Since I could walk, I've played softball. It wasn't something I was truly passionate about or wanted to pursue past playing on my high school team. I've also grown up on rage. Rage when a teammate misses a ball, when someone struck out, when our pitcher didn't throw a strike, or when the other team cheered obnoxiously. My freshman year of high school, I decided to try something new, so I joined my school's Girls Wrestling team. Joining wrestling was a lot harder than I thought it would be, from endless conditioning until I was about to pass out, to being 1 out of 4 girls on the team and battling all the insults and allegations that come with being a girl wrestler. But along with the hardships, came great benefits. I got in better physical shape and I found something to occupy my time outside of school. However, the three most important things I found were sportsmanship, anger management, and relationships, which greatly impacted my life. I used to take out my anger on everyone around me, but wrestling gives me something to focus it on and use to better myself. Wrestling is my outlet, I channel all my pent-up rage into pushing myself to my very limit at practice. Wrestling is also a solo sport, which means that when I underperform, I have no one to blame but myself. Pushing me harder and giving me motivation for everything I do. Sportsmanship is a crucial part of all sports, but mostly wrestling. When you are on that mat, it's just you, and the person standing in front of you and your goals and dreams. But it is also the same view for your opponent. Either they crush your goal, or you crush theirs. And the beautiful thing about that is knowing that you both put everything you have into that match, and whether they beat you or not, you have to respect all the hours of hard work and dedication they put in. I have found that when you step onto that mat, the other girl is your opponent and worst enemy, but off the mat, they are the same as you, a girl with a passion and a love for the sport. Oftentimes I even become friends with my opponent off the mat. On my 2nd day of 8th grade, my dad passed away from covid, leaving me feeling empty, alone, angry, and clueless. Ever since my first day of wrestling practice my coach has been by my side pushing me through all my injuries, sicknesses, self-doubt, losses, and wins. He has become a father figure to me and gave me a purpose. He also gave me teammates to support and be supported by, and he made me the Varsity Girls Wrestling Captain. When I injured myself and couldn't run or wrestle, it extremely lowered my self-esteem. He sat me down and told me that I needed to push through for myself and my team because I set the mood for the whole team. He said he chose me to be captain because he and everyone else on the team believes in me and looks up to me, and that everyone around me sees my potential but me, even teachers who don't know me very well. Without the coach and teammates I have, I would still be that angry, empty, and lonely kid I was 3 years ago. Wrestling isn’t just a sport to me; it’s a foundation upon which I’ve built my strength, leadership, and relationships.