TAKEDOWN SEASON IS BACK!!

Imagine it's the final match of the tournament. “SHE PUTS HER IN A HALF NELSON AND PINS HER WITH 30 SECONDS TO GO! THE CROWD GOES WILD CHEERING HER NAME! GIRLS YELLING ‘T.O.H, T.O.H’ AS HER HAIND IS RAISED! ”  Wouldn’t that be cool?  Now imagine if it was you!

Last year, Harborfields High School, alongside 3 other schools, had the opportunity to create the first all-girls wrestling team in Huntington called The Town of Huntington, or just TOH. Most of these girls have stated they had never wrestled in their lives nor knew any moves prior to this school year, but once they joined, they picked up the skills quickly and were ready to battle anyone at any time.

Image taken by the LI Advocate when interviewing the team! Click here for the video

One achievement was their home tournament. That's right, I'm talking about our very own STEVEN MALLY TOURNAMENT! For some context, Steven Mally was a graduate student here at Harborfields. In 2004, he went out to pick up his friends from a party when he drifted off into a tree and flipped his car.  His friends were left severely injured, but unfortunately, Steven didn’t make it (NY POST). Ever since, Harborfields has held a round-robin style tournament to remember his legacy.

Alongside our very own Harborfields boys’ wrestling team, the girls were able to join in on the fun, making history for being the first girls’ team in the Tornadoes’ home. They went up against other girl teams such as Rocky Point, Newfield, Mepham, Bayshore, and Riverhead. Once everything ended, Harborfields County winner and Fargo qualifier Kaitlynn Carrion won the “Most Outstanding Wrestler” award after pinning her way to first place.

Image taken by HF Athletic Director Robert Franco of 2 of the TOH members placing at the Mally, including our very own graduated senior Stephanie Phillips (middle).

Another memorable moment for TOH was their final meet and action-packed rematch against the BayShore Marauders. “We had faced them previously earlier in the season and came up short. In our final match, we won, 54-51. This win truly showed the growth of the girls’ skill level this year,” Coach Canino of Huntington High School said. Canino referred to TOH's first meet ever, coincidentally here at HF against the Mauderes. While skill and place changed for the girls, the thing that stayed the same was the energy in the room from both the wrestlers and the audience as motivating screams filled the room. 

The amazing thing about this is that New York State is one step closer to fully sanctioning the sport. According to FloWrestling, only 563 girls were recorded for joining the sport in 2022, which led to it being categorized as “an emerging sport”. In 2023 that number increased to 1147 and it keeps on getting bigger each day! 

Here is an image showing the change in numbers according to FloWrestling. Click here for the article!

One of the reasons it sticks with people is because it forces you to be your best self. “Wrestling is a powerful sport for girls because it teaches how to own their space, their voice, and their body. Every time you get knocked down, you have to get back up." Sally Roberts of Minnesota says. In other words, no matter what you do, you have to keep pushing and you have to show that you are the one with control. 

Wrestling is the best example of both a team sport and an individual one. On one hand, you have to work and practice with other people and you play an important role in the success of the team, but in many other ways, it’s all you. You are the one on the mat wrestling for 6 minutes. Nobody is there to save you which is why it gives you a sense of accomplishment. Like Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc once said, “I just need to give the best of myself and work on myself.”. 

When I asked some of my teammates how wrestling changed them and how they decided to join in the first place, here is what they said:

This is Sally Roberts, a Minnesota wrestling champion and founder of Wrestle Like a Girl.

“ I love all the work that the coaches and players put into to make this an amazing sport wrestling is a very exciting sport” -Kaitlyn Costa of Harborfields-TOH

“ I am thankful that I was given the opportunity to be a part of such an amazing team” - Taylor Aiello of John Glenn-TOH

“Wrestling has changed me because it’s opened new opportunities for my future as well as helped me develop a disciplinary and consistent perspective within the sport and life itself .” - Camilia Hidalgo of Walt Whitman-TOH

“ I love that feeling, especially when you do your best, I feel great. Even if I don't win, at least I know I didn't slack off…I liked this sport I'm going to do better next year.”- Aylin Davila of Huntington-TOH

For me personally, there is just so much I could talk about when it comes to why I fell in love with this sport. First off, I had something to look forward to such as a practice or a meet, even when that day wasn’t necessarily the greatest. I made new friends and I healed my mentality when it came to believing in myself.

Before the winter season, I would say, “Whatever, it's good enough.” But, wrestling forced me to push myself because nobody, and I mean NOBODY wants to be the one getting thrown to the ground 24/7. Instead, I said, “Keep pushing Yes, you got this, c’mon!”I know it's a little cringy, but it really helped me. I remember vividly my first win and I remember being super but deep down I knew that I always had it in me.

I went up to Coach Bilello (HF coach) crying and repeating the phrase, “I finally did it!”.  Before that, I had a MAJOR losing streak without any wins and I remember questioning myself on why I wasn’t picking up anything as quickly as the other girls, but from that moment on I knew it was my time. I knew that all my hard work paid off and that this wouldn’t be the end of it.

If you’re interested in learning about how I personally got into the sport then click here.

Now why out of all the sports am I writing about this one? A new sport barely a year old here at Harborfields, well, it's because I want to share my passion for it with the world. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to join the team last year and I'm so glad I took my shot. As mentioned, it has not only impacted my life but the lives of many others too! This is a sport that no matter what happens, you will not regret joining. 

Written by Yoselin Xiomara Benitez Almendares