A New Mat for a New Year: Sycamore High School Wrestling

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Dollamur Sport Surfaces 

RELEASE DATE: January 11, 2021 

 

FORT WORTH, TX - There is no doubt that the events of 2020 have had a significant impact on athletes across many sports. In the case of Sycamore High School in Pleasant View, TN, they had a much different problem that was affecting their boys and girls wrestling teams led by Head Coach Steve HamblinThey are a dedicated group of young athletes committed to their sport and supported by their community and school district. 

After many seasons, the Sycamore wrestling mat was showing all its 20 years of ageThe overall mat and outer rolls were worn from endless taping and re-taping making it technically illegal to use in competition and potentially dangerous for athletes. Unable to use their current mat, Sycamore Wrestling has had to borrow mats from other schools to take part in events. 

The community of Pleasant View rallied around their wrestling team with fundraisers and GoFundMe pages to raise money to buy a new matFinally reaching their goal, they placed an order with a small competitor of Dollamur and paid for the mat in fullAnxiously waiting the mat’s arrival for 16 months, the new mat sadly never arrived, and the team’s efforts to get a refund from the mat maker were all futile 

local news station in Nashville – WSMV channel 4 - ran a story about the team’s plight on December 8, speaking with Jennifer Hamblin, the wife of the head coachThe next morning the story of Sycamore High’s plight reached Dollamur Sport Surfaces. 

“When I saw the news story and read everything about what this young wrestling team had been through, I knew we had to step in to help,” said Don Ochsenreiter, President & CEO of Dollamur Sport SurfacesOchsenreiter quickly reached out to coach Hamblin and his wife to hear their story firsthand“The kids, parents and coaches have been through a lot for 16 months, and their story touched my heartWithout hesitation, Dollamur offered to donate a new, custom wrestling mat to the school. In the true spirit of Christmas, “We knew it was the right thing to do for the boys and girls and their wrestling community,” he added. 

That same day, the entire Dollamur Sport Surfaces team stepped-uto design, manufacture and ship the new mat in time to arrive at Sycamore High School just in time for a big home match“We are so pleased to be able to present the new mat to Sycamore High School, Coach Hamblin and the members of the wrestling teams,” said Ochsenreiter“Hopefully this will bring them joy instead of the stress they have been through and give them a wonderful start to the New Year.” 

 

About Dollamur 

Based in Fort Worth, Texas and established in 1996, Dollamur Sport Surfaces is the leading global manufacturer and distributor of high-performance competitive sports flooring for wrestling, martial arts, MMA, gymnastics, cheerleading, fitness and other sport activities. Innovative, proprietary products and a commitment to technological advancements in production have enabled Dollamur to set new industry standards for the sport mat industry. Dollamur mats are the preferred choice in hundreds of top-level sports competitions, including many national championships and Olympic-qualifying tournaments each year throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, South America, Asia and the Middle East. 

 

Recognitions: 

Special thanks to Meri Crisp Photography for generously donating her services. https://www.facebook.com/mericrispphotography  

Sycamore High School – War Eagles Wrestling, Head Coach Steve Hamblin & Jennifer Hamblin, and Jamie Heckert, https://www.sycamorehighccs.net/  

WSMV - News 4 in Nashville with Caresse Jackman https://www.wsmv.com/