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Photo by Abby Timm

Sophomore Alicia Tucker uses a takedown against her Kaneland High School opponent at Plainfield Central on Saturday, Dec. 10.

The new girls wrestling team is currently 4-2 on the season with their next competition taking place at the Hoffman Estates Wrestling Invitational on Wednesday, Dec. 28.
“Last year was IHSA’s first official season of it, but this is the first year of Plainfield Central actually having a girl’s team,” Coach Terrence Kubski said. “We’ll also have some tournaments where it’s just girls only.”
The team is glad to be a part of the first wave of girl wrestlers for the school, a program that has never competed as a team before now.
“I think we’re doing really good,” sophomore Miah Banda said. “I think that there’s definitely a lot of girls out there at this school that want to do it but maybe stop because it’s something different. I think they should go for it.”
Preparation for individual tournaments and team tournaments is an aspect the team is beginning to incorporate into the program to evolve their current skills.
“We try to put them into as many situations they might face in that tournament or that match,” Kubski said. “We just keep things high-paced that day before trying to get them ready mentally and having them visualize different things.”
Along with bringing new strategies, are wrestling for the first time, while others like sophomore wrestler Alicia Tucker are returning with higher aspirations and motivation.
“My goal for the season is to win IHSA state. I fell a little short last year, but I’ve grown a lot since then,” Tucker said. “I think my biggest challenge this season is going to be sectionals since that’s where I fell short, but I think because of the amount I’ve improved over the summer, I have a pretty good chance.”
Confidence can be expanded upon through personal goals.
“I want to try to pin some more people and get some more wins,” freshman Makayla Bush said. “I like cheering on my teammates and watching them wrestle.”
It’s crucial for new wrestlers to maintain a positive attitude through the season’s challenges if they want to be the best they can be.
“To be a successful wrestler, you need confidence and perseverance,” Tucker said. “You need to be confident in your skills and need to believe that they will work or they won’t. Often times your mind quits before your body does and you need to be able to overcome that.”
Some of the team have has wrestled in prior years like freshman wrestler Candice Cameron hoping to build on her progress this year.
“I’ve been wrestling since 6th grade, I watched my brother when he wrestled in 6th grade and it just inspired me,” Cameron said.
Family involvement seems to be a big source of influence for the team.
“My dad wrestled and my uncles wrestled so since then it’s always something that’s been a part of my life,” Kubski said.
Some misconceptions about the sport lead others to not pursue it, but it comes down to how hard the athletes train and perform which shows how skilled they are.
“People think wrestling is made for men,” Cameron said.

“There’s definitely a lot of girls out there that are stronger than boys,” Banda said.
Good wrestlers need to know how to think on the spot and that’s apparent for the girls team this year.
“They do a good job of staying in position and keep moving. they stay focused,” Kubski said. “It’s fun watching them battle. They’re really tough.”