FORT LUPTON – There’s a place to go Sunday that will combine eating and wrestling.
    It’s the Fort Lupton Metro Wrestling Club’s annual barbecue/wrestling registration kickoff event, which begins at noon Sept. 30 at 130 S. McKinley Ave.
    “It’s the first year my dad (club founder Pino Bachicha) can come back and help coach,” said his son and current club president, Lenny Bachicha. “The refereeing keeps him busy, but he’s excited. I hope when I’m 70 or 71, I can do the things he does.”
    It’s open to boys and girls from age 4 up to age 14. Youngsters are grouped according to weights in each age category.
Season scholarships are available, too. The fee is $25 for the season. A family of three would pay fees totaling $55 ($25 for the first child and $15 for the remaining two kids). The first practice is Oct. 2, and practices are Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. at the high school.
“We have uniforms available. They cost $35, which is cheap,” said Lenny Bachicha. “Some programs charge $175. My dad based the fees on the idea of making it affordable for the community.”
    The program began in 1969 and has been one of the main feeder programs to the Fort Lupton High School wrestling squad. Two of the youth wrestling alums, Jordan LaRoche and Dale Shull, earned this and are attending the University of Northern Colorado. The youth program also antes up some money when the Bluedevils head for the state wrestling tournament in Denver.
    “It builds citizens and leaders through sports,” Bachicha said. “Wrestling is a self-reliant sport full of dedication and hard work. It’s you and your opponent – the other wrestler.”
Aside from community service in Adams and Weld counties (some of which includes setting up before and cleaning up after youth tournaments), Bachicha said the club awards a total of $1,000 in college scholarships.
    “I’ve never had a kid in the program, and I’ve been in it 25 years,” he said. “I was a coach at first and have been president since the second year. Working with these kids keeps me young, especially the 4- and 5-year-olds.”
    Registration continues through the month of October. Call 303-717-9676.
    “We have a good solid foundation in the 6s, 8s and 10-year-old divisions,” Bachicha said. “We’re a little short in the 12s and 14s. But in four or five years, (FLHS coach) Tommy (Tom Galicia) is going to be happy.”