History of the TOC

Paul Mello was the Superintendent of the Georgetown Union School District and Principal of Georgetown School for over 25 years. He and his wife Mary Ellen (a first grade teacher at Georgetown) had four sons. Paul, a track athlete at UC Berkeley in the 1950’s, thought wrestling the perfect sport for his sons and for a school that wanted to compete in athletics but was small in numbers for team sports. In 1968, he approached the Georgetown Rotary club with an idea of sponsoring an 8th grade and younger wrestling tournament comprised of the best young wrestlers in Northern California. He and Dick Harrah, then the 8th grade teacher and wrestling coach at Georgetown School, organized a group of parents and the Rotarians to produce the classiest tournament they could for young wrestlers. The TOC was born. 

From 1969 -1980, the TOC was held at either Ponderosa High in Shingle Springs or El Dorado High in Placerville. It was then moved to our home high school, Golden Sierra, in Garden Valley when the Georgetown Divide finally grew large enough to have its own high school. So from 1981 until 2001 the tournament was held in beautiful Garden Valley on the Georgetown Divide at Golden Sierra High School. While we are most proud of our tradition and the ambience of the Sierra Nevada foothills, the facility at Golden Sierra kept getting smaller and smaller as the tournament grew in popularity over the years. Looking for a new home, we asked the wrestling staff at Del Oro HS headed by Dave Sanchez, Clint Madden, Steve Cole, and Lawrence Bettencourt to work with us to keep improving on the TOC. We were able to move to Del Oro and make the last few tournaments the best in recent years. Now with 11 full size mats and more room available for spectators, we think it’s been a great move for the participants and fans alike. 

Over the years the tournament has had many changes and growing pains. The tournament expanded to include wrestlers from southern California, Nevada, and even Paul Mello’s grandson (a two time champion) from Ketchikan, Alaska. Championship hats and custom medals were given to the winners, weight classes were added, souvenir tee shirts became collector’s items, and the pancake breakfast was the only food in town after weigh-ins. Quality high school and college wrestling officials replaced high school and college wrestlers as referees. Pictures of wrestlers who placed in the tournament lined the small confines of Golden Sierra, and the beautiful mountain area drew overflowing crowds of wrestlers, their relatives, and fans who came all the way to Garden Valley to the “state” tournament for junior high school wrestling. Several former TOC champions and place winners have become California State Champions, and there are at least 5 NCAA Champions who are former TOC placers. On several occasions the local fire department threatened to shut down the tournament due to overcrowded conditions in the tiny high school in the heart of the Mother Lode. It became so popular and prestigious in the 1990’s that we had to limit entrants to only middle school (6th, 7th, and 8th grade) wrestlers that attended and placed in area qualifying tournaments and revert back to the original boundaries of wrestlers living in California north of Tehachapi and north of the Cuesta Grade (Santa Margarita) in San Luis Obispo County. We finally went to a computer run tournament with Friday night weigh-ins to ease the strain on Saturday morning tournament adjustments. Finally, however, we just needed to move to a larger facility. The Northern California Tournament of Champions was just too big to stay at Golden Sierra. Years of small mats tucked in every corner of the gym, weight room, and cafeteria. Overflowing parking lots and jammed floor space proved to be a huge detriment to the high quality of wrestling. After resisting the need to move the tournament for many years, Rod Hedlund, Tournament Director since 1973, struck a deal with the Del Oro High School wrestling staff to share the running of the TOC. With 11 full size mats, more convenient lodging, and highway access, the TOC now can handle over 600 plus wrestlers. The use of two gyms including the new gym at Del Oro again allows us a great facility for the tournament. Our officials are the very best we can find, with many officiating at the California High School State Tournament. 

Our goal has always been to provide you with the very best in competition, awards, officiating, and organization. We now have a great program with color photos and the opportunity for downloading free action pictures and podium award pictures. They are also available for purchase if you prefer through the TOC website www.norcaltoc.com. Wrestling is struggling at the collegiate level but thriving at the age group and high school levels. Female wrestlers are commanding the respect of the wrestling world at all levels from age group to world championships. Rules and technical skills are always in a state of flux, and only time will tell what the Northern California Tournament of Champions will look like in another 10 or 20 years. However, one thing is certain to remain constant. The quality of the wrestling and the sportsmanship of the competitors will be nothing short of outstanding. We welcome your comments and suggestions as we try each year to make this your best wrestling experience. Thanks for coming!

Sincerely, 

Rod Hedlund 

Tournament Director