With the second semester ushering in the beginnings of several sports seasons, Rosary’s wrestling team has had an impressive debut year with their season coming to an end soon. I interviewed Marisol Reza ’23 to get the low-down on the wrestling’s captain experiences with competing as a team so far and how things are looking for the rest of the season.

• During 2023’s first weekend, the wrestling team had the year’s first tournament followed by another tournament the weekend after. How did you guys perform?

This year I think our performance was great considering it was our first year. Everyone on the team had at least one win this year which is amazing because it really shows that after putting in all the hard work and getting through those tough times, it was all worth it because getting your hand raised at the end of a match is truly special and very meaningful.

• How did you guys feel leading up to these tournaments?

Some feelings leading up to tournament can really depend on who you are as a person and a wrestler. For me personally, they can be a bit nerve-wracking and scary sometimes, especially at varsity tournaments. But that feeling I get after warming up and watching the other girls warm up makes me feel more calm and relaxed. Even though I still am nervous and scared, it helps me feel good and proud of myself and my teammates because I know that we are more than capable of being at those tournaments just like anyone else. I also know that there are girls who are just as nervous as me going into these tournaments to do what they love and are there to wrestle their hearts out.

• How did girls new to wrestling perform?

I think all the newcomers we had this year did amazing for it being their first year. I can proudly say that they both did amazing at every tournament, and I really encourage anyone who thinks that they may like to try wrestling to come out and try it even, if you think you’re not “fit” for the sport. It’s ok! If you think that wrestling is interesting, you might want to try out, I encourage you to do so.

• Were there many all-girl teams?

There actually are a lot of schools that have all-girl teams representing their schools from all over, from as close as Troy High School to girls from Chino Hills and farther, which is amazing. At tournaments, you meet people from all over and make friends with people from other schools, which makes tournaments so much more fun because you get to meet new people and also learn new skills and techniques.

• What does the rest of your season look like?

As our season comes to an end, we are now coming up on our last tournament on Saturday, January 14 at Montclair Highschool. It will be our last tournament for the seasons before CIF.

• How did the rest of the team feel about the tournament?

I think they had fun at the tournament. Even though there were times where we were down about losing or having a bad match, I think we all made the tournaments as fun as we could considering we are a small team. I feel like we grew closer together and have become more than just a team, but rather a family.

After a massively impressive season so far, Rosary’s wrestling team has a few more tournaments to finish out its first ever term. Make sure to support these athletic Royals and if this sport interests you, don’t be afraid to try something new next season!