This tournament is named
in memory of William Dies, co-founder of the Ohio Youth Wrestling
Association and a long-time booster of wrestling in Summit County, Ohio.Having nine children of
his own wasn't enough for Dad. He always made time for anything that
involved kids. Before his death, in 1987, he had been heavily involved
with local youth sports for nearly 40 years. He has been honored many
times for his contribution in helping to mold and strengthen the
character of the young people of our community. Most notably, in 1981
he received the George Boss Youth award from the Touchdown Club of
Akron, in 1987 the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame honored him with
the Andy Palich Memorial Award, and in 1989 the Ohio Wrestling Coaches
Hall of Fame recognized the Dies Family for their commitment and
dedication the sport of wrestling.
We try to make this event
as organized, competitive, and as classy as Dad was. We welcome your
comments and suggestions that might enable us to improve the tournament
in the future. Good luck to all of our
competitors, we feel you represent the best of sports. The time and
dedication you put forth is shown in the level of competition. And to
the parents -- a special thank you for taking the time to become involved in your children's activities. They appreciate it and so do we.
One final note, we would
like to recognize that the spectators in Northeastern Ohio, who are the
best. Thank you for your support.