Lathan Levy

Logan Elick performs his favorite wrestling move.

Stacked wrestling mats are unrolled in preparation for the season ahead. Excited bodies file into the secluded upstairs gym. The overwhelming rush of chatter is occasionally broken by the squeak of sneakers and the tweet of the coaches’ deafening whistle.

Nethmi Amarakone (11) joined the girls wrestling team her sophomore year after previously playing water polo. After a group hangout with her water polo team, she discovered an unknown knack for wrestling, that started her career.

“We decided to do this ‘wrestle-off ’ competition,” Amarakone said. “I ended up beating everyone on my team. So, I [thought], ‘Maybe I should try wrestling just for fun.’”

Women’s wrestling at the high school and professional level is relatively new, which comes with its advantages and drawbacks. While the new sport lacks representation and history compared to its male counterpart, it does present lots of room for exploration and development.

“There are not a lot of [female] role models because women’s wrestling is a new sport,” Amarakone said. “There’s not as many people to look up to compared to [men’s wrestling]. It is kind of just new territory. There’s not as many opportunities compared to guys. Last year we had five girls and all of us were in our own weight class.”

Nationally, there were only a reported 64,257 female high school wrestlers last season compared to the 300,874 male wrestlers in the sport, making team assignments difficult.

“Let’s say another person was in the same weight class, they would have [to] wrestle it out and whoever would lose would be junior varsity,” Amarakone said. “If you were considered JV as a female wrestler, you would basically not get any matches, or you would have to switch a weight class.”

On the other hand, boys wrestling captain Cooper Mortensen (12) has wrestled since seventh grade. As captain, one of his goals was to expand the program to both boys and girls. His efforts were successful, and now nearly 40 people are on the team. Getting members to join is one challenge, however getting them to stay is a completely different beast. Many find wrestling very difficult and mentally taxing.

“We’re not going to blame them for not sticking through it,” Mortensen said. “But, if you are going to stay, then there is a kind of expectation on you to power through and to be exceptional.”

Like most sports, it is essential to practice and maintain health outside of weekly practices and matches. Amarakone has perfected her workout routine to stay on top of her health and expand her wrestling abilities.

Wrestling can get competitive, so it is pertinent for the culture of the team to take precedence over the matches themselves. Shared values such as these can help strengthen a team’s performance as well.

“We’re very uplifting and positive,” Mortensen said. “We all love the sport, and it’s the sport first and competition second.”

Despite the intensity that typically circulates at meets, a supportive energy is still shared between teammates. In the high-stakes environment of these events, constant support from teammates is a vital aspect of the athletes’ success.

“We cheer [each other] on, we yell at  the guy to do moves, even though we probably shouldn’t,” Mortensen said. “Sometimes coaches yell at us for that, but we all get excited.”

Madeline Summers (11) has had her own unique experience on the wrestling team. In search of a somewhat unique sport, Summers decided to join the wrestling team her freshman year. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to achieve her goals.

“I hope to go to state,” Summers said. “That’s one of my big goals this year. [To prepare], I did a few camps over the summer, and
then I plan on doing some camps throughout the season.”

Long matches, constant body aches and tiring practices are all prominent aspects of the wrestling sport. Yet it is precisely those daily struggles that make the sport worthwhile. If Summers could tell her freshman self one thing, she says it would be to keep working hard.

“Don’t give up on [wrestling],” Summers said. “It’s hard at first, but it is the hardest things that are the most rewarding.”