Rory Bickmore:
Q: How long have you been wrestling?
A: 5 years
Q: What got you into the sport?
A: My brother wrestles and he and my dad got to spend a lot of time together and I wanted to spend more time with them. I was already at the meets so I figured I might as well try and participate.
Q: Have you received any awards?
A: Outstanding Wrestler at Battle at the Border, Outstanding Upper weight in the Humboldt-Del Norte League (HDNL), and Two-time HDNL All-County White Star Recipient
Q: Have you seen personal growth in the women’s sport?
A: Yes. When I was a freshman, I went to a school where I was the only female wrestler. Last year, we had five or six girls who continuously wrestled throughout the year, and [we] have more than double that this year. When we travel down south there are a lot more female wrestlers, so getting to see the growth in women’s wrestling is really, really nice.
Q: What are the struggles in playing a male-dominated sport?
A: I only had males as practice partners the first two years of high school, [and] finding tournaments with highly skilled female wrestling competition [was hard].
Q: How would you encourage other girls to join the sport?
A: It’s very low pressure in this county because we are rural. If you have an interest, come out and try it. If you end up not liking it, no one is going to hate you for it, but if you [did try, you] could find that you really like it.
Piper Bjorkstedt:
Q: How long have you been wrestling?
A: 4 years
Q: What got you into the sport?
A: I did jiu-jitsu in middle school and thought wrestling is kind of like it so I decided to try it out.
Q: Have you received any awards?
A: Two HDNL White Stars, Tiger Team Leader, and Scholar Athlete Awards.
Q: Have you personally seen growth in the women’s sport?
A: Freshman year we had three girls on the team and now we have over ten girls on the team. A lot of new people are putting in a lot of hard work and it’s really awesome to see. The girls here are really driven and really focused [which] sets us apart from our competition.
Q: What are the struggles in playing a male-dominated sport
A: Even if it’s not a conscious decision, your male teammates and coaches don’t expect you to succeed to the same extent that a male wrestler will, whether that’s strength, skills, or focus, they don’t expect you to. The difference in expectation and the fact that they don’t feel it’s possible for us to put in the same amount of work [is frustrating].
Q:How would you encourage other girls to join the sport?
A: I would tell them that there is no expectation of them being skilled or strong, all you have to do is be willing to show up and work. If you come back day after day and try your hardest you will be supported through it all.
Maile Russell:
Q: How long have you been wrestling?
A: 3 months total.
Q: What got you into the sport?
A: Lillian, Piper, and Rory convinced me to join last year.
Q: What are the struggles in playing a male-dominated sport?
A: In practice, it can be discouraging to be drilling with guys [that] are a lot stronger than me. And it’s tough to see them having all these matches when I have none.
Q: How would you encourage other girls to join the sport?
A: It’s a really good outlet for anger.
Lillian Afridi:
Q: How long have you been wrestling?
A: 2nd year wrestling, but I’ve done jiu-jitsu since freshman year
Q: What got you into the sport?
A: Piper because I remember being a freshman and she was wrestling and I thought that was crazy and I would never ever do that, then as a junior I tried it, I did it , and had fun.
Q: Have you received any awards?
A: [I’ve] won a couple of tournaments
Q: Have you personally seen growth in the women’s sport?
A: Yes. I think even comparatively from last year we have a lot more girls this year and they’re all really interested in it.
Q: What are the struggles in playing a male-dominated sport?
A: Not having them take me seriously it’s just disappointing sometimes, also some of the boys just aren’t willing to work with you as a training partner. The boys on our team are good about it, but they’d rather work with each other.
Q: Do you feel you get fair recognition as a female wrestler?
A: There [are] things I would say are annoying about it like at a lot of the tournaments girls start later or go after boys or there will only be one mat to train on. But I think it’s just because of how small it is compared to the boys.
Q: How would you encourage other girls to join the sport?
A: Just try it, it’s scary but it’s not that scary. You’ll fall in love with the sport if it’s meant for you and it’s fun. If it’s not a fit, it’s not a fit.
