Mara Eason’s earliest impressions of wrestling had little to do with the sport that she’s been involved with during all four years of high school.
“When I thought of wrestling, I always thought of the ropes and the ladders … like the WWE,” the LaPorte senior said. “But my brother did it and, instantly, it was something I wanted to do.”
Eason played plenty of other sports while growing up, which helped make the transition into wrestling a smoother one.
“I was always into more physical sports,” she said. “I played Pop Warner football and was in tae kwon do.”
Of course, being a female in a sport heavily populated by males brings certain obstacles.
“I wanted to prove myself and show that I belonged. That was the hardest part,” said Eason, who sees varsity time at 145 pounds. “But I knew right away that it was for me.”
Eason is part of a growing trend of female wrestlers competing in high school sports. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, there were 11,496 female wrestlers in the 2014-15 school year — a 16 percent increase over the 2013-14 number of 9,904.
“It’s much more accepted now. It’s a lot easier. They all take it a lot more seriously when we’re here,” Eason said. “There’s a lot more support — it’s like a giant community now.”
During her junior season at LaPorte, Eason wrestled against another female in an IHSAA-sanctioned match for the first time in her career.
“The whole tournament was watching us,” Eason said. “It was really exciting.”
She won that match, too.
But it was last summer when Eason got her biggest taste of that wrestling community, when she competed at 139 pounds for Team Indiana at USA Wrestling’s Junior Women’s Freestyle Duals.
Although Eason was 0-2 in the individual portion of the tournament, she went 6-0 while representing Team Indiana.
“There were wrestlers from everywhere and there were all these girls. I was still new to it, so it was amazing to see so many girls doing the same thing that I am,” Eason said. “Wrestling with the guys is one thing, but wrestling with other girls is a completely different feel. I ended up doing pretty well out there.”
Eason’s focus is currently centered on her final season of high school wrestling, but she does have plans to continue her wrestling career at the next level — with a growing list of options for female wrestlers.
“It’s the way things are developing,” LaPorte coach Louis Kudzas said. “You’re seeing more and more college-level women’s programs being established. I have no question that she can compete for a women’s program at the college level.”
Eason also hopes to leave an impact on the minds of younger athletes that have similar career goals.
“We have two girls in our middle school program, and I’ve talked to them — I’d really like to see them continue on. I’d like to see more girls follow through with it,” she said.
Courtesy of: Chicago Tribune