Tanya Kusse, a senior, is the first girl on the Webster Schroeder Varsity wrestling team. She has been holding her own in a very male dominated arena. Here is an interview Tanya gave with mpnnow.com:
Q: What made you decide to get into wrestling?
A: I wanted an individual sport and swimming wasn’t for me, so I just tried wrestling because my parents encouraged me to. It worked and I stuck with it.
Q: What is it about wrestling that made you go into it as opposed to tennis or running?
A: The feeling of winning, knowing that you are able to beat someone by hard work. On the mat one-on-one, it’s the best feeling. I’ve tried other sports, but that’s the only one that makes me feel that way.
Q: How was it for you coming into a male-dominated sport? Did it take awhile to be accepted by the guys?
A: The first two to three years it was challenging, very challenging. Sometimes I wanted to quit, but I kept going with it, and all the guys love me and I love them. We’re as close as we can be. We’re practically family.
Q: When you go out against opponents from other schools, what is the reaction?
A: A lot of them kind of just stare. Most of them don’t know how to wrestle me. Sometimes they’ll be trying to grab something and they’ll feel awkward, I guess, trying moves. I’m a different shape and everything. They shouldn’t be really surprised but by now they all know that I’m there and I will beat on them, if I have to.