ALL THE RIGHT MOVES

For the first time in Kimball, 14 junior high girls are being exposed to the sport of wrestling.

A special upbeat attitude existed in the wrestling room, and it was apparent that the young girls enjoyed their tough practices. The girls were hard-working yet thoroughly having fun.

Girls could compete in Federation wrestling but were matched up with boys. This is the first time that girls will be wrestling girls. The consensus from the young ladies was that "wrestling gets you stronger for everything else."

Other reasons for trying out the sport included "learning to be more mobile, trying something new, and conditioning."

Karsyn Chesley said wrestling has made her "work hard and do things she had never done before."

Head coach Katie Culek and assistant Beth Brown begin their practices with stretching, then skills and conditioning.

Finally, they focus on moves like the chop and jam. Culek hopes that they will have perfected 8-10 moves at the conclusion of the season. Bodee Carruthers said she likes doing the top work and learning those moves.

Culek said, "The very first week, they didn't even know how to control their bodies. They have really, really improved."

The competition is divided by weight and criteria. Their first meet was Friday in Hemingford and proved successful with first-place winners Aurelia Bohac, Noley Brower, Jaylay Graves and Emmaline Tabor. Second-place finishers were Deanna Solis and Bodee Carruthers. Karsyn Chesley took fourth place, fifth place went to Dakota Nunley and Tiffany Gosselin, and Alexis Kauffman took home a sixth-place medal.

For the most part, Culek is starting from scratch. Some of the girls had not even seen a wrestling match. But those young ladies who have a brother in wrestling have a slight advantage because they have been exposed to the sport, spent many Saturdays watching federation wrestling, and have had wrestling experiences at home with their brothers.

Their next meet is with Mitchell on Friday.