JEFFERSONVILLE —
During his tenure as the Jeffersonville High School wrestling coach, Danny Struck has given his wrestlers several chances to interact with grapplers from other countries.
This week, Team Jeff Wrestling Club wrestlers have gotten to know nine grapplers and two wrestling coaches from Gunman, Japan. The Japanese wrestlers have been in Jeffersonville since Monday for an Indiana State Wrestling Association-sponsored trip. They have experienced American culture and participated in a meet between Team Jeff on Tuesday evening at JHS.
“I like for the kids to see the world as a whole,” said Struck, who is a world history and geography teacher at Jeff. “It’s a thrill for me. It’s a chance to get all my kids together. I’m a history teacher and this is a way for me to learn and not be in the classroom.”
This is the third time Team Jeff has entertained the Japanese team. In 2007, Japan visited for only a day to face the Red Devils in a meet. The next year, the Japanese grapplers squared off against Team Jeff again and stayed overnight in Jeff. This year, the Japanese wrestlers are staying three nights with host families within the Team Jeff Wrestling Club.
In addition to entertaining Japan, Team Jeff has hosted matches with teams from Turkey and Poland in the past.
One of the Jeff wrestlers whose family has welcomed the Japanese into their home is Jordan Schremp, who will be a junior at JHS this coming school year.
Schremp’s family is entertaining three Japanese youngsters this week. One of the Japanese wrestlers, Ryoh Hugimoto, welcomed Schremp into his home last season when the Red Devil wrestler visited Japan.
Schremp has enjoyed the Japanese visit and says that meeting people from other countries has been a worthwhile experience for him.
“It’s been a blast. They are a bunch of good guys,” Schremp said about the Japanese wrestlers. “It doesn’t matter what language you speak. They are all people and you can get along with anyone.”
The Japanese grapplers arrived at the Indianapolis International Airport at 6 p.m. on Monday and then reached Jeffersonville about 8:30 p.m.
On Tuesday prior to their match with Team Jeff, the Japanese wrestlers met Jeff Mayor Tom Galligan in the morning and visited the Falls of the Ohio in Clarksville and Schimpff’s Confectionery in downtown Jeff.
Some of today’s activities include visiting the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville and having a party at the Jeff Aquatic Center.
Jeff will be the first of three areas in Indiana the Japanese grapplers will travel to in the upcoming days.
On Thursday morning, they will head to Center Grove High School. After their visit to the Central Indiana school, the Japanese wrestlers will go to South Bend.
Jeff coaches were not the only high school mentors participating in Tuesday’s meet. Coaches from Jennings County, Christian Academy of Indiana, Columbus East, Brown County, Scottsburg and Madison assisted the Red Devil coaching staff during the meet.
“I wanted to make sure that wrestling programs were involved not only in our community, but in surrounding areas,” Struck said.
Clark County Sports
Related Photos
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Japanese wrestler Takumi Sasaki and his host Austin Ely applaud during a opening ceremony leading to informal wrestling matches at Jeffersonville High School. Staff photo by C.E. Branham
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Official Louis Rosbottom shakes the hands of wrestlers Daiki Sakura, left, and Jordan Schremp after their exhibition match at Jeff High School Tuesday evening. Staff photo by C.E. Branham
Discussion
WRESTLING: Japanese wrestlers visit Southern Indiana this week, compete in meet at JHS
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