Girls bring sunnier outlook to wrestling
Ted Escobar The Royal Register Editor
It's been such a long time since I witnessed my first high school girl wrestler in action that I forget the year. I only remember making the mistake of believing girls wrestling wouldn't last.
So I decided to pay more attention to the girls last weekend at the regional tournament in Connell. I'm happy to report they are on a par with the boys in enthusiasm and fan support. Their gym was just as busy, just as excited and just as full as the boys gym.
There are some things I like better about the girls. They seem to have a lighter outlook on the sport than the boys. They overcome defeat more quickly and truly enjoy the atmosphere and the thrill of being there.
Girls smile when they're not competing. The boys walk around with dour game faces for the duration of the tournament.
Saturday I walked in when a girl from Pasco was starting a match. She was aggressive and attacked from the outset. But she erred and was caught and pinned.
Then she walked off the mat, put on a smile and started cheering for a teammate. Reminded me of softball and those girls' incessant cheering.
Because I had missed the girls at district, I wanted to make sure I didn't at regionals. I parked myself in the path of a girl with a Royal jacket, excused myself for the interruption, and stated I was looking for district champ Brea Diaz.
"That's me," she said joyfully.
I stated I wanted to take her picture for the paper, and she asked me a question I didn't hear in the din. I got a little closer and asked what she'd asked.
"Can I put on some makeup first?" she repeated.
That warmed my heart. I couldn't help but smile out loud. Cool, I thought. Brea may be a wrestler, but she's still a girl first.
I offered to wait for the makeup, but I told Brea she really didn't need it. So she took off her wrestling cap, and this basket-full of hair tumbled out. She tied it in a pony tail, and I took my picture.
A little later I witnessed a match where the hair bonnet played a role. Wahluke's Jennifer Aznaran had hers come off in the first five seconds, and the match had to be halted.
It must have taken five minutes to get all that hair back in order. Her bonnet had malfunctioned. So one had to be borrowed.
Probably the most relaxed competitor was Wahluke's Corina Tamayo between her second and third matches. She found a stretch of bleacher footwell in which to lie down.
Calm as could be, and with a great big smile, she said she was conserving energy. She was not on edge about her next match.
That was refreshing.
Become a Subscriber!
You have read all of your free articles this month. Select a plan below to start your subscription today.
Already a subscriber? Login
