The United States will be represented by four wrestlers at the first Youth Olympic Games, which is scheduled for Singapore, August 14-26. This is the historic first Youth Olympic Games ever held. The YOG is a unique competition which will bring in young athletes from all over the world to compete in a variety of sports. This event will feature Olympic-level competition in Greco-Roman, men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle, and Beach wrestling. There will be two U.S. competitors in men’s freestyle, one in Greco-Roman and one in women’s freestyle. The wrestling competition will feature the FILA Cadet division, which includes 15-17 year olds. The Greco-Roman competition will be held on Sunday, August 15. Women’s freestyle follows on Monday, August 16. Men’s freestyle will be held on Tuesday, August 17. Wrestling starts with Greco-Roman, and the U.S. will be represented by Luke Sheridan of Concord, Calif. at 85 kg/185 lbs. Sheridan will be a senior at will be at De La Salle High School in California. He was a 2010 Junior Nationals Greco-Roman champion. At the 2010 FILA Cadet Nationals, he was second in freestyle and third in Greco-Roman. Sheridan was also second in freestyle and third in Greco-Roman at the 2009 Cadet Nationals. He placed third in the 2010 California state high school tournament. Next comes women’s freestyle, and the U.S. entry is Jenna Burkert of Middle Island, N.Y. at 60 kg/132 lbs. Burkert will be a senior at Marquette High School in Michigan, where she participates in the U.S. Olympic Education Program at Northern Michigan Univ. She was named the 2010 ASICS Girls High School Wrestler of the Year. Burkert was a 2009 Junior Nationals champion and 2010 Junior Nationals runner-up. She also won the 2010 USA Wrestling Girls Folkstyle Nationals. The final day of Olympic wrestling features men’s freestyle, and the USA is represented by Quinton Murphy of Holley, N.Y. at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Jordan Rogers of Spokane, Wash. at 76 kg/167.5 lbs. Murphy will be a junior at Holley High School in New York. He placed third in the 2010 FILA Cadet Nationals in freestyle. He was a 2009 Central Regional Cadet freestyle champion, and has won numerous medals at USA Wrestling age-group regional events. Murphy is a two-time New York state high school champion (2008 and 2010) and a state runner-up in 2009. Rogers will be a junior at Mead High School in Washington. He was a 2010 Cadet Nationals champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Rogers also claimed a 2010 FILA Cadet Nationals title in freestyle. He was a 2009 Cadet Nationals freestyle runner-up and won Schoolboy National titles in both styles in 2008. Rogers was a Washington state high school champion in 2009, but missed the 2010 state meet due to an emergency appendectomy. “They are all training hard and are excited about the opportunity,†said U.S. Youth Olympic Games coach Mark Halvorson of Brentwood, Calif. “Right now, we have to have them mentally prepared to be on that kind of a stage. There is long distance travel and many other things going on. They will have to have their wits about them. As wrestlers, they are all technically sound.†Click for bios of U.S. Youth Olympic Games wrestling team The U.S. qualified its athletes through the Pan American Youth Olympic Qualifier, which was held in Monterrey, Mexico on May 3-5. At the event, the United States qualified four of the possible five positions available. Sheridan, Burkert, Murphy and Rogers all won gold medals at the Pan Am Qualifier in Mexico, which earned them their trip to Singapore. The U.S. athletes who competed at the Pan American YOG Qualifier in Mexico also participated in a USA Wrestling YOG qualifier earlier in the season. The Olympic wrestling events will be held at the International Convention Centre, which is located in the heart of Singapore’s business district. Wrestling will share the venue with boxing, fencing, handball, judo and tae-kwondo. The wrestling competition will feature 112 athletes, including 80 men and 32 women. The most that any country can enter is five wrestlers (two in freestyle, two in Greco-Roman and one in women’s freestyle). There will be eight participants in each weight class. There will be an additional wrestling competition at the Youth Olympic Games, a Beach Wrestling event on Saturday, August 21 at Siloso Beach on Sentosa Island. This event is open to all YOG athletes in all sports. The U.S. wrestlers will have the opportunity for another competition if they enter the Beach Wrestling tournament. YOG wrestling participants from all nations qualified for the events through continental qualifying tournaments. All of the athletes at the Youth Olympic Games will stay for the entire time from August 14-26. There will be a complete schedule of cultural and educational activities for the YOG athletes to participate in during the days they are not competing and training. YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES in Singapore, August 15-21 U.S. wrestling athletes Men’s freestyle 63 kg/138.75 lbs - Quinton Murphy, Holley, N.Y. 76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Jordan Rogers, Spokane, Wash. Greco-Roman 85 kg/185 lbs. - Luke Sheridan, Concord, Calif. Women’s freestyle 60 kg/132 lbs. - Jenna Burkert, Middle Island, N.Y. Coach - Mark Halvorson, Brentwood, Calif. Referee - Sam Julian, Schuylkill Haven, Pa. YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES WRESTLING SCHEDULE (local Singapore time) Sunday, August 15 10:30 a.m. – Greco-Roman pool competition (42 kg, 50 kg, 58 kg, 69 kg, 85 kg) 5:30 p.m – Greco-Roman finals (42 kg, 50 kg, 58 kg, 69 kg, 85 kg) Monday, August 16 12:00 noon – Women’s freestyle pool competition (46 kg, 52 kg, 60 kg, 70 kg) 5:30 p.m – Women’s freestyle finals (46 kg, 52 kg, 60 kg, 70 kg) Tuesday, August 17 12:00 noon – Men’s freestyle pool competition (46 kg, 54 kg, 63 kg, 76 kg, 100 kg) 6:00 p.m. – Men’s freestyle finals (46 kg, 54 kg, 63 kg, 76 kg, 100 kg) Saturday, August 21 (at Siloso Beach on Sentosa Island) 12:00 noon – Beach Wrestling competition (open to all YOG athletes in all sports) Note: Singapore time is 12 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone in the United States.