First Ever SCSD Girls Wrestling Team Breaks Barriers – and Behavior Patterns
It’s one of the fastest growing sports in America – and now SCSD girls have the chance to take part.The SCSD Girls Wrestling team – which kicked off in October – began with the athletes practicing in sock feet. But they were a team, and they were happy to be pioneering the team together.
Thanks to generosity from the community, donations soon came pouring in – enabling the team to purchase wrestling shoes. And in the blink of an eye, the team was competition ready.
“It’s going better than I ever could have hoped,” coach Heather Niver – by day, a College and Career Counselor at Corcoran – shared. “These girls have become family… not just to me, but also to my own family, and to each other. Having a healthy physical outlet is so beneficial to them. I’ve seen a complete 180 in these girls in the last few months. These girls have all raised their grades. They have no issues in school. They have learned to work together instead of against each other. They work so hard to overcome the obstacles in everyday life… so for them to choose to come on the mat every day and give all they have – they’re just incredible.”
For many of the 13 girls on the team, it was the appeal of having somewhere to release their frustrations that drew them to the sport.
“Wrestling has changed my life,” Corcoran junior Me’Shaya Ross reflected. “It’s changed my grades, it’s changed how I take my anger out. I like to fight – any little thing used to trigger me. Wrestling has taught me that I don’t have to be angry at everybody… I can take it out on the mat. The hardest part for me has been learning not to get confrontational after a match… my team has helped me with that.”
Me’Shaya hopes to continue wrestling in college, and then plans to become a lawyer – noting that the skills and self-control she’s learned through wrestling will help her professionally as well.
“I like to fight,” Henninger sophomore Treasure Pringle agreed. “In the past, I had some anger issues. I’d just want to smack someone! Wrestling has given me the self-control to walk away. It’s all because of my team. We support each other, and they listen. The best part of being on the team is that we’re all here for each other.”
For the two athletes on this year’s team, wrestling has also given them a glimpse into their future. ITC senior Briella Corless will be joining the Marines – noting that she joined the team because some Marine recruiters said they had personally benefitted from wrestling.
“It really suits me,” Briella said. “I’m an aggressive person and this allows me to direct a lot of my energy into the sport. Being part of the team has really made me appreciate both winning and losing more than I did before. I’m an emotional person, but having a team has been so nice. They’re there to support me whether I win or lose… it’s a second family. I expect that dynamic is a lot like the Marines will be.”
Corcoran junior Sha’Marryah Williams never pictured herself on a wrestling team, calling herself a “girlie girl” who prefers talking hair and nails to physical combat. But she loves Coach Niver and wanted to show support by joining the team. In doing so, she said, she’s found a place she hopes to remain for years to come.
“Wrestling is fun,” Sha’Marryah shared. “It’s a great workout and it’s fun connecting with new people and trying something different. Ms. Heather has had such a impact on me, as more than a coach – as a human being. She’s like a second mom to me. She’s someone who always shows up, who you can count on.”
She noted that as she begins college, she has also been inspired to try to return to the SCSD to serve as some kind of mentor or Assistant Coach to the wrestling team, calling them “family for life.”
Coach Niver said she hopes to bring the team to their first travel competition this May in Virginia Beach – and then hopes to travel as an off-season team once the school year concludes. Moving forward, she has her sights set on keeping the girls she has now (minus this year’s two seniors) and double the team’s size next year. We can’t wait to see what great things the girls wrestling team will accomplish in the seasons to come!
