I stood on the warm up mats at the Maryland girls wrestling state tournament. I was supposed to be getting a good sweat in before my next match but I was so worried that I stood there, frozen. What if I didn’t win? What if I disappointed my coaches? My teammates? What if my opponent was much more technically skilled than I was? At that moment, my teammate walked over, put one of her airpods in my ear, and told me to dance. I looked at Charlotte like she was crazy. I was so nervous that I wanted to cry and she was telling me to dance? I did. In the middle of a giant arena, I danced to One Direction. I stopped panicking and started to smile. Dancing chased away my anxiety. This experience changed the way I think before each match. I always stop to remind myself about why I wrestle. In ten years, I won’t remember the score of any specific match but I’ll remember the community that surrounded me, the hard work I put in, and the strength I built along the way. Before every match, I remind myself of that. I remind myself that I’m grateful to be there, grateful for the opportunity to wrestle, and grateful for the life lessons it teaches me. Before every match, I remember my goals, visualize my moves and remember that I do this because I love this sport. I remind myself of how far I’ve come. My mindset allows me to come into my matches not scared to lose, but excited to win, and changing my thought process before my matches has made me fall in love with the sport even more. In addition to growing myself as a wrestler, I have also been honored to help grow a girls wrestling team at my high school. I have recruited many new girls onto the wrestling team by hosting girls only practices, and talking to many girls one on one. This year, as a team captain, I try to communicate the lessons I have learned to all the new girls on the team. “You do this because you love it, I remind them.” “Just have fun out there,” I urge.“You’ve got this.” I spend time with them after practice, going over technique and new moves, and I cheer the loudest when I see them apply their hard work in their matches. I hope all the freshman girls fall in love with this sport when they step on the mat. I hope wrestling helps them recognize their physical and mental strength, just as it did for me. Most of all, I hope that one day, they will become confident leaders and role models for the next generation of girls, just as Charlotte was for me.