By J1 reporter Andrea Nyamedi 

Every winter, a team of girls step out onto a mat. They fight, strategize and train during the season of a combative sport: Wrestling. Marian wrestlers are diligent student athletes who dominate the weight room. Outside of matches, the sport has multiple layers that impact the girls lives’ daily. 

One frequent problem that wrestlers face is misconceptions about their sport. “People think we don’t know what we’re doing and that it’s really different from men’s wrestling,” said junior wrestler Keyara Harrell. “Even though there’s different roles, it’s not any different.” She explains further that the taboo of women’s wrestling in a male dominated sport attracts judgement from other people. Though it doesn’t stop her from coming back, it’s discouraging

Struggles with wrestling are also often related to training. Junior Lee Link, a wrestler for two years, explains that wrestling is mainly a sport of technique rather than strength. “It’s like chess. Like you’re not gonna move a piece without knowing where it goes; You’re gonna think about every single move and variable,” she said. 

Reaching that level of strategic thinking doesn’t come without its hardships, however. During the season they attend matches that last for than 10 hours on average. With grueling workouts on top of that, the sport can take a toll on the wrestlers’ mind and body. By the end, they return to being a student and repeat the process all over again. “You’re only an athlete at that point,” Link said. 

Despite the mental strain being a wrestler brings, there are lessons learned that junior wrestler Hannah Loal describes as being worth it. “Wrestling taught me to be disciplined and to believe in myself,” she said. “More than that, it gave me a sense of comfort in myself. I can do whatever I put my mind to, and that will take me far in life.” The confidence wrestling brings is a sentiment shared by all members of the team. 

The biggest part of wrestling life is being a team. Without the support of her team, Link said she wouldn’t have pushed through to continue wrestling. “Every single day that I go into practice, I push myself to be better for my family,” she said. “Wrestling is my second home and my second family, the sisters I never had.”

The wrestlers are at their first invitational today (Dec. 5) in Crete at Doane College. They will wrestle at Skutt on Monday, Dec. 8 in a triangular with Gretna and Skutt.