Maya Kalombo '22 Recruiting Profile

             Sixth grade, Hubble Middle School. My PE class was lined against the gym wall, waiting for Mrs. Oregon to complete attendance. Beside me stood two boys on the wrestling team. ¨We got weighed in wrestling the other day, Max is 130 pounds! ¨ one boy mentioned, ¨Oh my God, he's huge,” the other blurted. I was 150 pounds. These unintentional insults pierced me with the rage of a flying arrow. I had been planning on joining the wrestling program, excited even, but my decision quickly changed when I discovered we would be weighed before the rest of the team. I shoved that dream in my back pocket and left it there to rot.

            Throughout my time in middle school and high school, I continued to pursue other sports and activities. Over the course of five years, I partook in basketball, show choir, tennis, shot put & discus, and MMA. Although this plethora of activities was especially enjoyable, the idea of wrestling still lingered in my mind; over time, it became all I could think about. I finally decided to give wrestling a try, even though there had never been a woman on the high school wrestling team.

           The summer before senior year, I attended Gotcha Wrestling Center Naperville, Illinois. My first day, as I slipped on my new wrestling shoes and tucked my dry-fit shirt into my spandex, my body buzzed with eagerness.  The door cracked open to a view of the mats and the potent scent of rubber and sweat slapped my face. I was the only girl there, as I had assumed I would be. Nervously, I lurked as the other kids jogged around. ¨What are you waiting for? ¨ barked the coach, ¨Jump in! ¨ The rest of the hour and a half seemed to drag out for days. That practice alone made me question my decision; my hair had been yanked, I had been farted on, and genuinely thought I was going to faint. My wrestling journey continued at the WWS summer wrestling camp. I had been anticipating and dreading this camp. A coach placed me with Eddie Pearlman, a boy around my weight class. The first two days went smoothly, the third not as much. I scanned Pride Gym for my buddy, but unfortunately, he was absent. I was partnered with Charlie Gross, a third-year wrestler. He wasn’t as kind as Eddie; I was thrown around and repeatedly told I was wrong. After practice, I crumbled into my car and cried. I cried because I felt no one wanted me there, that I was the weakest, the least experienced, the joke. I’ve never wanted to give up on anything. To be completely honest, the only reason I didn’t was that my mom had already bought my wrestling shoes; so, I stayed. After that week, I filled my summer with numerous wrestling camps to try to get caught up. Every day I arrived at practice with my head down because I thought I didn’t belong, but what I did not realize was that no one cared. No one cared that I was a girl or that I was new. I had been the one out-casting myself.

            As a woman of color in a predominantly white town, being outcast is a familiar experience; it took a while for me to realize that most times I placed myself in a cage because I assumed I’d be treated differently. At long last, I learned that the key was in my pocket the entire time, so I set myself free.

            I’ve now completed my first season of wrestling, as a senior – the only woman representing my school. On February 12^th, at the Sectionals Competition, I qualified for the State Championship, which I will attend on February 27. Wish me luck!