01/18/2026
Long post, but WORTH it.
I LOVE an underdog story. And there is at least one favorite from every season.
In middle school in NC, female wrestlers only have the opportunity to compete in male-dominated school brackets. They spend most of their middle school days being out-muscled and beat up on the mat by boys. And that is ok. That is what builds them.
Rylee is a middle school wrestler who lost twice in regular-season competition to her finals-round opponent yesterday.
But Rylee does not focus on past losses. She chooses to attack every match as winnable, every point as a reset to 0-0, and every opponent as beatable. When she stepped on the mat yesterday, she knew it started at 0-0. And even though she was out-muscled and he had the confidence of two previous wins against her, SHE had the HEART of a CHAMPION.
The energy in the gym was ELECTRIC when Rylee won. Her corner of the mat, filled with her brother, dad, and coach, were celebrating her with ALL OF US! And Rylee celebrated, too, as she should, until she saw her opponent still on the mat, holding his arm in pain. The compassion and tenderness she showed to him brought tears to my eyes. You see, wrestling is a FIGHT. And opponents get hurt. True champions can celebrate their win and still have compassion for their opponent. They can because they have been there, too.
CONGRATULATIONS RYLEE!!! You captured the whole gym yesterday! The humble opinion of this wrestling mom - MOW Award-worthy performance and sportsmanship.