While some might find themselves studying at their desks, eating dinner at the table, or watching “Seinfeld” from 6:00  to 9:00 pm last Tuesday, Jan. 9, girls from all over Issaquah and beyond could be found in the main gym of IHS, gearing up for their chaotic, crowded, spectator-loving magnet meet. What did gearing up mean for them? Braiding hair, grabbing a bite to eat, checking out the competition, or doing bear crawls across the mat to warm up. 

The three mats, strategically placed around the gym, gave spectators enough to entertain them for the night. With three different wrestling duels going on at once (and IHS Sports Med students ready at any bloody-nose’s beck and call) there was a lot of pinning going down. 

As the emcee of the night took over the microphone, he shared that there were 17 teams wrestling that night, and each one got their own chance to cheer and give a round of applause to the girls that showed up. 

Senior and Captain Allison Del Sarto states that before a match,  “I like to run through my top three take downs and top three pinning combos.” What else is going through her head? Well, she shared that before duel, she feels “excited and nervous,” and the other girls and her will “all get ready together, sit in the commons before girls’ magnet duels, do each other’s hair.” 

While hair is being braided, senior and Captain Elina Pan says she likes to be “mentally preparing by thinking about [her] go-to moves.” 

Because of the number of teams packed in the gym, the non-wrestlers had to wait a bit to watch their teams go on. First to wrestle for Issaquah was senior Naomi Law, followed by seniors Del Sarto, Sarah Bishop, and Chloe Bayley, who won in overtime. 

For what it feels like in the moment, Del Sarto shares: “I feel like I don’t think, it just physical, there’s not a lot of time to think, you have to make quick decisions.” Del Sarto joined the sport because “I wanted to get conditioned for lacrosse, and I continue to do it because of the awesome friends I’ve made.” 

Throughout the night, you could see the purple-and-gold girls support each other through cheering, high fives, and huddles, each there for themselves and for their team, understanding how important it is to show off Issaquah as hosts of a big meet and being team members for each other. Del Sarto says the girls are “pretty supportive, we love each other, but there are not a lot of us.” Even with the few numbers, you could see the effort the girls put in for their team, and the hard work on and off the mat.