As Malvalio observed in Shakespeare’s “Twelth Night,” “In my stars I am above thee; but be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.” While this might be true for political leaders, it usually doesn’t work in the sports world. Nearly every great athlete has worked hard from an early age to achieve that greatness.

Which is where local youth sports organizations like the Delta Wrestling Club come in. Many of the great wrestlers at Liberty High, such as recent alumnus David Klingsheim, first hit the mat at the Delta Wrestling Club. Currently 170 kids are signed up, many of whom will also go on to wrestle at Heritage, Freedom and Antioch high schools.

The club was started in 1992 by Liberty Coach Greg Chappel and was originally based at Golden State Wrestling, then in the Liberty High wrestling room before moving into an old transmission repair shop on Brentwood Boulevard near Liberty. Wrestlers starting as young as 5 and going up through high school participate in two seasons of wrestling, one based in folk style wrestling, which is the same as American high school wrestling rules; the other focusing on international freestyle wrestling. The club is currently halfway through the folk style season and is now taking sign ups for the freestyle season.

Club President Yogi Leake, asked what it takes to get good in the sport, confirmed that Malvolio wasn’t talking about wrestling in that play. “It takes a lot of hard work, dedication to the sport, time in the practice room and getting as much competition as possible,” he said. “Most of the kids in our program are seeing the success. Some of them aren’t necessarily that athletic. The main thing they have is a real dedication to the sport. They are at practice all of the time and going to the tournaments. A lot of them will do two different seasons and the camp over the summer.”

Wrestling is similar to tennis, swimming and golf in that it is both an individual and a team sport. You and you alone are out on that mat facing an opponent – unlike pro wrestling, you can’t tag a teammate to come in and help you out. But you’re also surrounded by your coaches and teammates, who are shouting encouragement and advice.

“We practice and travel as a team and root each other on, so you have that camaraderie there,” said Leake. “So how you do in a competition comes down to the individual and how hard that person is willing to work and their dedication. Wrestling is kind of unique in the fact that kids put so much of themselves out there when they compete. You challenge each other head-to-head basically in a contact sport.”

Leake is himself a product of Chappel’s tutelage, starting in seventh grade at Edna Hill Middle School, then at Liberty. He wrestled for a couple of years at Cal Poly and eventually came back to East County to raise a family. When his oldest son turned 5, Leake got involved in the Delta Wrestling Club to coach him and other beginners. Each year his involvement has increased as the club has expanded its programs.

It costs $160 for one season, which lasts 12 weeks for beginners and intermediates, longer for advanced wrestlers. Add another $100 if you want to participate in the second season. For more information, go online to www.deltawrestlingclub.com.