That Unexpected Lift

In most sports, victory is the goal. Football, hockey, baseball, basketball, it really doesn't matter how you win, as long as you do. But in wrestling, there's a big difference between winning via points, and pinning your opponent to the mat.  

For girls in upper weight classes, wins can be few and far away. So when you have an opportunity to get your hand raised, you need to dig as deep as you can, because wrestling glory doesn't come easy. And when you can finish your opponent, you don't want to give that opportunity back.

Christen Wise is a senior 120-pound wrestler at Avoca Central High School. In her four years, she's earned the respect from her teammates. Christen comes to practice every day, and works her tail off. She's survived where others haven't. She says, "It's just you see so many kids at least at my school that come out and join the wrestling team but then they just quit because they think it's to hard and make excuses."

Truth be told, Christen is not going to win a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics. In her four years of wrestling, she's racked up more losses than wins, and that can get frustrating at times. Christen turned 18 on December 27 and the next day, she gave herself the best present she could, the hardest earned victory of her life.

She says, "With only five hours of sleep and a piece of my birthday cake for dinner I was worried with how well I would wrestle at the Genesee Valley Duals. I have gotten used to going to tournaments and losing every match I wrestle which is why I was worried it'd be just another one of those days." But despite the fear, Christen made it this far because she doesn't quit, and she doesn't make excuses. " I don't let that worry keep me from trying my hardest."

Christen squared up against a boy from Dansville High School. As usual, he was much taller. This happens often when you're only 5 feet "tall." The 120-pound wrestlers walked to the center of the ring and shook hands. Christen immediately noticed weakness, but didn't get cocky. "When I shook his hand before the match it didn't seem like a firm handshake, but sometimes that doesn't mean anything. I have wrestled kids with awful handshakes that were great wrestlers." But her opponent not only had a weak handshake, he didn't look intimidating. "He looked like he wasn't sure what to expect with me being a girl. I'm not sure how he felt but I just feel like he didn't seem confident."

The match started and immediately Christen realized just because he's a boy, doesn't make him stronger. " It started with hand fighting which is when I realized I might actually be a bit stronger than him. He couldn't break my grip like other stronger guys have." Christen went for a single leg takedown but sadly, it isn't one of her better moves. "I'm not very good at shooting, so I ended up stuck underneath him holding on to that leg." While younger, more inexperienced wrestlers might be stuck in a bad position, Christen's years of hard work at practice, started paying off. "I did what our coaches have taught us. I circled and got my elbow on the mat behind his leg. Then I stepped over his leg with one of my legs and I circled out and I got on top of him which got me my two points." The match was in its infancy and the score was only 2-0, but Christen realized a win was within her grasp. "This is when I thought holy crap I could actually have a shot at winning a match today."

Despite being only up by two, her coach told her to let the boy go and give up a point. "After I got the takedown he quickly came to his feet and my coach told me to let him go after I had fought to keep him down." Going into the 2nd round, the score was 2-1.

The second period started and Christen started down and attempted to get her point back. "I started down and bolted to my feet. It took me a little bit to break his grip, so it felt kind of funny when we were scrambling all over the mat on our feet because he was trying to hold on to me. I didn't let him take me back down to the mat though and once I escaped I shot for that same single leg again." It was now 3-1 and Christen found herself in a similar position."The same thing happen again and I got behind him which gave me another two points." At 5-1, Christen swore this match wasn't going escape her. "OK, let's go you have to actually win this match now." 

She now was going to go for the kill. "Once I got behind him I started to break him down. I chopped his arm and got it into a bar but it wasn't working well, so I switched to a cross face." The boy from Danville nose started to bleed and the ref called a time out. Christen drew first blood, which sounds so awesome and kick ass. But when his blood is on your body, its more eww than awesome. "His blood was on my arm which is pretty gross."

Her coach would have no time for sympathy. As he was wiping off the blood he told her, "You haven't worked this hard for nothing, lets get the pin".

The motivational speech paid off immediately. "I wasn't thinking I would be able to pin this kid but my coach's words gave me even more motivation." They got back on the mat and there would be more points for Christen, and more pain for her opponent. "I did a neck tie in the end of the 2nd period and I cross faced him again. He  kind of let out a grunt." Christen, started to feel the momentum swing her way. "I'm not going to lie it made me feel tough because I feel like he was getting irritated that he was getting his butt beat by a girl."

There is a difference between winning and kicking someone's butt. I asked Christen if she misspoke but she doubled down.  "Yes I was kind of happy by this because it wasn't just that I was winning. I was kicking his butt because he was trying to fight back but I just kept beating him. When I only let him get 1 point for an escape it definitely felt like I was kicking some butt. I was happy because it made me tough to be beating up a guy and know he was getting irritated that he was getting his butt beat by a girl."

But even though she was kicking his butt, his shoulder blades were the important body part. And his was never held down long enough for the pin.

As hard as she tried, she couldn't seal the deal. " I did run this neck tie from the side I wasn't used to though so it wasn't as good. I was hoping I would pin him there but he got out of it. But I didn't let him get on top." As the end of the 2nd period, Christen held a commanding 9-1 lead. "Going into the 3rd there was no way I was going to let him turn this match around on me. I was winning this match with a pin or not. I was going to make sure of that. I was getting a little irritated that I hadn't pinned him yet, but there was no way I was going to let myself lose that match."

While she was initially irritated she didn't pin him in the 2nd round, Christen is thrilled she didn't now. The boy started down and quickly came to his feet. And that's when the highlight of Christen's career happened.  "I actually managed to pick him up and mat return him.

He fell right to his stomach too, not to his base." This was an amazing feeling for the senior...one that she remembers frame by frame in her mind. "When I lifted him up I was so amazed!  I was thinking holy crap did I actually just manage to pick someone up?  It felt so bad ass and I was wondering if my team and coaches were surprised. And then I heard them cheering and I knew they were."

After literally picking him up and throwing him down, Christen had one focus. "For the rest of the match my main thought was I need to get the pin." It would not come easy. "I got him back down I tried getting a bar again and walking it around, but he just wouldn't move." But because of her in ring intelligence, the boy was not able to block her next move. "This is when I noticed the opportunity for a half and I went for it. I sunk it in and I teed off. The kid was fighting it off but I just kept trying to hold him there." It was now a battle. Christen feels they both knew she was going to win the match, but the new battle was would she stick him for the pin. She admits, she was worried she wouldn't pin him. But that's when her coach's words proved magical again. "I heard my coach tell me to post on his arm. I remembered duh that would help, so I quickly grabbed his arm and posted it out."

He was done and Christen knew it, and relished the moment. "That's when I knew I had it. He couldn't fight it as easily without that arm and I knew I was getting that pin. I was waiting for the ref to blow that whistle knowing I had done it and that made me extremely happy!"

Christen walked to the center of the ring and couldn't have been more proud. This was her third win of the season, which was a personal record for her. But it was more than that. " This was one of the only matches where I felt I was really in control since I only let him get 1 point." She was also thrilled about making her coaches proud. "Nothing makes my happier than accomplishing what my coach asked me to in a match."

The boy and his coaches showed a lot of class in defeat. " I shook the kids hand and the ref raised my hand. I went over and shook the Dansville coaches' hands. They told me great job and smiled. While coming back across the mat to my team the kid I wrestled told me good job even though he seemed down.

Her victory was inspiring to her team. "My coaches and team congratulated me and our 285 even told me that my match got him fired up."

It turns out, the victory was the best present she could have asked for, and she gave it to herself. " Just winning that one match put me in a better mood for the rest of the day. I don't win many matches so when I do it really is one of the best feelings ever."

And while Christen knows she won't win gold in the 2020 Olympics, the real medal is the support and confidence she gets from participating in the toughest sport in the world. "This is not just from all the good jobs I get from people but because I feel I have accomplished something great for myself. It makes me feel better that I do stick with the sport and give it my all, because the few moments of winning and the time I spend with my team is all worth it in the end no matter how many loses I get."