Pinning Stereotypes

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  Wai’anae, HI
  
  March 5, 2015
  
  Wrestling usually evokes images of muscular athletes pounding each other in a violent manner; it is not typically recognized as a sport that is inviting to women. Although it is considered a male dominant sport, that stereotype doesn’t apply to the Waianae High School Seariders. Approximately 42% of their wrestling team is female, but that doesn’t put them at a disadvantage. "I think girls have an advantage. I think it benefits girls more than it does boys. Because boys are naturally stronger, it pushes the girls to do more," Coach Mike Gonsalves stated. 
  
  On the mat, Waianae's Wrestling Team pushes each other for three hours straight, five days a week, for 24 weeks and there is no gender difference, only wrestlers looking for that ‘pin and win.’ "There is no separation in practice. The girls wrestle hard with the boys and the boys, not wanting to get beaten by a girl, wrestle just as hard. The boys may be gentle at times, but they know that if they go hard on us [girls], it only makes us better," Varsity wrestler sophomore, Tehani Carlson revealed.
  
  As of last year, 10 out of 11 Lady Seariders qualified for the State Tournament and four of them even placed in the top six. This success proves that these young women play a big part of the overall team's success.  This year, the girls have to live up those high expectations as well as redeem themselves from being the O’ahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) runner-ups. However, training to recover themselves is one of the hardest parts of wrestling. "I push the girls myself because there is no girl that can match up to my strength," said Junior Sheldon Bailey. The weight lifting has to be more intense, the training twice as hard, but most importantly, heads high and their hearts stronger. "To be in this sport you have to be mentally strong, but also, you need to want to wrestle or have a passion for it or else it would just be like any other sport," said Carlson.  
  
  All the wrestlers become one team fighting for the same dream: to be a state champ individually and as one. Conditioning, practicing, lifting, running and competing together, the Seariders are practically unbreakable. "Wrestling is a highly demanding, physical, and mental sport. It's the hardest sport by far.  It takes conditioning and mental toughness and a little craziness to prepare yourself for 6 minutes of wrestling," said Gonsalves. 
  
  In the end, the team still stands as one. “I feel we look at each other like family. We are all equals. We treat each other with respect no matter if you’re a boy or girl,” said Bailey.  OIA Championships, Westerns, or even the State Tournament, the best thing the team can win is the love of each other. "They get along, for the most part, like family. They support each other, they cheer each other on, they pick each other up and yes, they yell at each other once in awhile, like a family,” Gonsalves said.