“Girls don’t wrestle!”  

Every girl that does, in fact, wrestle, has heard this phrase at least once. It is said with a bewildered expression of disbelief: How could a woman ever grapple with another person and win? The answer is that it is possible. Through a series of takedowns, breakdowns, and pinning combinations, many women have found success in wrestling.

Named the fastest growing high school sport in the U.S. by AP News, the number of participants in women’s wrestling has quintupled through the last year. So, for my winter sport, I decided to surf along the wave of newcomers and join my high school’s wrestling team. My friends and relatives, although supportive, were surprised by my decision. When repeatedly asked why I wrestle, I launch into a deep explanation.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been athletic. I danced ballet for over five years and tried a bunch of other hobbies and sports. Dabbling in karate, I eventually landed on tennis as a competitive sport in my early teens. Paired up with swimming in my freshman year of high school, I felt comfortable in my respected athletic fields. I started to notice my overall knack for solo sports. Being alone in a stressful situation is mentally challenging; you must hold full accountability for the results of your performance, win or lose. It was scrambling for a ball on my side of the court and swimming in my lane alone that gave me the space and freedom to clear my head and focus on my goal. Even when that goal isn’t achieved, my mental determination improves, helping me in many aspects of my life that aren’t just physical.

I discovered wrestling while scrolling through Olympic updates in the spring of 2024. A video of a freestyle woman wrestler stood out to me, as I recognized her Jewish name immediately. Amit Elor stepped onto the mat gracefully in a blue singlet and unruly braids and scored two points, landing her a spot on the American Olympic wrestling team. Watching her win her way through the summer Olympics, I felt her strength and passion through the screen. When she won a gold medal, I couldn't help but swell with pride, beaming as I shouted at my father: “I told you so! I knew she could do it!”

In the weeks following Elor’s win, the thought of wrestling completely took over my brain. Being able to execute anything like Elor did seemed like a dream. Elor started training ata young age and has been a champion her whole life. She racked up medals and trophies under the watchful eye of Valentin Kalika, an elite Israeli wrestling coach. Elor experienced great personal hardship during this time, losing both her brother Oshry and her father Yair through the years.

Along with her exhilarating journey, Elor had a surprising number of similarities to me, too. Elor’s parents were originally from Ashkelon, Israel, a mere hour away from where I was born. She grew up speaking Hebrew and English, just like me. Our niches aligned perfectly, and the wrestling mat called my name in an attempt to recreate a millionth of her glory.

 As a gym enthusiast, I began going even more and lifting heavier weights to prepare for the upcoming winter wrestling season. I even began training Jiu Jitsu consistently so I could get a head start on the feeling of grappling. 

Now, a month into wrestling, I have found my sport. I feel an overwhelming sense of passion I have never felt for my previous athletic ventures. It is the most demanding sport of all. Conditioning, weight watching, drilling, and strength training combine into the miserable paradise that is my daily team practice. 

Being one of two girls on the team, I look forward to long tournament days, where we get to see fellow female wrestlers of western Massachusetts. It is on these days that I feel the strong bond between us, paving our way in a male-dominated sport together.

After a match, the boys on our team will sometimes quarrel with their opponents over an unfair headlock or harsh comment. Although I wrestle my opponent to the ground as well as I can, when the match is over, I see nothing but a new friend, a girl who has just spent the last six minutes of her life fighting with everything she has, just like me. After my opponent and I shake hands, I flash a smile, hoping she will be able to interpret it as: “Good match, girl! I see you!”

When I get home from a wrestling meet, my parents greet me with “kol hakavod“ [all of the respect] for my effort. I eat absurd amounts of protein-packed food and snuggle up in my warm bed. Then, I open up Instagram and search Amit Elor’s profile, catching up on her latest match clips, training sessions, and relatable videos. I remind myself she would be proud.