Maryland Mana Wrestling Foundation Scholarship

The first time I can remember saving my dad’s life I was 6 years old. I heard a thud and rushed to his bedroom to find him in the floor having a seizure. My whole childhood was spent missing school and staying home to be with him just incase he needed me. I grew to hate school and just wanted to be with my dad, I closed myself in these walls of anxiety. However, this all changed at the end of my eighth grade year when my dad got brain surgery. The brain surgery got rid of his epilepsy and I was left feeling like I was no longer needed, but instead of closing myself in more I took this newfound freedom for granted and started high school with a goal to discover myself. I took every class, joined every club, joined every sport, made new friends, connected with teachers, and built my skills everyday because of those around me. It is what has led me to the passion to become a teacher, and I felt as though I finally found myself. I want to be apart of the future of education and give back every blessing I have been given because every student deserves to understand themselves and not feel closed in. Wrestling, specifically, has given me that structure and those opportunities that have shaped me to who I am today and it has given me every ounce of strength I have needed. It is meaningful to me to also give back to the wrestling community, which is a major reason I coach for the Maryland Mat Monsters junior league team. Quickly after my father’s brain surgery he began to face the negative effects which led him to be emotionally hurtful towards me. After every hurtful interaction with my dad I would want to leave. I felt like I didn’t belong in my home and it created the self doubt and insecurities held in my mind. I held onto these emotions throughout the school day and my time at home until it was 6:00pm. Wrestling practice had started at 6:00pm and I thought it would be a normal day. My coach pulled me over and asked if I was okay, he recognized the emotion and hurt on my face even when I tried my hardest to hide it. He reminded me I was at practice, he reminded me of my goals to place states, and he reminded me of all my hard work. My day may had been rough but I almost let it get in the way of a place I felt safe at. This seemingly normal day opened my eyes to the support system I had grown. It showed me wrestling was my escape and a way to let it all go and focus on my technique and strength. It was nearly impossible for me to decide my most favorite moment in my time wrestling, just because there has been so much beauty around me within this sport. But I realized it isn’t the sport itself, it’s the people that have given me such drive and hope for myself. It’s the people who have given me not just my blast double, but it’s the coaches and teammates who have stood in my corner and showed me nothing but love, loyalty, and home. Everyday since that interaction with my coach, being my favorite moment in wrestling, I make every practice count and I have grown to be so grateful for the opportunities I have, I have learned to accept my past and move forward for my future.

March 7th, 2025. I was pacing the floor in Show Place Arena, warming up for what would be the biggest match of my 24-25 season. I knew physically, it would be a challenge, as my opponent was no scrub… but the challenge was far larger in the mental aspect. The 2 previous years I had fallen short in my semi finals, creating a mental block. I thought it was a curse, like I’d never be able to achieve my goal of winning states. Because of my poor mentality, I had been so nervous about the moment, I did not realize that it was coming up so fast. When I saw my name on the board, “S. Hodges, in the hole”, I started to panic. My heart; racing, my nerves; high, my thoughts; running. Just as I was about to defeat myself, I heard my coach. He was laughing, and bouncing around; per usual, but then he started talking about food to get my mind off of what was about to happen. It calmed me down, to a point where all I felt was excitement and happiness. In that moment, standing there, talking to my coach I felt nothing but joy, as I was surrounded with something I love most; wrestling. During our conversation we covered topics like, our favorite foods, where we would eat after, and even favorite candies. I promise I’m not a heavyweight… yet. This helped to calm me down, and prepare me for my match. Once my nerves were calmed, I felt no pressure. I had no expectations, and no fear, it was at this point, I knew I had overcome my curse, and I only had one task at hand, win. The time had come, and my name was up. “Your gonna be red”(table workers). I was excited, but nervous all at once. I knew my training came down to this moment, and thanks to my coach, I was fully prepared. The whistle blew, and the match began. To sum this all up, my favorite moment from wrestling would be the 30 minutes leading up to my state semi final match junior year. It helped me realize that I do the sport for enjoyment, and not for winning, that’s just a bonus. Overcoming that mental block showed me that I am capable of so much more than I allow myself to think, and I am forever grateful for the person who helped me unlock these realizations, Coach Shevy.

Wrestling has given me so many positive memories it is hard to pick just one to talk about. My most recent memory was just a week ago competing at Folkstyle Nationals in Colorado. I road with a group of girls all from Texas and became very close to them all. It was one of the first times in a year which I stayed smiling the entire time. It wasn’t about the wins or losses but the experiences during the rides to various locations, site seeing, hotel stay, eating together as a team, and cheering for each other was simply awesome. At the start of my senior year I had an issue with a male HS coach and I ended up speaking up to administration and ended up leaving the team. There were many females and males who left the team and no parents or teammates even raised any issues higher. By me being the first, I was ignored like all issues never happened. I left the team as a defending state champion, and was ranked 3rd in the nation last year after Fargo at #3, and then late last year moving up to 138 ranked #10. I workout before school, immediately after, then go to club at night. I didn’t get there by being lazy like the HS coach acted. This last tournament allowed me to finish my Folkstyle career on my terms. I didn’t have a HS Folkstyle season and still finished 3rd but more importantly I learned how fun this sport can be again. I had so many wrestlers I rode with on the side of my mat cheering me on as I cheered during their matches as well. It was so inspiring watching each other. I persevered during an obstacle this year attending the tournament when I was mentally done with the sport. Attending this trip helped me decide I have so much more left and cannot wait for college to pursue my degree and then become a wrestling coach myself. There are not that many female wrestling coaches in Texas and I want to give future girls an opportunity to learn from a female coach who will not treat them with disrespect. I started out competing against males and ran into male coaches or parents who didn’t want their son competing against me. I have been able to meet a lot of high level female wrestlers like Randi Miller Olympic bronze medalist, Adeline Gray a six time world champion, and Sara McMann Olympic silver medalist. These ladies helped encourage me and my latest memory is empowering after looking back and watching a video of one of my matches that had nothing to do with what was going on on the mat but what I saw on the side of the mat. Watching new friends and a few I recently met this year start jumping up and down and seeing it on a video in a different light, helps me realize just how awesome this sport can be. I want to continue helping younger female wrestlers pursue their dreams when I’m done. I want to use my many memories and experiences to give back, let them understand that if I can do it they can too. I want them to know it’s not always an easy road but we can all get through it together even if we do have to meet on the mat against each other. Together we can grow the sport and crush old societal norms. This experience ranks barley above my experience at Fargo last year finishing 3rd which was a great memory.

Wrestling means a lot to me because as an Iranian American, it connects me to my culture, and as a female; I know that I’m making history for my Iranian women today. Wrestling plays a big role in our culture. My dad was a very famous wrestler in Iran however, he shared nothing about the sport with me. Instead, my nephew. I haven’t seen him since middle school due to custody changes. Freshman’s year I got into wrestling. I wanted my father know woman can do anything. At the time, there were only three ladies on the team: me, Erika, and Isabella, they weren’t near my weight, so I was stuck with wrestling the guys. We began, I would get beat up daily not just that but having to deal with the stench of their armpits killed me. I told the coach, what’s the point if I’m always failing. Coach told me the only way you're going to get better is by losing. So I kept fighting. After weeks of suffering, it was time for our first tournament. I was put in a women's bracket. I was ready to lose and after I saw that I was put in the bracket with seniors. Furthermore, I glanced over and saw my nephew. I felt even worse. I got up and told the coach I can’t do this. My coach said you’re doing this. I tried to explain to him that If get defeated in front of my nephew he will tell my Father that I’m a failure. My coach looked at me and said, but what if you win, what will your dad think of you then?'' The coach was right, this is my chance to show my father I am a Champion. It was time for my first match. I’m face to face with a senior. The whistle blew, and I hit a double leg instantly to a pin. My arm raised then I looked over to the bleachers and everybody cheered me on and I loved it. I moved into the winning bracket and kept fighting until my first place medal match. I was face to face with my last senior. The whistle blew and we began. This was different it all of me but the crowd kept me going. Time was up I did it I won. Everybody cheered, I took the gold with disbelief. As I walked I overheard people talking about me in the bleachers like she's a freshman now. Imagine how good she will be as years go on. And I will show them, I will be a champion. The year went on, and I can gladly say I placed in every tournament. Next year came along. My partner injured me during warm-ups. I ended up going to the hospital. No bones were broken, but muscles were pulled, which caused me to not finish the season. Junior year I moved to Shawnee Mission South. This time I was the only woman on the team, I learned from my first year if that’s what was going to make me stronger so be it. Sadly there weren’t any tournaments for me to place in due to Covid, however we did have duels. I noticed I became better even better than the guys. Instead of losing I would dominate live matches daily. Currently, I’m a senior, and wrestling is around the corner. A lesson I learned is don’t give up. Don’t tell yourself you're weak due to an age gap or gender, and don’t be afraid of losing because that’s what will make you stronger.