Wrestlers of all ages attended the 2nd annual California Champ Camp, July 14-16, at Ceres High School.
A combined 106 boys and girls signed up for the first day of this year’s clinic.
Day 2 and Day 3 had enrollment sizes of 89 and 85, respectively.
Last summer’s camp drew 75 participants.
“I was expecting it to be smaller this year because there were a lot of local camps,” said Curtis Hulstine, director of the clinic, head coach of Ceres High’s girls wrestling program and a CIF State Meet qualifier with the Bulldogs in 2010. “We delivered a really great product last year. That’s what ultimately made it a bigger success this year.
Billy Murphy, a 2006 Hughson High School graduate, two-time CIF State Boys Wrestling Meet champion and Hulstine’s older brother, was the lead instructor.
Pitman High grads Lilly Avalos (Vanguard University) and Alana Ontiveros (Menlo College) both served as technicians at camp.
Avalos and Ontiveros won state titles in 2023 and 2021, respectively.
“Adding those two female technicians (Avalos and Ontiveros) definitely helped bring more girls to the camp,” Hulstine said. “They did a great job of breaking down what made them successful.”
The clinic was open to wrestlers, aged 4-18.
Registration ranged from $65-$2,000.
Cost was $175 for advanced (middle school/high school) and $65 for beginners (elementary).
Cost was $2,000 per high school team (14 wrestlers).
Beginners received three hours of instruction.
Advanced received 15 hours of instruction.
Hulstine and Murphy changed the format of this year’s camp.
The camp consisted of two, two-hour sessions and one 90-minute session each day.
The clinic was split into two groups.
“The reason we decided to split it up is we wanted to put out a better product,” Hulstine said.
Grapplers from Ceres High, Central Valley, Hughson, Modesto High, Merrill West, Rio Linda, Hollister and other schools attended the 2023 Champ Camp.
“The camp started with the advanced kids,” Hulstine said. “During their break, we worked with the beginners. We focused on fundamentals. No one was lost or left behind. We didn’t show anything too advanced.”
Curtis enjoyed spending time with his brother Billy for the second straight summer.
Billy’s wife and four children also made the trip from Iowa to California.
“He was able to bring his whole family out this year, which was awesome,” Hulstine said.
Murphy started wrestling at the age of six when his mother Kathy Lederle signed him up with the Turlock Club.
He dedicated 16 years of his life to the sport.
“It was life-changing,” Murphy said. “It kept me out of trouble. But I don’t think I was that much of a troublemaker.”
Murphy won back-to-back 130-pound titles (2006, 2005) while representing Hughson High at the CIF State Meet.
He had a combined record of 168-3 at the prep level according to intermatwrestle.com. He finished 55-0 as a junior and 48-0 senior year.
“What kept me coming back is the love for the sport,” Murphy said. “It’s also a little easier to like when you’re winning.”
Hulstine was a standout wrestler at Ceres High from 2006-10.
He had a career record of 113-31.
He qualified for the CIF State Championships, collected 45 wins and just six losses, finished third at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament, placed first at the Division-IV Tournament and claimed the 125-pound title at the Valley Oak League Finals during his senior year.
Hulstine started coaching girls wrestling at his alma mater in 2019-20.
“I plan on coaching wrestling until I can’t,” he said. “It’s in my blood. I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.”
