Kira Bjornson '24 Recruiting Profile

Hi, my name is Kira Bjornson and I've been passionate about wrestling ever since I joined a middle school wrestling club in seventh grade.  As a second degree blackbelt and instructor in Kajukenbo at Pallens Martial Arts, I love the sheer physicality of going up against your opponent with only your own strength, skills, and determination to win.  I love the versatility and unpredictability of a wrestling match and one of my favorite parts of training is learning and perfecting different moves to bring into the ring.  My high school wrestling experience has been so much greater than I could have ever imagined.  I overcame the challenges of conditioning outside with masks during my freshmen year while the pandemic raged and prevented all wrestling practices.  Then in my sophomore year, after a promising early season, I tore the UCL in my left elbow right before the regional tournament, an injury that kept me from sports for the next six months. Despite this, I had an incredibly successful season in my junior year, placing in several tournaments, including 1st in the Weber Lawson Memorial Girls Tournament and 2nd in Mid Cals.  Amidst AP exam preparations and studying, I went on to be the first girl to ever go to state on my team and the first wrestler in 40 years to go state from John F. Kennedy Highschool.  Wrestling has taught me so much about myself and I've accomplished things I never realized I was capable of.  For me, academics has always been equally important as athletics, and I've worked hard to maintain a 4.0 gpa and challenge myself with high-level classes.  As my senior wrestling season approaches, I am more determined than ever to push myself to new heights in State Championships and beyond, super excited to grow even more in my last year of high school, and to go even further when I begin my college wrestling journey in a year.