One body slam at a time, the Palmetto Wrestling Academy is growing the love of a forgotten sport. This new generation of professional wrestlers are fighting to keep South Carolina’s independent wrestling scene alive.
The Chapin-based academy's objective is to train these professional wrestlers. Targeting athletes of all skill levels, the school employs current and former professional wrestlers to train new recruits. Graduate Dennis Parker said the school has been open for nearly 10 years.
Parker grew up in Columbia and is now a coach at the academy. He’s been wrestling for two years and is the academy's youngest graduate yet.
Parker said he is confident in the academy's ability to grow the popularity of wrestling in South Carolina. He said he is proud of what the academy has built and the community it has created.
“We have the best school, we have the best students, we have the best coaches," Parker said. "And I think if someone's going to bring it back to Columbia or even just South Carolina as a whole, it's going to be us.”
Palmetto Championship Wrestling bills itself as the top competition in South Carolina, according to its social media. Matches are located in Camden, South Carolina, where many PWA graduates pursue professional wrestling.
Parker and other Columbia natives hope to bring more competitions to Columbia. While Camden is close, Parker said they strive to recruit more fans in places with larger populations.
“It's pretty prominent, especially in Camden, (which) is where we run. Columbia, I feel like, is missing something, which is what we're trying to bring," Parker said.
PWA student Randy McGinnis said wrestling schools are often difficult to find for athletes who want to go professional. He drives from Charleston to Chapin when he has training and has now been a member of the school for nearly a year and a half.
“People come here as an escape, and I feel like more people now as adults want to come back into it because everyone's watched it as a kid," Parker said.
Wrestlers such as Parker found their passion for the sport at a young age. They watched competitions growing up, and it inspired them to become professionals. However, Parker said the clique of wrestlers was small and hard to find.
"But no one's really gone into it, or a lot of people haven't,“ Parker said. “So that's a group of people's dream. It makes you closer, if that makes sense.”
JaQuez Bostic is a Columbia-based coach and runs the Bostic Wrestling Academy in the city. He said he has a passion for wrestling and what it can do for aspiring competitors.
Bostic has been wrestling since ninth grade after he was introduced to the sport by his geography teacher. He grew up around combat sports, which were popular with his family.
"Everybody knows about WWE, but not many people know about actual American wrestling," Bostic said.
Bostic said small, state-wide competitions, such as PCW, are what's keeping the sport alive. He said wrestling is an overlooked sport that makes athletes face unique challenges.
“It makes you look (at) yourself in the mirror and really push your limits, right?" Bostic said, "Mentally, physically, emotionally, you push your limits.”
The sport has a way of helping people grow and express themselves. He said wrestling has a unique set of challenges the athletes have to face.
“It allows you to learn from your mistakes. You can either sit up there and pout, or you can pick up and move forward from that," Bostic said. "So a lot of self reflection and just self growth through the sport.”