New Equipment Makes Lander’s Booming Youth Wrestling Scene Safer

Youth interest in wrestling is on the rise in Lander, Wyoming. Currently about 130 middle school and younger athletes participate in Lander Tiger Tough Wrestling. Unfortunately, this boom in interest has also led to infections like ringworm spreading because of a shortage of practice facilities and equipment. The problem is that the bulk of practices take place at Lander Valley High School, which means the young grapplers must wait until the high school athletes are done, then wait for the mats and equipment to be sterilized and dried—a process that takes a minimum of 30 minutes. With so many kids participating, it’s difficult to keep them off the mats long enough to give the sanitizer time to work. This year, that led to ringworm spreading throughout the club. One club volunteer and parent came up with a solution that many other wrestling clubs around the country have been adopting: a Sterilaser machine. The Sterilaser unit kills viruses (including COVID-19 and ringworm among others) with light so there is no drying time; coaches can run the machine and players can begin practice or a match as soon as it is done. LOR’s funding will help support the purchase of a Sterilaser machine, as well as safety equipment like headgear.

This project is fiscally sponsored by the Lander Community Foundation.