RAPID CITY - The intensity at the "Happiest Place on Earth" will be turned up in June as some of the best wrestlers from throughout the nation come together at Walt Disney World to take part in the AAU Scholastic Duals.

A pair of Rapid City Central junior wrestlers, Chapman Ham and Tyler Jones, will be part of a South Dakota team that will compete at the Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. from June 21-28.

For Hamm, 17, this will be his second trip to the Florida duals while Jones will be competing against the top competition for the first time.

"It is really tough down there and it gets you mentally ready for where you need to be when you get back to South Dakota," said Ham, who wrestles at 215 pounds. "I think I have gotten a lot better since the last time, so I would like to compete a lot more and see where I am at against the best in the nation."

Jones, who is an alternate on the team, said he is using the tournament as a learning experience.

"I know it is going to be tough down there, but I am looking to win more than I lose," the 171-pounder said.

The Scholastic Duals, which began in 1997, have steadily grown throughout the years and brought a total of 85 teams to last year's event.

Ham was a state champion this winter while Jones was a placewinner in his first trip to the state meet for the Cobblers.

The two wrestlers and Cobblers' coach Lance Pearson, who is a coach for the South Dakota team, will travel to Garretson on June 18 to train with their new teammates before leaving for Florida.

While this is the first time Pearson will help coach the team, both of his wrestlers said the fact that he will be with them in Florida was a big reason they decided to take part.

"Chapman is a 215-pound state champ and he did that wrestling at about 195 pounds," Pearson said. "That really says a lot about the kid, and I think he benefited a lot going on this trip last year.

"Tyler has really worked hard and by him going on this trip shows how committed he is to doing well next year."

This is the third year the Cobblers will be represented on the South Dakota team. To be chosen for the squad, a wrestler must be the highest finisher at the state tournament who is not a senior.

"Chapman was on the team last year, and because I am a coach on the team I was able to choose another one of my wrestlers to go and be an alternate," Pearson said. "They will both be able to go down and wrestle eight to 12 duals against some of the best competition in the nation."

Ham said while the wrestling is top-notch, South Dakota does more than just hold its own against other wrestlers throughout the nation.

"We take our thumpings, but we give them to," Ham said. "I think we are right up there."

Pearson believes these competitions do nothing but help his wrestlers.

"Any wrestling they can do outside of the high school wrestling season is a benefit," he said. "With that, you want them to get as many matches as they can. They travel a long ways to some of these tournaments and they only get to wrestle maybe three matches. This is set up as a dual format which is good because they get eight to 12 matches guaranteed."

Besides the wrestling, team members have the chance to experience some of Walt Disney's amusement parks and attractions.

"There is a day or two where they can enjoy themselves," Pearson said. "They wrestle, but it is not all day long."

The Cobblers are not the only Black Hills wrestlers who will be on the team as Spearfish's Jamin Battles, Belle Fourche's Lyman Mahaffy and Douglas' Damon Lappe are on the Class A team, while St. Thomas More's James Wilson is on the Class B team.

Both Ham and Jones have raised funds for the trip which costs more than $1,000, not including the cost of food. A pancake feed was recently hosted to help raise money, and any other contributions to help the wrestlers can still be dropped off at the Central activities office.