On Tuesday, Jan. 28, three girls form the FHC wrestling team faced off against Timberland High School. Although the Howell Central girls wrestling team currently lists 22 people on their official MSHSAA roster, many schools don’t gain as much female interest. Timberland lists seven athletes on their roster, with only three able to compete that night. 

Having numbers on their side, the athletes used the energy from their teammates to gain momentum in their matches. Sophomore Victoria Coombs described the energy at the event.

“They only had three girls, so it was very exciting watching our girls go out there, even though they didn’t have a full team, so we were able to cheer them on and be there,” Coombs said.

They were also able to cheer on the boys who competed after them.

“ in one of our final matches, we all got behind the lines, because the ref was like ‘if you don’t get back behind there, you’re gonna all have to move’,” Coombs said. “So our whole boys JV, we all got behind that and we were all just screaming really loud. It was really cool and fun.”

Amongst all the cheers and screams, all three of the girls competing were victorious in their matches. Freshman Sophia Miller was one of the competitors, and was excited by the intensity.

“It went really well, we all won, and it was really intense at the end. It was really good,” Miller said.

Although they performed well, they still feel that they have many things that they feel can be improved. Coombs believes that nerves are a big obstacle for the team.

“Being able to not be as nervous when we get out on [the mat], but it’s just normal for us to all get nervous because we’re excited about that. I think we’d all like to be a little less like ‘ahhh’ before we get out there,” Coombs said.

Junior Maddy Bamvakais feels that she wants to improve her warm-up routine. 

“Something I wish to improve on is my pre-game ritual, which gets me prepared for my match,” Bamvakais said. “I plan to listen to some pumped up music and take my warm up seriously before the duel so I can get out to the mat and do my best.”

For many athletes, music is a key factor in preparing for duels. Coombs feels as if the music she listens to before a match determines how she performs.

“I listen to Don’t Break My Stride, I was listening to that all day,” Coombs said. “So I listened to that kind of music because… I just feel ready. I have to make myself a little angry when I get out there. But I can’t just go out there like ‘I got this’ with nothing. You have to be like, ‘I got this. I’m ready.” You’re gonna be ready to go out there.”