Featured Athlete: Savannah West

Grade: 11 | Sport: Wrestling

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Provided by Savannah West

Junior Savannah West is a member of the Varsity girls wrestling team.

Years played: 3

Wingspan: How long have you been wrestling and what got you started?

West: “I have been wrestling since freshmen year, so this will be my third season. In middle school the wrestling team would come down to Fowler and they would tell us what they do and walk us through their practices. I thought it was really cool and I always thought that team sports were fun, but I’m super competitive, so me and one other person is just how I think can I can be better off and win. You don’t really rely on a team and it’s individual. That’s why I chose to do wrestling was because it is a team sport but it is also individual, so you have to count on yourself to win and just not your team.”

Wingspan: What fuels your passion for wrestling?

West: “What fuels me would be my drive, and my competitiveness. It’s all strength and endurance and it’s just who’s the better wrestler. I am always trying to do more than my opponent and put in the extra reps and run the extra mile so I know that when I step out on the mat I can beat them.

Wingspan: Who inspires you the most?

West: “My mom was a hardcore gymnast and did gymnastics all of her life until she graduated high-school. So I think that her competitiveness is carried through me. My step-dad ran track and did football so he was really competitive too.”

Wingspan: What is your biggest and proudest accomplishment?

West: “My proudest accomplishment was get the most outstanding wrestler at the Coppell Classic out of all the girls there. That was really big. I haven’t been to state yet, but along this season already I have beat previous state qualifiers, and state placers. I’m really excited to see what I can do this season.”

Wingspan: What is going through your head during a match?

West: “Before a match, I am always super nervous. Butterflies in my stomach, but when I step on the mat and the ref blows the whistle it just kind of just disappears. Going through the match, coach tells us not to think too much, if you see a move just hit it. I try not to think about it, but if I see someone at a stance I’ll go for a certain shot or if we’re in up top or bottom I’ll work certain moves instead of others. “

Wingspan: What disappoints you the most about your sport?

West: “I think that some people don’t really understand wrestling. It’s a very different sport and not a lot of people get it or understand why I do it. That’s kind of disappointing to me. In the sport really, some people kind of cheat their way and get away with certain things and find loopholes in the rules. But if you’re the better wrestler you should win anyways.”

Wingspan: What is your biggest struggle?

West: “Ever since last year i tried to drop a weight class. I had to lose a bunch of weight and that was a really hard struggle and it didn’t really work out the way I wanted to. That was very tough. I wrestle 110 and I tried to go down to 102. So i had to lose eight pounds and I have a lot of muscle and not a lot of fat so that was hard for me. But this year I am staying 110 and I’m just trying focus on being as strong as I can be.”

Wingspan: What makes you energetic before a match

West: “What makes me energetic and pumps me up is my best friend, we always pray before our matches and we have this little handshake that we do. That gets exciting. On the bus rides we’ll hype each other up with all of the girls. We’ll have headphones on for our matches just getting warmed up.”