PA Junior Championships Return to Harrisburg

Harrisburg, PA - The Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau (HHRVB) today announced the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center (FSC) has pinned down the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling (PJW) State Championships for three years starting March 2012, marking the tournament’s 50th anniversary.

Note: Due to a scheduling conflict the 2012 PJW Championships will be held March 23-24, 2012 at the Hersheypark Arena, Hershey, PA

From March 23-24, 2012, the state’s best young wrestlers ages 14 and under will compete on 12 mats in a double-elimination style tournament in the FSC's Large Arena. The state championships are expected to draw 1,200 wrestlers to the Harrisburg-based venue and contribute approximately $1.3 million to the region’s economy each year. PJW chose Hershey Harrisburg and the FSC over venues in Pittsburgh, Erie and Wilkes-Barre.

The successful bid to host this prestigious youth wrestling event in the Hershey Harrisburg region was led by Wrestle for a Cure, Inc. Executive Director Norm Dallago in conjunction with the state’s Area IX wrestling region, HHRVB and support from the FSC’s Executive Director Pat Kerwin. Dallago served as the PJW State Championship tournament director in Hershey in 2005.

Dallago is excited to bring the State Championship back to Harrisburg after a six year absence. “Until about 2003, junior wrestlers from the middle and eastern parts of the state weren’t well represented in the state tournament for a sport that had more traction in Western PA. Now, all kids who aspire to wrestle in high school come to the state tournament and we’re thrilled to host them here in the Hershey Harrisburg region.”

Dallago’s commitment to young wrestlers is just as much about the life lessons learned through the sport as it is about any physical motivation. “My son used wrestling as a platform to set up a fundraising event to benefit a neighbor with Cystic Fibrosis. The response he received from people outside the wrestling community was overwhelming and it opened my eyes to how we can use wrestling events to benefit philanthropy and to promote wrestling in a positive light.”

To that end, proceeds from the 2012-2014 PJW State Championship Tournaments will be shared among various local charities and junior wrestling teams and clubs.

Dates of the 2012-2014 PJW State Championship

• March 23-24, 2012
• March 22-23, 2013 
• March 21-22, 2014

For more information about this or other Wrestle for a Cure events please contact Wrestle for a Cure through this website or by calling (717) 724-3622.