Camilla Alderman is a junior here at Sunlake, and she’s always training hard for wrestling, her sport of choice. All week, Camilla has wrestling practice Monday through Friday, performing intense workouts and drills. When describing her practice, she said “During the week we did buddy carries (carrying each other and running back and forth different ways), rolls, cartwheels, head springs, etc.,” all designed to build strength, agility, and technique.
On Wednesday, Camilla and her teammates rolled up the wrestling mats to get ready for senior night against Anclote High School. Camilla said that “[My] coach still had me make weight because he thought they had someone my weight… turns out she got sick the night before, very sad for me and her.” Though she didn’t compete, Camilla still reportedly had a “very cool” night as the coaches gave speeches and the teams celebrated their seniors.
Camilla’s highlight for the week took place early Saturday morning, with her waking up at 4:30 am to travel three hours to a major tournament at North Myers High School. The tournament featured 30 to 40 different teams and ended with Camilla winning three matches while only losing one. Camilla stated that during one of those matches, “I tore a girl’s shoulder that I was wrestling and now she is out for the rest of the season,” ouch. While it’s not as prominent as football or basketball, wrestling is still a dangerous sport. Still, her efforts paid off, earning her a third-place finish in her weight class. As a team, Sunlake also placed third overall, a pretty respectable accomplishment considering how many other teams were competing that night.
After the tournament, the team had a dinner of Jet’s Pizza during the ride back home. According to Camilla, that tournament marked the end of the season, and now it’s post-season for her and her team. Even with the season now over, Camilla and the rest of the wrestling team are working hard to keep in shape and be ready for their future matches. Once the season starts back up, why not show some support for our wrestling team?
