Socorro wrestler hits Virginia Beach

A young sixth grade wrestler from Socorro traveled to Virginia Beach, Va. for a national youth wrestling tournament. Kade McNeil participated in more than 10 tournament competitions as well as two exhibition matches. He won eight out of 10 matches, one of which was an overtime showdown in which McNeill was able to seal the deal with a pin down.

McNeill competed with two other youth wrestlers in Albuquerque, winning both matches in order to earn a spot in the national tournament. Kade was battling in the 130 weight class.

“I like traveling to wrestle,” McNeill said. “I like going to new places to wrestle. My mentality was to just go out there and have fun and that is what I was able to do.”

Natasha McNeill is a big supporter of Kade’s success. As the mother of an athlete, Natasha helps push Kade both on and off the mat.

“Seeing him push himself during these tournaments is amazing,” she said. “His dad is his coach and we try to support him for wherever he wants to compete. The goal is to feed the passion. The only bad part is the early mornings.”

The trip was not easy getting to Virginia Beach for Kadeyn. Making the drive up to Albuquerque resulted in a delayed flight with his family waiting several hours. The journey resulted in four different flights as opposed to the initially scheduled two.

Kadeyn attributes his loss during the tournament to fatigue after an overtime win in the playoff round. Larger opponents were able to exploit Kadeyn’s shiftier figure at that point.

“I learned so much from this trip,” he said. “Never expect this to be easy. You can learn from any opponent you face. Right now I’m focused on working on my stance and position. My biggest weakness is moving my feet more which is what I need to do better. But I’m gonna give my all and it’s never going to be an easy match against me.”

Mrs. McNeill’s goal is to help her son Kade get ready to wrestle at the varsity level as long as he continues to put the work in.

“No question I would be disappointed if he quit this,” she said. “Him as well as our family have put a lot of work into this. Plus I know how much he enjoys it. But at the end of the day, whatever he wants to do, as a mom, I will always be there.”