| My name is Whitney Heit and I am a Senior at Bishop Manogue High School. I’ve always loved sports and during my time in high school I’ve participated in: soccer, track, ski team, wrestling and cross country. I earned 5 varsity letters competing in these sports, and I can say with complete confidence that wrestling is my favorite. I joined the wrestling team my Junior year because a couple of friends wrestled at Reed High, so I thought it would be fun. I was introduced to wrestling by attending an open gym that Reed High’s Head Coach Michael Klapp held during the off-season. |
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| I liked the friendly and competitive environment as well as the girls on the team, so I decided to continue. I knew I would be the only girl wrestling for Bishop Manogue, but I didn’t let that stop me. I spent my first couple weeks at practice losing to the guys on the team. However, when the time came to compete in my first ever Girls Tournament, I got some wins. As the season went on, I fell in love with the sport and created long lasting friendships with many girls on the Reed team. It’s an amazing community of girls and I’ve never had such close female friends. |
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| By the time the State Tournament rolled around I had developed as a wrestler. I was lucky enough to have Dan Barraza as my coach. Dan has been coaching Reno area high school wrestling for decades and is a skilled technician. With Dan’s help, I took Third Place at State my Junior year in the 137-weight class. My friend and club training partner from Reed, Celina Cooke, took First Place in the same weight class that year. Celina was my role model for the sport, and she is now the 7th ranked women in her weight class in the nation. It was super important to me to carry on her legacy by taking First Place at State my Senior year. |
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| I joined a club team over the summer and spent a lot of time on the mat. By the time the high school season rolled around I was more than ready to compete again.I was still the only girl on the Manogue team, but this year the guys were not able to push me around. I placed at my first couple tournaments of the season and had a great time with the other girls I had built relationships with from Reed. I wanted to take First Place at State and I was willing to work to get it. I spent an incredible amount of time on the mat every week. Some days I felt like I was getting worse, which was incredibly frustrating. At times, I struggled to manage my weight and was constantly losing or gaining 10 pounds. |
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| When it was time for the Northern Nevada Regionals, I made weight and placed First in my weight class – the journey towards State Competition began. My club team partner, Maria Aiono, and I practiced together in the two weeks leading to State. I wouldn’t have won without her. We watched video on my opponents and then developed strategies to beat them. With Maria’s help, I was prepared for State and had a defense for every one of my opponents. After taking First place at State I was ecstatic! I felt like my hard work paid off. |
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| Wrestling has given me so much, a supportive friend group, unmatched confidence, and the privilege of working with such a dedicated coaching staff. |
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