The Mason City Girls’ Wrestling Team begins its third year with big goals. Last year the team made it to state and even crowned its first state champion, Layla Phillips. Head Coach Jake Phillips said, “The season was successful by traditional standards, but incredibly successful in regards to the growth the girls made.”
This season the girls hope to match that energy. Among these wrestlers is Piper Phillips, a freshman. Piper is very excited about this upcoming season. “We not only have so many returning girls, but new girls. I love having girls try out a new sport like wrestling,” said Piper Phillips. She hopes to follow in her sister’s footsteps and place at state.
For Piper Phillips, wrestling is a way of life, not just a sport. “If you want to accomplish things, you have to sacrifice things.” Though the sacrifices may be hard, you gain a family of wrestlers who help you through your lows and celebrate you through your highs. “We are all training very hard and seeing each other at our worst. After a bad match, crying after practice, cutting weight. Our lows are together. Our highs are even better,” said Piper Phillips.
Ella Als, a sophomore, is also exhilarated to begin the new season. “The fact [that] I have grown so much over the summer. I am excited to get to show that this season.” She is very excited to create new bonds with this season’s incoming wrestlers as well.
Als does wrestling because it helps her mentally and physically. “You have to put so much effort into the sport that it makes everything else in life seem easy.” She enjoys the feeling of being pushed forward into something great. “Doing wrestling makes you realize how strong of a person you can be physically and mentally” said Als.
(Stephanie Scholl)
The wrestlers all agree that the coaches push the girls to their peak. “During practice, they push us to our limits making us the best wrestlers we can be,” said Als. These coaches include Jake Phillips, Bob Kenny, Andy Thompson, Hannah Johnson, Tiffany Sluik, Ryan Borman, Don Berry, and Jaylin Smith, “All of these coaches have stories from their careers and it’s so interesting to sit and listen,” said Piper Phillips, “I have never been led astray by any of these coaches.”
Jake Phillips has been one of the big parts in pushing the wrestlers down the long path of success. He began his wrestling career in high school. “I wasn’t very good, but I had coaches who believed in me and invested time in me,” he said. “I put an unrealistic number of hours into getting better.” Through this, he found his love for seeing others thrive and “helping kids understand their efforts will impact their results.”
The girl’s wrestlers have been putting in work every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 4 p.m. and Wednesday at 6:15 a.m. in the high school wrestling room, and they plan to have an amazing season! However, there is still time to join. New wrestlers are welcome and the team is more than willing to teach you the ropes.
