By Ken DeLaat This Tuesday, December 3rd, Maya Hambrock will become the first woman in the county to commit to a college level in the sport of wrestling when she signs on to compete for the Alma Scots. Ms. Hambrock is a senior at Fremont where she also competed on the soccer field for the Packers. We caught up with this very busy grappler to pose a few questions. When did you start wrestling and what led to your interest in it? I started wrestling my freshman year of high school. I wanted to try new things after playing basketball in middle school. I knew a few people that wrestled, including my brother, and decided to just go for it, even though I was a bit intimidated. I’m so glad I stuck it out. I really am thankful for all that I’ve learned about the sport and myself. Are you competing in both girls and boys matches? Yes, I am. When I first began wrestling, there weren’t many girls to wrestle. The majority of my matches have been with boys. Which has been challenging and a good way to grow. When we had girls at meets, we sometimes had to lump weight classes together to get specific girl matches in. There were a lot of times, I wrestled up just to get that experience. In the last year, girls wrestling has really grown, so we are seeing more girls on teams, which is really exciting. I’d still like to see more! I know there are a lot of girls that would love to wrestle and I hope they decide to give it a try! This year, I am honored to be a captain for both the girls and boys teams. Alma has a young team and I believe they have only been competing a few years.. What made you choose the Scots? Many of the collegiate level teams are extremely new. Alma started building in 22-23, but officially rostered a varsity team last year with their first recruited athletes.I was honored to be there at their first home match of the season last year. It was exciting to be a part of it all. I chose Alma to continue my wrestling career because of the support you feel there. It’s great to see a school really support a program and its athletes. Coach Pizzo has been really working hard to build Alma’s women’s wrestling program and I’m very excited to be a part of this team! I met Coach Kaitlyn Pizzo about 2 years ago when she first came to Alma and I was on a campus visit. Then I stayed in touch with her over the years going to camps and workouts. She has been a huge supporter even before I decided to go to Alma. She truly wants to see this sport grow and I appreciate her advice and encouragement. She has personally had an impressive wrestling career. She brings great knowledge and talent that I am excited to learn from. The environment is very inclusive, supportive and dedicated. I am so honored to be a Scot! Women's wrestling seems to be gaining in popularity. There’s talk of the first NCAA Championship in the sport arriving by 2026 and it even made an appearance at the Olympics. Can you share what the increased recognition means to you as an athlete?It’s really exciting to see this movement. I am happy to see the growth, especially so quickly. It shows that there are many girls excited to wrestle and that want to learn the sport. I want young girls to see all these women making history and change so that they can know they are capable and able to do anything. Watching these women in the Olympics was amazing. It’s very empowering to see females like me out there doing these really high level events. Is there an athlete in the sport you admire?I admire Tamyra Mensah-Stock, Adeline Gray and Sarah Hildebrant. They are amazingly talented wrestlers. I think Kennedy Blades and Amit Elor are so fun to watch too. I hope they know there are younger athletes like me that are looking up to them! There are still pockets of people who disapprove of women’s wrestling, particularly if they are competing with boys. How would you answer those folks? There are definitely people that disapprove for many reasons and I have absolutely heard many things since I’ve wrestled. I would say on one level, I do get it. In an ideal world, girls would have their own teams, practices and competitions. That is what we are working towards.It is the hope. There is an obvious difference in male and female athletes, however, wrestling one another does build your skill based on different strengths and weaknesses. However, I also would say that judging me because I am a girl in a more prominently male sport is sad and you are absolutely part of the issue. I think women, in general, often face bias and it's particularly sad that people don’t see that by saying these things it causes some female wrestlers to quit. Pushing girls out of the sport is NOT the answer. Supporting them and investing in them is. We have a lot of girls that want to wrestle, but worry too much about what people will say or think. There needs to be more of a focus on HOW we make this happen. How can we build our female program? If you look at the growing numbers across the nation, you will see this is not going away. It is time to become a focus. Personally, I use these things as fuel to build on. I’ll just push harder. Work more. I was raised to believe I could do anything and I’m thankful for that. I have found this amazing opportunity through doing the hard stuff. I hope other young girls will see this and know they are more than what others think. What are your initial thoughts about a field of study and how do they match up with your current career goals?
I plan to study secondary education with a focus on Art. I hope to minor in coaching so that I can give back by coaching. I’d love to teach and coach high school kids. I love sports and art, so it is a perfect combination! Alma has great programs for all of my goals. Alma offers many creative opportunities and nearly a third of students get involved in some type of performance arts while there. What interests do you have outside of your career goals? Yes, they have great arts programs! It is another reason Alma is a perfect fit. I love singing and hope to be a part of the choral program there. I’ve been lucky to visit the new choral professor a couple of times and was just there for their holiday concert. It was really inspiring. Who have been your mentors in the sport along the way? I’ve been lucky enough to have some great coaches. Definitely Coach Z and Doc Thome when I first started were a huge part of why I stuck it out. I’ve worked with a couple of coaches that really invested in my growth and technique and I’ve been lucky enough to have some captains that really were positive leaders I looked up to. I’ve had great wrestling partners and some teammates that always supported me and never let me give up. Looking up and seeing my brother, Briar, always made me feel supported and he helped guide me. He really believes in me and I loved wrestling with him until he graduated. What would you tell younger athletes (girls) who have an interest in the sport? I would tell young girls to definitely give wrestling a try. Don’t worry about what other people say. Have the courage to do what you love. My mom always told me that anything great is just past facing your fear. If nothing else, wrestling is a sport that forces you to face your fears. You’ll learn so much in this sport. You’ll gain confidence, physical and mental strength and a great understanding of what it means to trust yourself. Above all else, have fun with it! I’ve grown so much because of wrestling. It isn’t easy, but so worth it! Be a part of something great. I believe in you! What will you miss the most about high school? Besides sub days at lunch? I’ll miss the time I got to spend with my friends and the teachers I grew really close to. They supported me in my goals and allowed me to see my potential. I’m really grateful that they encouraged me to grow my skills. Instead of saying a project was too difficult, they helped me think of ways to complete it. Also wanted to ask you about soccer and if you will continue to play at some level, i.e. intramural? I love playing soccer! I played this fall and it really helped me get prepared for wrestling season. I absolutely hope to continue my soccer career past high school. I can’t imagine not playing! Coach Pizzo and I did discuss this and she is okay with me playing as long as I stay healthy and injury-free. Anything to add? Can I add a Thank You? I’d like to thank my family for their support. Especially my mom who has been there for everything and always has my back.
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