| Hello, my name is Amayah Barragan. I am Nevada born and raised. I am ten years old and have been wrestling for five years. I wrestle for the Predators Wrestling Club, and my dad is the Head Coach. We moved to Reno from Las Vegas when I was one and a half years old. I decided to start wrestling when I was five, after watching my dad run practices and coach at AGA. |
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| At first, I didn’t know what to expect. It looked fun and there were a lot of kids in the club. I had a rough go when I started, not winning until halfway through my second year. Even then, I didn’t string together very many wins. It wasn’t until last season that I really started seeing success. I was able to become an All American at the 2022 and 2024 Women’s Nationals, where I was Runner-Up both years. Through the sport of wrestling, I have made a lot of new friends that soon became family. I also have experienced a lot of new places. |
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| My passion for wrestling started when my dad gave me the option to “not” wrestle. Once I knew that I didn’t have to wrestle, and that it was up to me since it was my journey, I really started to fall in love with wrestling. The practices, the competitions and the friendships I made have all played a part in my love for wrestling. Wrestling has also really strengthened the bond that I have with my dad. I love traveling with him and learning from him. The long road trips, and especially the trips out of state are some of my best. I love hearing his stories from his past and learning about when he was a wrestler. |
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| Wrestling has really helped me with my confidence and socializing. Before wrestling I was a very quiet and shy girl, but wrestling has helped me overcome many fears. One day I hope to represent the United States and compete on a World Team and the Olympic Team. I’d like to thank my coaches for pushing me and giving me the confidence to be able to achieve such high goals; Coach John, Coach Andres and Coach Luke. One athlete I look up to is Nevada’s Reese Larramendy. I was fortunate to meet her this year at Women’s Nationals, and I watched her make a World Team. I hope to accomplish similar achievements and pave my own way. |
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| Aside from wrestling I enjoy playing Fortnite, helping my grandpa work on cars, riding my scooter and playing softball. I also enjoy going camping, riding quads and barbecues with my cousins. I really enjoy spending time with my family. Thank you for NVSportsLocal for recognizing me and awarding me Athlete of the Month. |
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