From small Beginnings to Big wins:
The girl’s wrestling team sees huge growth
By: Lynn Mesmar
As the seasons change, the air gets cold, the wrestling room gets hot and a whole new group of ladies take to the mat. In its third year, girls wrestling is a fairly new addition to the DT athletic offerings, but its popularity is growing. This year’s team is the biggest yet.
Head wrestling coach, Mr. Andrew Smith said, “I am so excited; it is good to see this many girls out for wrestling. I am excited to see them practice, to see them compete and to see what we can do as a team.”
This year’s high school team has 7 members, huge growth after last year’s single member, then freshman Maddie Groff, who was instrumental in recruiting several of this year’s members. For the girls on the team, this growth is a testament to their hard work and determination to grow the program and their skills.
“Through wrestling, I learned to reach my physical limits and get more out of myself,” said senior Sabrina Soares. “I never had to train so hard before."
Anyone who has ever wrestled can tell you that wrestling requires a lot of self-discipline, which means that the girls have to work hard not only physically but also mentally.
“The best part about wrestling is probably the mentality; you get this mental toughness that tells you nothing can hurt you,” said Groff.
The girls work hard day in and day out after school to get in their best shape and to master increasingly advanced moves. While wrestling encourages each person to strive for individual glory, at the end of the day, all the girls wrestle for the same team and have worked hard to develop a culture of support. The more experienced girls can be seen helping each other during practices and cheering each other on in matches. Veteran wrestlers like Groff try to be especially welcoming to those who are new and excited to be on the mat for the first time.
“My teammates have definitely helped me with the mentality,” replied freshman Khloe Pomplun.
This year, the girls' team also welcomed a female coach, Ms. Caitlin Bolton, who has been a game-changer in the program.
Through all this growth, the team has also experienced its share of success on the mat, with several wrestlers medaling at each meet. It’s safe to say this girl’s wrestling season will be one for the history books.
“It’s exciting and will be a special season this year,” said Groff.