Haley Heffel took another step towards the possibility of earning national and international wrestling glory after attending the Team Alberta training camp in Calgary last weekend.
Heffel was in Calgary June 14-16 to work out with her Alberta teammates and come together as a cohesive unit.
“Everybody from across the province is on the team, so it’s just to have everybody together,” she said.
The camp was one of a series to prepare for the upcoming Canada Summer Games on Aug. 2-8, and the World Cadets Juvenile Games in Zrenjanin, Serbia on Aug. 19-24.
One of the biggest benefits to taking part in the training camp is to experience different styles of wrestling beyond what she normally sees when practising with her club.
Heffel said the team’s alternates were also at the camp, giving each primary wrestler a dedicated training partner.
“It gives you the ability to wrestle somebody different,” she said. “You’re wresting people who aren’t just in your club.”
When practising with her club, she said she has a general idea what her opponent is going to do. Taking part in these camps with wrestlers from other clubs allows her to see other techniques and forces her to think on her feet a lot more.
In Calgary, Heffel said there were four practices spread out over the three days. Typically these types of camps have five to six practices, but considering the Sunday was Father’s Day, the camp broke early.
With two major competitions coming up so close together, Heffel has been busy lately with training, and will stay busy over the coming weeks.
About two weeks ago, she was in Saskatoon, Sask. for a camp, which doubled as a competition against other wrestlers in her weight class from neighbouring provinces.
At the end of June, Heffel will be in California at another training camp. Heading down as a member of the Team Alberta contingent, she said it will be the first time she will have faced non-Canadian competition.
“I’m hoping that might help me see a little bit before I go to Worlds — the type of stuff I’m going to deal with,” she said.
With time ticking down before her big meets, Heffel said training and practice are essential to prepare her for any situation she comes across on the mat.
“The more I’m on the mat, the better,” she said, explaining match action is the best preparation.
