Bullitt East’s female wrestler
MOUNT WASHINGTON, Ky. (BVM) — In late 2019, Bullitt East High School’s Mariah Gardner decided to try wrestling out for the first time. She admits that going into the gym with all boys and being the only girl was intimidating and took much confidence to do.
“I’m not gonna lie,” Gardner said. “The first couple of weeks were scary, and I was still not all that confident in what I was doing.”
In the beginning, the boys weren’t sure about Gardner. Some boys didn’t even want to wrestle with her, but once she showed them she was there to train and work hard, Gardner gained their respect.
“My first tournament was Queen of the Mat,” Gardner said. “I received second place, and for that being my first time, it felt pretty good. Competing in an all-boys tournament was a fun challenge because they wrestle differently from when I wrestled girls. I was the only girl there that day and for my first match against a guy from Western, I won! It was such an awesome experience.”
From there, Gardner wrestled two more boys. They were a bit more experienced, but she was not going to let that get into her head. She lasted the full six minutes with them.
“I didn’t win,” Gardner said. “They won by points because I refused to let them pin me. That day was one of the best because many coaches from other schools came up to me to give me compliments and congratulate me. Once my teammates and I were close, the support was amazing. … My coaches would make sure no one would treat me differently in practice because some new guys didn’t want to hurt me. Coach Fossett would just say, ‘You’re not gonna hurt her, she’s tough’ or ‘she wrestles like a guy, so you’re not gonna hurt her.’”
When Gardner went to state, she made sure she stayed focused and tried her hardest. Sadly, her coaches couldn’t be there, but Carly O’Neill and her dad helped and coached.
“Something that I didn’t know until I got home is that I was already placed in second, so even if I lost all my matches, I would still be in second because I had only lost once throughout the normal season with the girls,” Gardner said. “I got second in states, and even though I didn’t get first, it was still a good feeling. I lost my grandpa three years ago and wanted to make him proud. He was my best friend and my No. 1 support.”
One year ago, Gardner broke her ankle. She could not do anything for seven months. She became depressed and thought she was never going to play volleyball as she did before. But, with her confidence from wrestling, Gardner made the club volleyball team Mava.
“I was balancing out wrestling six days a week and volleyball four days a week,” Gardner said. “My stepdad cheered me on and warmed me up by sparing with me before my match routine. I’m looking forward to the upcoming wrestling season.”
After her season was over, Gardner realized how much she had accomplished, considering it was her first time wrestling. She got second in the state and with it, more attention.
“My friend Bailey did a story on me for the yearbook and now I’m in a magazine,” Gardner said. “This helped me be even more bold and confident in myself.”
