Ucluelet Secondary School’s wrestlers celebrated a solid showing during their second tournament of the year at the QMS Christmas Classic in Duncan.
The team took home eight medals from the event with Olivia Rhodes and Wyatt Rhodes each earning gold in their respective weight classes and Ava Duncan, William Star Kennedy Bruno, Caitlyn Midlane and Hanna Grim each winning silver and Estrella McLellan earning bronze.
“With some returning athletes and some brand new to the sport, everyone had a blast,” Olivia Rhodes told the Westerly News.
This was Rhodes first tournament of the season and the Grade 12 wrestler has high expectations after finishing first at the provincials in 2022 and taking a bronze medal home from last season’s national tournament in March, 2023.
She said she’s aiming for a fourth appearance at the provincial finals and is hoping for a top three finish at nationals.
Rhodes said she felt a bit “rusty” coming into the QMS Christmas Classic as she’s stepped into a coaching role with the team this season and is balancing that responsibility with her own training.
“Mostly I’ve been just coaching, so I was a little bit rusty coming in, but I was proud of my outcome in the end,” she said.
She added she has never coached before, but she’s enjoyed stepping into the new role.
“It’s been quite an experience,” she said. “It’s very stressful, especially at a tournament when I’m trying to focus on myself as well, but the kids have taken it very well. They’re listening and they’re respecting me in the same way they would any other coach.”
She added that along with her own high expectations for herself, she’s also expecting the team to do well as a whole.
“Our team is very strong. They’re completely different people coming into one group and they’re working really well together. Even though it’s not a team sport, they’ve been helping and encouraging each person, every time, on and off the mats,” she said. “They’ve been lifting each other up at practice and whether they’ve won a match or lost a match, they’ve always been there helping each other. I’m hoping that we have at least 10 athletes go to provincials this year, which would be way more than we usually have.”
She added she’s not sure whether she’ll continue her wrestling career after graduation.
“I have a lot of decisions to make before the end of the year,” she said.
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