"Don't Underestimate Me"

I've pretty much enjoyed all my interactions with the wrestlers I've interviewed over the years. I find the differences fascinating. Often I can tell what region they are from, what grade they are in or believe it or not, what hair color they have based on their personality. 

If I had to describe Mikayla Marie in one word, it would be professional, which is pretty surprising considering she is just a sophomore.

Last year, Mikayla was a freshman who weighed in at 132 pounds. That is a pretty heavy weight for a girl wrestling boys and as a freshman, most girls would probably only win a few matches unless your name is Deanna Rix. But Mikayla went approximately 12-15 (8-10 vs. boys). That's a really impressive record for a freshman, let alone a freshman girl. Mikayla's reaction? "Pretty terrible to be honest."

So for a girl to go 8-10 as a freshman in a one on one combat sport against boys who are probably older than her...that should be a badge of honor, not "Pretty terrible to be honest." But Mikayla doesn't want to be judged on her age or gender, she just wants to go out and compete. The thing I got from Mikayla, was win or lose, you were going to get her best, and she was going to keep an even keel.

Which brings me to her match vs. Jeff Smith. When Mikayla showed me her match on youtube, she described it thusly, "It was a pretty sloppy match on my part, but a win is a win I guess."

I don't really understand how a dominating performance where you don't give up a point is sloppy. It was a rather unspectacular match which is why I enjoyed it so much. My dad taught me at an early age playing tennis, that if you have your opponent down, keep em' down. And Mikayla was able to do that this whole match. Mikayla's opponent, Jeff Smith also consented to an interview. He was obviously disappointed in the result, and felt he could have done better.

Below is how both wrestlers felt, during Game Day.

As with most wrestlers, the morning of the match there is bound to be jitters. But for Mikayla, she had her reasons. Besides the fact that she was a freshman, she wasn't feeling great.  "I was wrestling at 132, but I had been cutting weight pretty hardcore, getting down from 140." Mikayla was not feeling confident. "He was my first match of the day, I didn't suspect anything out of the ordinary from it, I assumed I'd put up a good fight, but he would probably come out victorious."

Jeff agreed. He says, "I didn't care that I was going against a girl. I just wanted to win badly." When Mikayla first viewed Jeff, she thought she would be in for a battle, but wasn't as intimidated as she thought she might be. "I thought he looked pretty tough, but once he stepped on the mat, I knew I had a chance."  She continues, "It was a confidence booster. He wasn't like my normal opponents, who were usually very muscular. I think me and him were on the same level."

When the match started Jeff thought he could end it early. Jeff says, "I thought I would just overpower her. So I just went out hard." However Mikayla stood her ground. The match was barely 10 seconds old and Jeff's plan had been broken. Jeff was leaning down and Mikayla used her momentum to chuck him to the ground. "She kinda threw me down. It looked like I took a shot but it wasn't really. She kinda just threw me."

Even though the match was in its infancy, Mikayla was up 2-0 on the scoreboard, but more importantly, started to gain confidence. "Once you've been wrestling as long as I have, you can pick up little things about a wrestler. How good they are, how hard they work in practice, I could tell that this time my hard work in the room would've paid off. I felt like I really had a shot with this match."

But now that Mikayla was up 2-0 and in control, she didn't want to blow it. "Starting off the match with an advantage is unfamiliar ground for me, I'm not gonna lie, It's usually a scramble to get any points, I was just trying to not mess up and get ahead of myself. Often times I get a little excited and rush through things instead of doing what I've practiced." Jeff was extremely nervous, "She was better than I expected. She was stronger than I expected."

Mikayla had to reign in her emotions, and remember to execute what she practiced. "Once I got behind him I was just so excited, I took my time and stuck to the basics and tried to sink in a half. I don't think it had a lot to with muscle, more just to do with technique. Once I actually got him, I got a little excited and he almost reversed me but I managed to keep him down. I wasn't even thinking about it, I just did what I knew."

Meanwhile Jeff, wasn't sure what to do. "When she turned me on my back I just wanted to make sure I wasn't pinned. I tried to do everything to put my shoulders up and kick my legs but I couldn't move because she was too strong."

In the end, Mikayla says she just does what her body tells her to do. "I really don't think when I'm wrestling. A lot of it is instinct. If I think, I over think and end up over thinking everything and it just never works out for me." But that doesn't mean she doesn't feel the emotion. As the pin was imminent, both wrestlers reflected on their feelings.

Jeff says, " I was praying the period would end but it didn't feel like it would end soon."  Mikayla meanwhile was ecstatic, "I was feeling really excited though. It seemed surreal. Victory feels better than you could ever put into words."

When the ref slammed the mat, the match was over. Mikayla had won.  

Mikayla says, "I was sorta just in awe. I did what I had to do. I was proud of myself, but remained humble." Jeff says, "Of course I was upset. I hate losing. I wish I did more. But I don't know what I could have done differently."

In the match, Mikayla never gave up a point. She never was in any trouble. She controlled the match the whole way. It was a first round pin. For someone who thought they did "Pretty terrible to be honest" it felt like an improbable win, but it really wasn't.  Mikayla puts in a lot of work, and cares about the sport. 

I think with perspective, Mikayla sees that.  "Now that I look back on it, it was just another match. I just executed what I've been training to do. Of course I was happy to have won, however I do have to set my goals for the future and strive to further my career, so that was just a stepping stone."

The future is bright for Mikayla, as this year, she just won a boys tournament.

True to her personality, Mikayla downplayed her accomplishment. "To be fair, I only had to win my first two matches to get first. Wasn't exactly a big achievement. " Maybe not, but she went into it with the right attitude, as always. "Basically I went into the tournament with a champions mindset, and I think that made a huge difference in the way I preformed."

Professional to the end.

The match with Jeff can be viewed by clicking the link below. 

Mikayla vs. Jeff