As the winter sports season comes to a close, the Girls Wrestling team has made OHS proud with every tournament it dominates. A key part of what makes their team so special—and successful—is the bond between each athlete.
Senior Harper Miller emphasized the team’s closeness: “The team dynamic is amazing. Everyone supports each other and cheers each other on. We are a family.”
Junior Gian Pama also commented on the improvement of the dynamic within their team and with the Boys team. “For the girls, since we’re so small, we’re all close and get along well. We’ve had four tournaments with both the boys and girls teams participating, and I feel like that really gave us a chance for more team bonding and brought us closer together,” she illustrated.
The team is big on supporting each other. Each girl watches their teammates wrestle throughout the day and cheers for them. Their teammates do the same for them. “When someone makes it to the finals, the whole team watches and gets so excited cheering you on,” Pama expressed.
As an individual, Miller has grown in her wrestling technique and style. She explained, “My first season was learning, second was piecing it together, and final one is working on technique!” Miller is especially proud of improving her mindset and gaining aggressiveness against opponents.
Similar to Miller, Pama believes she’s grown mentally: “I handle pressure better than I did last year. I try to learn from my mistakes and take accountability for what I do, even when I’m not wrestling. I also feel like I’ve pushed myself more this season than last year.”
Miller will miss the team’s close connection the most. “Considering how hard wrestling is, it builds a family between the team that’s unlike any other sport,” she affirmed. Pama revealed that the team has started ending their practices by saying “Family on three… one, two, three family!” which she finds amazing.
Pama, who still has one more year left, hopes that more girls will join the team. She stated, “I feel like the team has so much potential to be better, and the first step is to have more girls involved.”
Even though most girls might not see themselves as wrestlers or take an interest in the sport, Pama believes “everyone should at least give it a shot.” She continued, “The more girls who try it, the stronger our team will become!”
The team will conclude their season at the state tournament in the Tacoma Dome from February 19 to February 21. Make sure to show up and support the Bears!
