It’s the Mecca of amateur wrestling in Richmond and it’s currently bursting at the seams with potential future champions.
The gym on the family’s Sidaway Road blueberry farm is where cousins Arjan and Jag Bhullar learned their craft from their fathers to become national champions. Arjan’s career was highlighted by a gold medal victory at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 while Jag continues to be one of the country’s best and wrestles at the international level.
Both men moved onto the Burnaby Wrestling Mountain Club where they continued to develop under national team coaches and train with other elite athletes. However, they have hardly forgotten about where it all began and are doing their part to ensure the sport continues its promising future in the city.
Jag heads up Bhullar Wrestling’s youth program which offers free instruction at the family gym. Boys and girls, ranging from five to 17, only pay insurance fees. No wonder the classes are jam packed and have the Bhullars looking elsewhere for more space to accommodate additional students.
“We have got so much out of wrestling already that we don’t want to take anything from these kids,” Jag Bhullar explained. “Wrestling is always a cheap sport and we suggest to everyone don’t even buy shoes initially. Really, you don’t need anything to do wrestling.
“Our waiting list is longer than I can explain. We have tried to take as many (kids) as we can but it becomes a danger and a hazard with a lack of space.”
The Bhullars have had preliminary talks with the city regarding the possibility of moving the program to a larger facility. That would require rental fees which would mean an increase in registration costs. They haven’t given up hope something can be arranged but also know a room at a community centre wouldn’t have the same ambience of the family gym where walls are covered with the family’s many accomplishments.
“I never would imagine the kind of impact (the gym) has on them,” said Bhullar. “We still have the battle scars from being in there and all the pictures on the wall. The kids feed off of that and I feed off of them. Most of them couldn’t even do forward rolls when they got here.
“We can see them developing, where they are becoming confident among themselves. We look forward to them bringing more medals here and hopefully surpassing us.”
The program has also attracted athletes from other sports who see wrestling as an excellent form of cross-training. Richmond Sports Council member Sanjeet Sandana has both his son and daughter enrolled.
“It has been wonderful for them. It’s been so good for my son’s conditioning. He is a hockey player and I have seen his skating getting better. He’s done dry land training, too, and this is 10 times better. Jag is such a wonderful coach and is very committed to this. It’s been one of the best things to ever happen for my kids.”
The Bhullars are also working towards bringing a big international high school meet to Richmond. Arjan and Jag never had the opportunity to compete in their homewtown. The ideal venue would be the Richmond Olympic Oval and it would take place sometime in the new year during the high school season.
“Right now there are two major events in the Lower Mainland and this would be the third,” explained Jag. “We would hope to feature high school kids from down south and across Canada, too. To run a premier event like that out of the Oval would be huge for the sport here. It’s about giving back to the kids and providing these kinds of opportunities for them. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
The Bhullars invited all the youth program participants and their parents to the farm two weekends ago for a wrap-up pizza party and season end celebration. It was more generosity from a family that knows no other way.
For more information on Bhullar Wrestling programs or to get on the wait list, email Jag Bhullar at bhullarwrestling@hotmail.com.
