Wrestling is a male-dominated sport where the female voice is continuously pushing to be heard. As diversity spreads across the globe, these trends can be seen at Issaquah as well; junior Eli Chmielewski states on the @issaquahasb Instagram that the wrestling team “probably had three girls last year, [and] now we have upwards of ten- it’s all about growing the sport and building a family.”
The objective of a wrestling match is to beat your opponent. If a pin occurs, the match is over and whoever scored the pin wins. But if neither wrestler scores a pin, the score at the end of three two-minute periods determines the winner. You earn points for the different moves you successfully execute during a match, and your opponent earns points for any infractions you commit, which include takedowns, escapes, reversals, near falls, illegal holds, unsportsmanlike conduct, unnecessary roughness, and stalling. There are four “team stat” categories in wrestling: most pins least time, most pins/tech falls least time, most total match points, and best winning percentage. And, out of the 15 teams competing in the “Justice for All” Tournament held on January 20th, the Eagles came in 15th place for every single one.
While doing disappointingly in the long run, IHS did manage to win three “places” in the 110, 120, and 155 (lbs.) weight events. Freshman Aahana Kaur Monga won sixth place in the 110 lbs. category and scored 3.0 team points. Senior Sarah Ray Bishop won seventh place in the 120 lbs. category and scored 4.0 team points. Finally, senior Chloe Bayley won fourth place in the 155 lbs. category and scored 10.0 team points. Bayley says that this is her “second year wrestling,” and even though it is a male-dominated sport, she “enjoys it very much.” Bayley remembers that on her “first day of practice, I thought, ‘there’s no way I’m doing this,’ but as I continued and put in the practice I needed, my wrestling got better and I started to enjoy it more. I wanted to prove myself, and wrestling guys is really different from wrestling girls, so when I won it would give me the confidence I needed. Wrestling is definitely very mental.” On the other hand, senior Naomi Law states that “wrestling guys is pretty normal versus wrestling girls; as long as you treat the whole situation with respect, there isn’t a lot of differences.” Wrestling Coach Donovan True adds onto Law’s point, stating that “wrestling is for everybody, and as our team here at IHS hopefully grows over the next few years, so will our wins.” Better luck next time Eagles!
