Senior female wrestler Adriana Echols says she intends to join the wrestling team again this year.
Three girls last year started the season on the team and only Echols ended the season on the team, said Wrestling Coach Tim Conley.
”There’s a lot of physical movement, running and weight lifting,” Conley said.
The two female wrestlers who didn’t finish last year’s season gave different reasons for quitting the team.
Senior Turquoise Clark said, “I ended up not wrestling because of driver’s training. I became the manager of the boys wrestling team. Watching the boys wrestle and seeing their dedication was just amazing. “
Clark said, “I wanted to join wrestling because it was something different and no other girl wanted to do it.”
Senior Joelle Jamerson said she quit because of academic demands: “I did like to wrestle. It just took a lot of diligence and concentration to keep my grades up.”
Jamerson said she is undecided about whether she will go out for the team again this year. She said, “It was a very fun lifestyle for me. I joined to prove that it was possible for a girl to do. Also it made me very happy until I had to turn in my singlet. I dropped 15 pounds in the first two weeks. It was hard work and a lot of running. “
Echols vows that neither grades nor driver’s training will deter her this year. She wants to wrestle in the 150-pound weight class.
Wrestling is not the only sport Echols participates in for Southfield High. She is the catcher for the Girls’ Softball team and was a softball team captain last year. She is also a 4-year flag veteran in the Marching Band.