Wingspan: When and why did you start wrestling?
Mendoza: “I joined wrestling over the summer coming into my freshman year of high school because I wanted to lose weight and I wasn’t really comfortable with other sports.”
Wingspan: Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
Mendoza: “My biggest inspiration is probably the new Mr. Olympia, Derek Lunsford. He’s a bodybuilder that goes to my gym that just recently won the title for best bodybuilder in the world. I got a chance to meet him last year and talking to him really inspired me. He used to be a former wrestler and his work ethic in his craft all around is something I look up to.”
Wingspan: What is your favorite part about wrestling?
Mendoza: “My favorite part is probably just the hard work. I’m always striving to push myself further to do more to work harder than last time whether it’s in the gym or on the mat and I feel like wrestling is a big part of that.”
Wingspan: Who is your biggest supporter?
Mendoza: “I’d probably have to say my mom and my coaches. My mom took me to practices and tournaments day and night for the first two years and still shows up to almost every single one of my meets no matter the circumstances. I really appreciate that. And my coaches are really just always there pushing me further and encouraging me.”
Wingspan: What has been your biggest challenge in wrestling?
Mendoza: “My biggest challenge so far was probably losing my coach last year. Starting from my freshman year I had two main coaches which I worked with all year and summer, and midway through last year. Our team has the head coach leave and then the assistant leaves towards the end of the year. It took a big toll on the team’s success as a whole physically and mentally.”
Wingspan: How has wrestling impacted your life?
Mendoza: “Wrestling has really just gave me a new perspective in life. It’s sometimes said that wrestling, as well as other combat sports, is the hardest sport you can do. And after doing something so physically and mentally challenging it makes everything else seem easier and goals more graspable.”
Wingspan: How have you been practicing?
Mendoza: “Practice has been different as we basically almost have a completely new set of coaches with different ways of doing things than we are used to. But at the end of the day practice just really comes down to how hard you want to push yourself and how much work you want to do. I’ve made sure to push myself harder than I have before.”
Wingspan: Thoughts on how the season has gone so far this year?
Mendoza: “I think it’s been pleasantly surprising for everyone. I think I’m doing better than I ever have, and confidence is a big part of that since some opponents can be intimidating, especially since I’m smaller in my weight class. Our girls team and JV team is doing great and our guy’s team is improving with the small numbers we have. Really the only issue is just numbers, we don’t really have a full lineup of all weight classes anywhere, and that hurts our placement. But we are still excelling even with that.”
Wingspan: What are your future plans with wrestling?
Mendoza: “I’m not personally interested in wrestling after college, but I am interested in other sports like bodybuilding and powerlifting, which I have more personal enthusiasm towards.”
