Q&A with Newport Harbor All-American wrestler Duda Rodrigues
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — We recognize Duda Rodrigues, a junior on the Wrestling team at Newport Harbor High School. She is undefeated and ranked third in the nation.
We had a Q & A session with Duda Rodrigues, and we can see that she has the mindset of a champion.
What are your personal goals in wrestling?
Duda Rodrigues: My biggest goal is to win as many national titles as possible until I graduate.
What is the biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Rodrigues: Wrestling is really hard mentally and physically, so I always do my best to keep my mind in the right place. I’m always reminding myself of my goals and why I started in the first place.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Rodrigues: To stay true and be loyal to myself and my dreams.
What do you love about your sport?
Rodrigues: I love how challenging it is and how you have to be prepared to overcome yourself.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?
Rodrigues: I like to keep myself focused, so sometimes I will look for a quiet place with no distractions, and I keep myself positive.
What do you like to do outside of wrestling?
Rodrigues: It is rare when I am not doing something related to wrestling, but I am enjoy reading a lot and wish I could do it more often.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Rodrigues: It taught me how to lead by being an example. Some people get more motivated when they see others making it happen instead of just listening about it.
What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?
Rodrigues: Treat yourself like a champion in every word and action.
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.
Rodrigues: During one of my matches in my first national tournament, I made a bad mistake that cost me my victory, and after that I would have to go back to the tournament and try to get third place. I had to reset my mind and learn from that mistake in order to win my next matches, and that’s what I did. After that loss, I won all my other matches and became an All-American.
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