River City Wrestling recently relocated to a larger facility in Henrico County. The youth wrestling club offers practices and puts on tournaments. (Courtesy River City Wrestling)
A growing youth wrestling club has found a larger space to unroll its mats.
River City Wrestling opened at 4100 W. Clay St. earlier this month. The club relocated from a spot in Lakeside.
The club hosts practice sessions for young wrestlers and puts on two tournaments a year. It also offers private lessons. These days the club has about 150 kids and teens enrolled in its programming, though the number fluctuates as wrestling seasons come and go at local schools.
The move to the new, larger location was motivated by the growth of the program, owner Christian Olanowski said. When he came aboard at River City Wrestling in 2018, the club had about 40 youth enrolled in its programming.
“That encouraged us to say we probably need to look for more space. While we hadn’t completely outgrown (the previous space), we anticipate the business will keep growing,” Olanowski said.
Another factor that led the club to its new location was a desire to stay close to the West End. While River City Wrestling isn’t affiliated with any school-based program, Olanowski said many of its wrestlers are also students at western Henrico high schools such as Freeman, Godwin and Deep Run.
Olanowski said the club is leasing about 7,500 square feet. Its space is on a section of Clay Street off Dabney Road in Henrico just over the city limits. The club’s previous spot at 8412 Sanford Drive in Lakeside was 3,500 square feet.
Christian Olanowski.
The Clay Street space has room for three full-sized wrestling mats, which are each 38 feet by 38 feet.
The club’s monthly membership rates run from $85 per month for one session a week to $135 a month for three sessions a week, according to the company’s website.
River City Wrestling works with wrestlers who range in age from 4 years old up to teens in their senior year of high school.
“We can take kids from the first day they get on the mat up until they go to college,” Olanowski said.
Looking forward, Olanowski hopes to grow the program’s number of wrestlers and introduce a third tournament to the club’s calendar. He said the club also plans to introduce a wrestling program aimed at adults in 2024. The club previously offered an adult Brazilian jiu-jitsu class but has ended that program.
The club is looking to expand its team with more paid and volunteer coaches, Olanowski said. It currently has three staff coaches and three volunteer instructors.
River City Wrestling was founded in 2013 by Tyler Hamblen and was originally part of River City Youth Fitness, a Goochland-based youth sports organization. The wrestling arm of the operation struck out on its own as a separate business in October 2020.
Olanowski, who wrestled for Michigan State University, took the reins from Hamblen that same year and has been the sole owner of the business since then.
River City Wrestling’s new location was formerly occupied by Acorn Sign Graphics and is across the street from the sign company’s former headquarters.
River City Wrestling recently relocated to a larger facility in Henrico County. The youth wrestling club offers practices and puts on tournaments. (Courtesy River City Wrestling)
A growing youth wrestling club has found a larger space to unroll its mats.
River City Wrestling opened at 4100 W. Clay St. earlier this month. The club relocated from a spot in Lakeside.
The club hosts practice sessions for young wrestlers and puts on two tournaments a year. It also offers private lessons. These days the club has about 150 kids and teens enrolled in its programming, though the number fluctuates as wrestling seasons come and go at local schools.
The move to the new, larger location was motivated by the growth of the program, owner Christian Olanowski said. When he came aboard at River City Wrestling in 2018, the club had about 40 youth enrolled in its programming.
“That encouraged us to say we probably need to look for more space. While we hadn’t completely outgrown (the previous space), we anticipate the business will keep growing,” Olanowski said.
Another factor that led the club to its new location was a desire to stay close to the West End. While River City Wrestling isn’t affiliated with any school-based program, Olanowski said many of its wrestlers are also students at western Henrico high schools such as Freeman, Godwin and Deep Run.
Olanowski said the club is leasing about 7,500 square feet. Its space is on a section of Clay Street off Dabney Road in Henrico just over the city limits. The club’s previous spot at 8412 Sanford Drive in Lakeside was 3,500 square feet.
Christian Olanowski.
The Clay Street space has room for three full-sized wrestling mats, which are each 38 feet by 38 feet.
The club’s monthly membership rates run from $85 per month for one session a week to $135 a month for three sessions a week, according to the company’s website.
River City Wrestling works with wrestlers who range in age from 4 years old up to teens in their senior year of high school.
“We can take kids from the first day they get on the mat up until they go to college,” Olanowski said.
Looking forward, Olanowski hopes to grow the program’s number of wrestlers and introduce a third tournament to the club’s calendar. He said the club also plans to introduce a wrestling program aimed at adults in 2024. The club previously offered an adult Brazilian jiu-jitsu class but has ended that program.
The club is looking to expand its team with more paid and volunteer coaches, Olanowski said. It currently has three staff coaches and three volunteer instructors.
River City Wrestling was founded in 2013 by Tyler Hamblen and was originally part of River City Youth Fitness, a Goochland-based youth sports organization. The wrestling arm of the operation struck out on its own as a separate business in October 2020.
Olanowski, who wrestled for Michigan State University, took the reins from Hamblen that same year and has been the sole owner of the business since then.
River City Wrestling’s new location was formerly occupied by Acorn Sign Graphics and is across the street from the sign company’s former headquarters.
Christian is one of a kind. Truly passionate about wrestling and developing the mindsets of young athletes. I brought my nephew here and he absolutely loved it. Love to see the success.