Wrestling is more than just a sport to me. It is who I am, my life, and my soul. Wrestling is my home, a place where nothing can bother me. It is something to look forward to after a long, stressful day. It is peace in the storm of life. It is the light in any darkness. It is proof that I can handle difficult situations. Wrestling is who I am and who I will always be. Wrestling is a guide in my life's journey to be the best version of myself. It is a connection to others. It is a bond between people who are more similar than they thought. Wrestling has taught me so many important life skills that will stick with me forever. I have learned discipline, time management, attention to detail, and what it takes to reach difficult goals. Between seemingly endless sprints with the team and the weight cuts we all suffered through, I learned what it is like to be so committed to a team that they become a second family. Even during the most difficult parts of the season I looked forward to practice no matter how hard it was. Wrestling is one of the most difficult sports and it is a way to see how to better yourself. Wrestling showed me that hard work pays off and it will show. As a three sport athlete, wrestling is by far my favorite. Wrestling has made me better at my other sports. It amazes me how much one sport can contribute to every part of my life. I started wrestling in eighth grade and at the time I had never been serious about a sport before. The first day of practice was absolutely miserable to me, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was a girl wrestling on the boy's team, so I struggled to keep up with the boys. I was worried I made the wrong choice. I stuck with wrestling and day by day it got better. I started to enjoy practices, understand more about the sport, and I could keep up with the boys. I signed up for wrestling again last year, my freshman year of high school. I went to the school board and talked to them with my mom about approving a girl's wrestling team for my school. They approved and we had a girls team. My freshman season I was still on the boy's team, but our girl's team began to grow. The girls had some matches and good practices while I was co-captain of the boy's team. I ended up having a pretty good season even while facing boys. This year, my sophomore year, our girls' team has grown even more and I am on the girls' varsity team. We are looking forward to a good season as we work together to help each other learn and understand the sport. It is a long, hard journey, but I would not have it any other way.