Q: What sports do you play?
A: Wrestling, softball and cross country
Q: How long have you been playing?
A: I’ve wrestled for two years, played softball for 12 years, and have run cross country for two years.
Q: What motivates you?
A: Staying in shape and not letting my coaches or teammates down.
Q: What was your best season? Why?
A: Either my sophomore year of softball, or my junior year of wrestling. My sophomore year, I got to play varsity with some really incredible girls and we had a successful and fun season. My junior year there was a really good supportive team atmosphere, and we got to go to states which was a really cool experience.
Q: Why did you decide to start playing the sport you do?
A: I was encouraged to join cross country by a friend on the team and to stay in shape for the softball season. Wrestling started as a favor to a friend who was already on the team, so that we could increase the number of girl wrestlers. After that, it was because I realized that it was really great for me both mentally and physically. I really bonded with one of my coaches immediately.
Q: What is the ultimate goal you can imagine related to your sport?
A: I think my ultimate goal is really more related to the sport itself than to me. I would like girls to feel like they can wrestle if they want to, and don’t have to be worried about how it will change people’s perceptions of them, or how accepted it is by society. I really struggled with this when I first started wrestling.
Q: What have been your biggest achievements in athletics?
A: Honestly just pushing through. A lot of points in my seasons have felt really overwhelming, but I push through to the end of the season every time and always reap the benefits.
Q: How do you think coaches can be more effective?
A: It might be helpful for coaches to check in with the athletes in terms of their mental and physical well-being. Athletics combined with rigorous academic responsibilities, and sometimes the added stress of work or other obligations can really wear a person down, and I think it’s important to be aware of this to prevent burn out.
Q: What are your main strengths in your sport?
A: I’m very fast when it comes to short distance runs, such as base to base in softball. This allows me to be a slap hitter, meaning I essentially hit just to get myself on base, which allows me to steal bases between pitches. I have also always been pretty strong for my size, or so I’ve been told and this is very helpful in wrestling. I also think that I’m a pretty decent leader when it comes to boosting morale and teaching the mechanics of wrestling moves.
Q: What do you need to improve?
A: I have asthma, so this plays a pretty big role in all of my sports. It lowers my stamina, which makes wrestling and cross country particularly difficult at times, so I always need to be working to improve my stamina and perseverance.
Q: What do you like about training?
A: Although it is intense, and can be hard to get excited about, I always feel very accomplished when I complete a particularly hard practice, learn a more complicated move or get a takedown in live practice. I also really love my teammates on all three teams, so they make practice way more enjoyable.
Q: What do you dislike about training?
A: Not being able to breathe. This is obviously very stressful and unenjoyable. I also get very anxious about messing up in front of people, which generally causes me to mess up more.
Q: Who are your biggest inspirations?
A: Two of my wrestling coaches, Coach Menhart and Coach Tobar, and my sister, Elle. They are hands down my biggest supporters.
