Female wrestlers take the challenge
By Giovanni Deprizio and Clarizza Cuellar |
Senior Rayven Villanueva, junior Brittany Zavala and sophomore Jordan Bayles are the school’s varsity female wrestlers.
“If guys can do it, why can’t I do it,” said Zavala.
With official practice opening this week, training is intense and everyone does weights, legs and about three to four miles of cardio. Also they go up and down the stairs with someone on their back for extra cardio.
It’s one of many challenges for Villanueva, who is very busy. On top of being in wrestling she is also in softball, fall ball, band, school, and even has a full time job. With all this she survives with about four hours of sleep, while still keeping her grades up.
“Everyone always asks me, how do you do everything that you do?” Villanueva said.
Villanueva tried wrestling because she loves trying new things, and this is her second year on the wrestling team. She says motivating each other is key and intensive training is necessary;
Training is usually done with her partners Zavala or Bayles, but if one is not here when they need to practice then they have to practice with a guy on the team with a close body weight. Having an odd number of girls on the team, this can happen each day. There are about a dozen males on the team with more expected now that football has ended.
“Wrestling a guy is not really intimidating because, when you wrestle a guy during practice it might be how you wrestle during a match,” Zavala said.
Zavala is new to wrestling, and she loves it a lot since the intensive training and taking on new challenges.
“It’s pretty tough; the exercise will make you so exhausted, that’s why most people quit,” said Zavala.
Zavala said father approves her wrestling, and only asks her to keep up her grades,which her grades are all high A’s and B’s. She spends her time focusing on school at the moment so having a job would be stressful and that’s not what she is looking for right now.
The three female wrestlers take a break during practice.
Bayles is the newest female recruit to join wrestling. She just joined the team last week, and has never done wrestling in her life so this is all very new to her. She said wrestling is really hard work, but she likes it the challenge is a good pump, also loves the work outs and practicing
“It’s all about the gain train,” Belyes said.
She said her diet had to change to get maximum energy during practice. No one in her family has been in wrestling, so she’s the first.
She makes straight A’s, and would also like to join softball after wrestling is over.
As their first tournament approaches Nov. 21, Coach Miller says all the girls are very hard workers.
“Not all girls are willing to do as much work to be in wrestling,” Coach said.
Coach doesn’t go easy on the girls since it won’t be easy in wrestling and he expects them to give 100 percent effort.
Their first tournament will be in Austin, Texas.