06/18/2026
Happy Birthday to our fearless leader. El Presidente himself Rory Nathan. In just a couple of years he’s gone from wrestler dad to coach to vice president to now being the ”man with a plan”. LWC has never seen a volunteer work as hard or be as passionate about our sport as this guy right here. We are so excited for our club’s future with you at the helm. We wish you an awesome day.
A huge thank you to Shubha Pandit-Thompson for letting us have so much of his time.
06/17/2026
Congrats to our very own Mylie Bacarri!! She has been invited to represent Canada at the U20 Pan American Championships in Rio de Janeiro Brazil July 9-10-11!
This trip is self funded and LWC is supporting her with some of the costs but If you or anyone you know would like to assist her in this trip please send your donation to [email protected].
Or
https://gofund.me/e5f442771
06/16/2026
Hello LWC families!
With the conclusion of the banquet and AGM this weekend, that brings to a close our 2025/2026 wrestling season.
It was great to see all the families and wrestlers out celebrating each other and just having a great time overall at the banquet. As always, the kids energy is infectious and we quickly forget about all of the stressful moments over the season and are reminded why we all do this!
The AGM on Sunday was well attended by families, Executive Board members and Directors. We reflected on this past season, introduce some new ideas for moving forward, and are all looking ahead to an even more successful wrestling program in the future.
After volunteering for a long time as a coach and Club President, Scott Gordon is "retiring" from the Executive and is moving over to a Director position. We all want to thank Scott for his dedication to the kids and LWC as a whole!
Additionally, another long time Executive member and club event volunteer, Stacey BeauParlant is "retiring" from her position as Secretary. She isn't going to be able to escape us that easily though, as we will still be calling upon her volunteering skills at tournaments and events. Thank you Stacey!
As part of the AGM, Executive Board elections were held for vacant spaces, and here are the results:
President- Rory Thompson (vacated Vice-President position and was voted in subsequently)
Vice-President- Shawn Baxter (a long time club tournament volunteer and coach, has demonstrated his level of dedication to all programs within LWC)
Secretary - Morgan Hay (has significant experience on youth sports Executive Boards and volunteering with LWC)
For full transparency to the membership (aka you, the families) here is the complete list of Executive members and Directors on the board.
President- Rory Thompson
Vice-President- Shawn Baxter
Treasurer- Melissa McKenzie
Secretary- Morgan Hay
Director- Leah Ferguson
Director- Steve Daniar
Director- Justin BeauParlant
Director- Breanne Beh
Director- Scott Gordon
Advisory/Organizational Positions Within LWC
Head Coach - Justin BeauParlant
Tournament Organizer - Claudia Blier
Head Official - Paul BeauParlant
Executive members are elected volunteers who handle the day to day operations of the club. Directors are asked to serve as an oversight to both keep the Executive members in check as well as to advise them on program operations. The Advisory/Organizational Positions serve specific roles required to keep the sport of wrestling operating in our community.
We are looking forward to seeing everyone in the fall and hope you all can have an enjoyable summer!
Your Executive Board
Lakehead Wrestling Club
06/01/2026
Thunder Bay Wrestlers Shine at 2026 Canadian Wrestling Championships
MONTREAL, QC – Thunder Bay's wrestling community once again demonstrated why Northwestern Ontario continues to be one of Canada's premier wrestling regions, as athletes from the Lakehead Wrestling Club and Lakehead University Wrestling program delivered impressive performances at the 2026 Canadian Wrestling Championships held in Montreal from May 27-30.
Competing against the nation's best wrestlers across U17, U20, and Senior divisions, Thunder Bay athletes earned national medals, national team opportunities, and valuable experience on Canada's biggest wrestling stage.
The standout performance of the tournament came from Koen Hurlbert, who captured the U17 Men's 80 kg National Championship, earning a coveted spot on Team Canada and the opportunity to represent the country at upcoming international competition.
In the U17 division, Ava Hay battled her way to a strong 6th-place finish in the Women's 61 kg class, while Merric BeauParlant represented Thunder Bay in the highly competitive Men's 60 kg division.
The U20 division saw several Thunder Bay athletes take to the mats. Mylie Bacarri earned a bronze medal in the Women's 53 kg division and followed up her podium performance by winning a national team challenge match, securing her position as Canada's World Team Alternate. Teammates Owen Dale (70 kg), Caleb Blain (74 kg), and Carter Zuback (70 kg) also gained valuable national championship experience while competing against the country's elite junior wrestlers.
In the Senior division, Thunder Bay athletes continued to make their mark. Jakob Wildshutt delivered one of the most impressive performances of the event, earning a silver medal at 61 kg and advancing to the Senior National Championship Final in his first-ever appearance at the event. Mike Zale added a strong 5th-place finish in the Men's 65 kg division, while Brennan Laplante-Brady (74 kg) and Haley Florell (Women's 76 kg) also represented the region with determination and grit.
The team was coached by Lakehead University Head Coach Jordan Ferguson and Lakehead Wrestling Club Head Coach Justin BeauParlant, both of whom were proud of the performances displayed throughout the championships.
"We are excited about the opportunities now available to our medalists in the weeks and months ahead," said the coaching staff. "More importantly, we're extremely proud of every athlete who competed. Their performances reflected not only their success this weekend but also the tremendous growth they've shown throughout a long and demanding season."
The championships also provided a unique opportunity to celebrate Canadian wrestling history. During the event, Wrestling Canada recognized members of Canada's 1976 Olympic Wrestling Team, which competed in Montreal during the Summer Olympics.
Many wrestling fans may not realize that Thunder Bay played a significant role in Canada's Olympic preparations that year. Lakehead University served as the country's Olympic wrestling training centre leading up to the 1976 Games. LU’s Head Coach Gord Garvie was the Head Coach of Team Canada That year. Among those honoured during the ceremony was Thunder Bay wrestling legends Steve Daniar and Brian Renken who represented Canada at the Montreal Olympics.
Several former Lakehead University wrestlers who were members of that historic Olympic team were also recognized, including Egon Beiler, Terry Paice, and Mitch Kawasaki.
As another successful season comes to a close, the results in Montreal demonstrate that Thunder Bay remains a major contributor to Canadian wrestling excellence. With a national champion, multiple medalists, national team representation, and a growing group of talented young athletes, the future continues to look bright for wrestling in Northwestern Ontario.
06/02/2026
05/15/2026
05/10/2026