Girl Power

For the first time, three girls will represent Palisades High at the City Wrestling Championships, thanks to the efforts of freshmen Alicia Chow, Emma Bolch and Sofia Townsley, who each qualified for the finals in their division at last weekend’s Region 2 Tournament, showing that the sport is not all about the guys.

Chow lost her first match 8-6 on a takedown in the final seconds but rebounded to win her second 7-5 and wound up fifth in the 107-pound class—not bad for someone who started wrestling in September.

“My dad is super into martial arts and since not a lot of girls wrestle he encouraged me to try it because there are scholarships available if you’re good enough,” said Chow, who placed fourth in the Valley Girl Rumble at Monroe. “It’s a big commitment—two hours a day to go to practice and strength training but I’ve learned to be persistent and never give up. We don’t have any classes together but when we see each other in the halls we say hi. It’s worth the sacrifice in the long run to have less hang-out time with friends.”

Bolch thought about wrestling at Paul Revere but decided not to. She also takes karate lessons and likes the physicality of wrestling, so she joined late because she wanted to be part of a team. She lost her first bout by major decision at regionals but pinned her next two opponents before being pinned herself in the third-place match. Her 2-2 record got her fourth at 142.

“I haven’t won any tournaments but I’ve won at three dual meets and the more you do it, the stronger you get,” Bolch said. “My best move is the Hi-C. It’s easy for us to get along being the only girls on the team. Sometimes I’ll wrestle with boys in practice and it’s very tiring and challenging. Everyone’s more experienced than me, the boys are always beating me.”

Townsley tried ballet, boxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu before joining her school wrestling team at her father’s urging. She lost her first match at regionals by fall, but won her next two on pins in the second period to take home the third place medal in the 172-pound division.

“It keeps you in shape and teaches discipline,” Townsley said. “I like the front headlock. I’d rather it be two rounds instead of three but besides that it’s been great. The boys are never mean to us and encourage us to do our best. I’d like to get a scholarship and win City.”