14) won gold and Kiana (17) won silver at SFU’s annual War on the Floor tournament.
The high school wrestling competition is one of the biggest tournaments of the year and draws out many of the province’s top talents. The home-schooled Shews represented the South Island Distance Education School.
Kiana’s silver was in the 47 kilograms category and Zena’s gold came in the 43 kgs bracket.
Kiana faced a tough field, losing in a close-scoring final to the 2016 national champion (as a 15-year-old), Calista Espinosa.
The Shew sisters were formally part of the Victoria Commonwealth Bulldogs Wrestling team under coach Ed Ashmore, who finally stepped back from coaching this year. The girls now train on a small new club in Victoria, the Coast Wrestling Academy, with former provincial champion Nolan Mitchell, a Claremont grad who competed for SFU.
Anyone interested in joining the Coast Wrestling Academy can email coastwrestlingvictoria@gmail.com.