The Plainfield North girls’ wrestling team has kicked off their 2024-2025 season with a successful start.  More specifically, the girls’ team brought home 3 wins from their first meet back in November. 

Sophomore Viki Rodnikova has returned this season and placed first in her match at Minooka in 2024. Last season, Rodnikova was known for going to sectionals after placing 3rd at the IHSA Regionals. 

“One thing I want to accomplish this season that I haven’t yet is to win state,” Rodnikova said. 

There are many motivations for a person to join a sport, ranging from a friend joining it to seeing an athlete play it on screen. Either way, a lot of people can harbor passion for a sport without realizing it. 

“I was inspired to do wrestling because my older brother had always done it and I found an interest in it later on in life,” junior Meryn Finnegan said.

Before a match, wrestlers often engage in rituals to prepare themselves for the competition. Whether that consists of wearing a lucky sock or praying, athletes often do something to calm their nerves before the competition starts. 

“A habit that I developed to get me in the zone before the match starts is to listen to some music or to start talking to the people around me so I can go into the match with a clear mind,” Rodnikova said.

While placing their focus on doing their best in wrestling, athletes can find it difficult to put in the same effort into their academics. As matches start around 6 pm and end by 8 pm, it can be hard to do the homework given in classes.

“I am trying to use every free minute I get to do homework or prepare for tests,” Rodnikova said. 

There are a lot of challenges that come with wrestling, especially when athletes work so hard preparing for a match just to end up losing. However, there are many ways wrestlers handle losing a game. 

“When I lose a match, I tell myself it’s fine and I can do better in the next match and I learn there’s always room for improvement,” freshman Bella Chavez said.

In addition, it can be challenging for some girls to even try out for girls’ wrestling because of its nature as a male-dominated sport. Due to this, many girls in wrestling encourage others like them to join this sport. 

“For any girl that is interested in girls wrestling: try it out, it is fun, and it’s a great way to stay in shape,” Finnegan said.