"SHORT TIME, GO, GO, GO!” With the last of my energy burning through my body, I attack my opponent fiercely. Underhook, arm drag, shuffle step, snap, fake; I utilize every offense position in my book to get my opponent off-balance or vulnerable. First match of the day at North Coast Section Championships and I’m down by two points with 15 seconds left. Sweat drips down my face and my muscles ache, but I keep going with everything I have left. My coach’s voice roars out from the sidelines as time slows down. My opponent and I are in a high-intensity stand off; her on the defense and me on the attack, both of us racing the clock to get the upper hand. In my final attempt to overtake her, I slap on an underhook and pull her towards me, sidestepping in if I could just- TIME! The ref blows the whistle right as my opponent loses her balance and drops to a knee. If I had just five more seconds...but I don’t. The match is over and even if it could’ve ended very differently with a few more seconds, I’ve lost. I pull her to her feet and we shake hands. As the ref raises her arm in victory, I jog over to my opposition’s coach to acknowledge and thank him. It was a close match. Too close for some as the opposing coach said, “Good fight.. You had us worried with that inside leg trip.” It turns out my opponent was the top-ranked wrestler in the section. My coach never told me; he didn’t want me to know. He knew I would wrestle my hardest no matter who was in front of me. As a freshman and coming back from an injury that took me out most of the season, I was supposed to be an easy match. Instead I had the coaches on the edges of their seats as I grappled toe-to-toe with their #1 seed. My father is my coach and my #1 fan. Knowing he has the confidence in me to take on the best without even knowing and almost cause an incredible upset in the sectional bracket, empowers me to appreciate my capabilities. Dad showed me that I have the potential to succeed even from the lowest rung on the ladder; an injured freshman. All my life, I've been underestimated. As a small, low-income girl with a lot of ambition, the fierce sport of wrestling raised me to not accept what others expect of me. I went from an unranked, quiet freshman to "The Undefeated Varsity Captain", expecting to place at State. This "keep-moving-up" mentality reared its unforgiving head in all aspects of my life. I became President of my 4-H club, Dance Company Captain, Chamber Choir Section Leader, Founder and President of Adventure Club, State 4-H Quiz Bowl Champion (4 years running.) The entire way I was told by many: 'You're too small to get strong enough to win,' 'Don't bother, it's really competitive,' 'Some people are more advantaged than you,' 'It's not worth the effort...' Even now, in college, I am told that maybe astrophysics isn't for me; maybe communications or teaching. However, I'm reflecting back on this first NCS match. When I trusted my father and stepped onto the mat with no hesitations. When I first truly challenged the expectations of those around me. When I chose to prove myself and not give in to the "easier path." My time is now and I will not let these mountains prevent me from becoming who I know I can become. They will move.

"SHORT TIME, GO, GO, GO!” With the last of my energy burning through my body, I attack my opponent fiercely. Underhook, arm drag, shuffle step, snap, fake; I utilize every offense position in my book to get my opponent off-balance or vulnerable. First match of the day at North Coast Section Championships and I’m down by two points with 15 seconds left. Sweat drips down my face and my muscles ache, but I keep going with everything I have left. My coach’s voice roars out from the sidelines as time slows down. My opponent and I are in a high-intensity stand off; her on the defense and me on the attack, both of us racing the clock to get the upper hand. In my final attempt to overtake her, I slap on an underhook and pull her towards me, sidestepping in if I could just- TIME! The ref blows the whistle right as my opponent loses her balance and drops to a knee. If I had just five more seconds...but I don’t. The match is over and even if it could’ve ended very differently with a few more seconds, I’ve lost. I pull her to her feet and we shake hands. As the ref raises her arm in victory, I jog over to my opposition’s coach to acknowledge and thank him. It was a close match. Too close for some as the opposing coach said, “Good fight.. You had us worried with that inside leg trip.” It turns out my opponent was the top-ranked wrestler in the section. My coach never told me; he didn’t want me to know. He knew I would wrestle my hardest no matter who was in front of me. As a freshman and coming back from an injury that took me out most of the season, I was supposed to be an easy match. Instead I had the coaches on the edges of their seats as I grappled toe-to-toe with their #1 seed. Knowing I was so close to victory and losing an important match is a painful moment, but I still regard it as one of my favorites because of how it set me up for later. My father is my coach and my #1 fan. Knowing he has the confidence in me to take on the best without even knowing and almost cause an incredible upset in the sectional bracket, empowers me to appreciate my capabilities. This match was a turning point for me. It made me realize I have the power to have success and made me hungry for it. I have always been someone who strives for constant perfection. If I don’t reach a goal I used to regard it as a failure and still to this day struggle with regrets about not trying harder or putting in even more extra hours when I know I honestly did my best. It was this tough match and specifically my dad who lifted me up after my loss and convinced me that I had actually gained something. I now regard it as a win and am proud of my resilience. That first match at NCS was not my biggest moment, it wasn’t my match for National Champion, or the time I placed 7th at NCS by beating a girl I lost to the year before, nor was it the match where I tech-falled a State placer after singing the National Anthem at a meet. However, it is one that I reminisce on in times of struggle (in and out of wrestling) to remind myself that I can and will rise above.