BY ALEX CASTRO
STAFF WRITER
On Feb. 8 and 9, co-ed wrestling competed at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Individuals competition where they took 25th place over all. The team faced schools from the entire Southern inland division which includes schools in the Southern California area.
History was made this weekend as girls’ captain Melanie Aguilar (12), became the first female wrestler from Glen A. Wilson to ever claim the CIF championship title.
Points are rewarded for wins in an individual match. Each wrestler contributed to the team score. However, due to the small team size, the team had many fewer opportunities to gain points.
Despite this, Melanie Aguilar (12) believes that the newfound championship will raise enthusiasm for the sport.
“My [success] is making an impact on the future of wrestling at this school.. The more publicized we are, the more girls will want to join in the future. We need it to be known that even people from small teams can place big,” Aguilar said.
According to Coach Garza, rigorous training and practice is the most important part of any wrestling bout.
The match is won before anyone sets foot on the mat. There is a common phrase that says ‘summer practice creates winter champions’ meaning that working hard in the offseason, helps players improve,” Garza said. “Even [experienced wrestlers] can be defeated by anyone on any given day. Whoever trained harder will be the winner.”
Moreover, boys captain Benjamin Garza (12), believes that the right mindset allows wrestlers to circumvent the stressful emotions that come with such a close contact sport.
“We knew that we would place so we went in confident. Being league placers are a big deal and it gives us [confidence],” Garza said. “It makes you [anxious] but it [allows you] to prepare yourself and you use the energy as a positive outlet rather than allow it to take control of you.”
Melanie will advance toward the Southern Section Masters Tournament to compete for the 16 and 17.
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