By Brooklynn Wayt, Riley Maroney and Haylen Cook
This week, the spotlight is on two young women who are members of the Linsly wrestling team. Junior Caitlin Lewis and senior Shantel Githii have fallen in love with wrestling and have learned many valuable lessons along the way. Shantel explained how “wrestling has become part of [her] life,” and stated:
I tried a new sport, and I grew fond of it. Comparing myself from when I started now, I have dramatically improved. In wrestling, you learn from your mistakes and try to perfect yourself.
She is looking forward to the rest of her season, and she is prepared to work hard in all of her meets. So far, she has only wrestled one person, but she gave it her all and impressed the crowd.
Caitlin Lewis has also only wrestled one person because of weight class forfeits. She described the adrenaline and excitement that was taking over her as she walked up to the mat. She said that:
As soon as you reach the mat and shake hands, all the nerves and worry just disappear. The crowd fades away, and the cheering quiets down.
She wanted to avoid being pinned down at all costs, and she remembers escaping her opponent’s cradle, rolling on top of him, and pinning him down. Caitlin admitted, “The excitement got the best of me, and I had a little celebration when the referee raised my hand, that’s when everything came back: the crowd, the cheering, everything.”
These two girls have made wrestling something they love and look forward to each and every day. It is great to see all of the female representation Linsly has in sports like wrestling. Make sure to support these athletes in their upcoming meets! Congratulations to both Shantel and Caitlin, and good luck for the rest of the season!
