This year the stinky, outdated wrestling room at Massapequa High School was beautifully renovated with new, high-quality mats.  The room was named after former coach and wrestler Al Belivacqua.

When Al was a coach at the high school there wasn’t even a wrestling room; practices for the wrestling team took place in the basement. However, thanks to Belivacqua’s efforts, a wrestling room was created upstairs in the hallway next to the upstairs gym.

A dedication ceremony took place for Al and the new room, where Hall of Fame wrestlers and Al’s family took turns speaking about the program, which teaches athletes integrity and other life morals.

“Best room I have ever been in,” said Coach Catlanatto. The walls of the room are decorated with the names of accomplished wrestlers, including current wrestling coach and health teacher Mike Labella. Wrestlers commemorated on the wall include all county champions, past coaches, Berner wrestlers, Hall of Fame inductees, and wrestlers who have competed in a hundred or more career matches.

“The actual mats are from TW Promotions and went through 15 revisions before the final design,” Coach Catlanatto said. The mats also have antimicrobial paint to prevent wrestlers from getting skin rashes like ringworm. They are also lighter to avoid injuries.

Members of the wrestling team say that the new room gets them pumped up and ready to compete. The team looks forward to using the room for  the intense practices that will be necessary for a successful season this winter.