Athlete of the Month |
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| Celina Cooke |
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| Pictures and Content courtesy of The Cooke Family |
| I’ve always been really close with my brother. So, when he started wrestling in middle school, I was forced to go to every single one of his wrestling events. I rarely ever even watched, but by some magic I decided to wrestle club at the start of my 7th grade year, and let me tell you, it was ROUGH. I was pretty un-athletic and not coordinated at all, and honestly, I don’t know if I even knew my right from my left. Suddenly, my brother became my coach, and he pushed me harder than anyone. He has always been my biggest fan…other than my mom. My family was always all in when it came to me; it was either practice every day all the time, or “I guess you are a quitter and don’t want it bad enough.” At the time, I didn’t understand the reason for all that hard work and dedication, but I know now and I’m pretty thankful for it. But back then, most days I was forced to go to practice and there were days I even thought I hated wrestling. |
| It wasn’t all bad though; I had a really amazing opportunity that I can say most girls in the country didn’t have. This was the opportunity to have female partners and to be in an environment that was extremely welcoming to girls. That’s all thanks to Coach Klapp, and his continued dedication and support to the growth of girls wrestling. I honestly don’t even know if I would have wanted to wrestle if there were no girls. Not only did I have female practice partners, but I also had amazing female role models, which is something I am extremely grateful for. Although I was goofy in my early years, I still had success. I’ve got to say that my biggest highlight from back then was when I dominated a boy at the middle school championships, hurting probably more than his pride! I’ve never had so many women come together to congratulate me. I was every mom’s hero that night, and it was awesome. |
| My Freshman year I began wrestling at Reed with Coach Klapp and I won State. That year I probably spent most of my practices crying because I got beat up everyday by one of my biggest role models, Morgan Norris. Getting beat up every day sounds like a bad thing, but it’s really not. Her beating the snot out of me everyday made me mentally and physically stronger, and it gave me an amazing work ethic because she pushed me to my limits everyday. I really can’t thank Morgan enough for beating me up back then, because I wouldn’t be half the wrestler I am today without her. I can’t stress enough how much I look up to her even now. |
| My Sophomore year I had extreme highs and lows in wrestling. I won State, again dominating the tournament. I also placed 3rd at Reno Worlds in 15u. However, I had plenty of losses that truly hurt my confidence, and I felt like I hit a wall and wasn’t getting any better. Towards the end of my Sophomore year, I was introduced to Coach Nolan and Coach Joey, and they completely flipped my mindset around with their support. I finally felt confident in myself and in my wrestling, and that is truly something I am super grateful for. They have absolutely reshaped me as a wrestler and helped me rediscover what made me fall in love with wrestling. This past year with Silver State has been a blast, traveling the country and hitting every tournament we could through COVID-19. I can’t thank everyone at Silver State enough for their continued support, and I’m really excited to see what this next year holds for us. |
| I’ve been wrestling for about 6 years now. It’s crazy to think that it’s been that long. It’s even crazier to see how I’ve grown from a goofy un-athletic middle schooler to 23rd in the Nation. I’ve put my heart and soul into this sport, and I have no idea what I’d be without it. Wrestling has taught me so many lessons and has shaped me into the person I am today. I am going into my Senior year, and I have every intention of continuing my career in college, wherever that may be. |
| I would like to give a special thank you to: • Coach Mike Klapp • Coach Josh Nolan • Coach Joey Ghione • Coach Cody Dixon • Coach Chris Gordon • Coach Herc Ward • My partners and teammates • My Brother Seth • My friends • Anyone who has ever been in my corner • The wrestling community and Team Nevada • My parents None of this would be possible without your support! |
