The girls wrestling team shows how wrestling can teach athletes to work as a team and shape their own individual growth while also sharpening their wrestling skills. They also talk about the challenges they face as female wrestlers.
Some of the ladies have found how important it is to be surrounded with a supportive team that helps everyone get better together.
“Being part of the team has shown me that even during the toughest practices, nobody thinks twice to try to encourage each other to get through the practice even when they’re struggling,” said senior Vanessa Alvarez.
Many of the upperclassmen have realized that having a team is more than just winning on their own, recognizing the impact their leadership has on the team and their success.
“During my junior year, it had a big impact on me because this team we had little to no conflicts. We literally wrestled each other, and there wouldn’t be problems. We were all fairly close. But this year it feels like I have more pressure to be a good example for the underclassmen and me trying to be a good leader for them,” said senior Jacqui Cordova.
Along with toughness it takes to be a wrestler, these athletes also must face the challenge of being a female wrestler in a male dominated sport. Some of the girls discuss the stereotypes and struggles they face.
“A struggle I face as a female wrestler are the unnecessary comments and assumptions that other people (non-wrestlers) make,” Alvarez said. Jacqui also shares her experience saying, “We aren’t as strong as guys, so its sometimes harder to practice and wrestle them because they dominate in strength,” Cordova said. “Also our weight is hard to manage because of like periods and bloating, so it’s sometimes harder to keep weight.”
These athletes show how important it is to be inclusive, especially in the world of sports.
