As the 25-26 wrestling season kicks off, there are four girls competing this season: Bree Hirsch, Catlin Carnow, Romina Cottam, and Mirabelle Duboeuf.

Bree Hirsch

Senior Bree Hirsch sparked  her passion for wrestling her freshman year. Her father inspired her to try it because  he wrestled in the past. 

This, along with the influence of two other female wrestlers who have since graduated,  resulted in her picking up the sport. 

Joining a sport you never tried before can be intimidating, but Hirsch fought through the difficulties. 

“At first I wanted to quit two weeks in and leave because I felt I didn’t belong. The coaches were surprised when I came back and gave it another shot,” Hirsch said. “I’m proud that I never gave up the sport and continued to persevere even on the hard days.”

Hirsch is an incredibly driven person and likes to work hard. Even when she feels like the sport is not working out for her, she still proceeds to keep pushing through every bump in the road. 

“Bree is a very large part of the reason why I stuck with the sport and she’s just such a good person overall that she brings a sense of humor and lightheartedness to whatever room she’s in while also absolutely dominating whoever she wrestles,” her teammate Carnow said.

Her mindset is what helps her road to success. She is willing to go the extra mile to put in work even when she is struggling. Bree has a me vs me mentality–creating the ability for her to compete against whoever she is determined to beat. 

“Bree has been such an amazing teammate and taught me so much. She’s always super willing to help me with anything I’m unsure of and she’s always super uplifting, even at the end of tough practices,” Carnow said. 

Bree is willing to go out of her comfort zone to make herself a better wrestler. She takes opportunities to grow even if they seem

scary and is prepared to set aside her potential fears if it means she will develop as a wrestler. 

“My freshman year of wrestling, I didn’t want to wrestle guys because I was too afraid. Seeing Annika and Kamile wrestle boys, though, inspired me because it makes you better and stronger in the sport,” Hirsch said. 

Bree is on to her fourth year wrestling and has dedicated so much time into a sport she grew to love. She puts her all into wrestling, pushing herself to the max. 

Caitlin Carnow

Junior Caitlin Carnow got into wrestling last season through two of her friends who already wrestled. For her, it started off as a good source of conditioning for the varsity volleyball team she plays on. 

It seemed like a sport Carnow wouldn’t usually gravitate towards, but it had certain components she liked such as being challenging and very competitive.

Wrestling can be incredibly mentally tough because of how much pressure is put on just one person to perform, especially when you dive into a new sport sophomore year like Carnow did. Her determination led her to have the ability to compete against very experienced people.

Carnow is willing to put herself in situations that are very difficult but ultimately are necessary to shaping the type of wrestler she is today.

“Something I learned was how to lose and get something from each loss while simultaneously reminding myself that I was wrestling girls who had been in the sport for 7+ years while it was my first,” Carnow said.

Carnow has relentless drive and she is a super competitive athlete allowing her to push herself in situations even when it seems impossible.

 “I’ve drawn inspiration from athletes such as Kennedy Blades who is a collegiate wrestler at Iowa and Olympian partially because of the way she wrestlers due to her height, being similar to mine, but mostly because watching her compete is extremely empowering,” Carnow said.

Competing in a sport where both females and males battle can be incredibly intimidating. Having the mindset that anything is possible  is needed for success. 

“Sometimes practicing with men can be challenging, but it definitely pushes me to compete at a higher level. Whenever I pin a guy in practice or defend something and they get caught off guard, it’s always super fulfilling because it proves that gender doesn’t have to define a sport even if it’s based partially on physical strength,” Carnow said. 

Carnow is not afraid to put fears aside and accomplish anything that is put in front of her. She works endlessly proving to herself and others that she is capable.  

“If I could give any girl who is trying wrestling for the first time advice, I would tell her to not feel intimidated by the sport and to wrestle anyone in the room, even if you’re 100% sure you’re going to “lose” because you’ll learn more from losing then you will winning against someone who doesn’t challenge you,” Carnow said. 

Mirabelle Duboeuf

Junior Mirabelle Duboeuf started off high school interested in wrestling but was not very familiar with it. Last year when she was in her strength and conditioning class, she was speaking with a teacher about her curiosity  for trying out for wrestling..  

 “I started to feel like I would actually be able to do it.  And even though I started late, I’m happy I started now then to have never done it at all,” Duboeuf said.

Duboeuf is an extremely competitive person and fearless. Competition drives her and she enjoys being pushed.

“Making it to state in the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Official Association was a highlight for my first year. I made a lot of fun memories with my teammate Bree,” Duboeuf said.

She challenges herself and has an incredibly strong mindset, getting her through tough matches. Especially in IWCOA State, she stayed resilient and motivated even if the outcome wasn’t as expected.

“Even though I didn’t place, I would say I left all my energy on the mat and I come back proud of how much I improved from my first match ever,” Duboeuf said.

Although the strong mentality didn’t come immediately to Deboeuf, she definitely learned how to utilize that mindset throughout her wrestling career so far. 

“I had a big problem mentally before every match. Each time I would immediately doubt myself and look at my opponent and feel as if I had already lost,” Duboeuf said.

Through her teammates and supporters, she has grown as a wrestler. She turned her nerves into excitement and became more confident. 

“I decided to be excited that I get a challenge and chance to show the hard work I put into training,” Duboeuf said.

Competing amongst males can be tough on a highschooler, but Deboeuf doesn’t seem to struggle with that due to her competitive nature. 

“I’m a competitive person no matter the gender. I think having the chance to practice in the same room as guys makes me work harder,” Duboeuf said.

Duboeuf accepts the challenges and has incredible self motivation. She tests her limits and always strives for greatness. 

“Advice I would give is go for it. Don’t be intimidated or discouraged by any of the stereotypes, if anything, prove them wrong,” Duboeuf said.

Romina Cottam

Romina Cottam started wrestling in middle school. She is the last of four Cottams who have gone through and wrestled at Lake Forest High School and is excited to continue the Cottam legacy.  

“I was inspired to join wrestling because of my sister Annika: she started wrestling when she was a freshman after my brothers,” Cottam said. 

Through her wrestling career and from her siblings, she has learned so much. She has overcome so many fears around wrestling and confidence has increased deeply. 

“I’ve had to overcome self-doubt, the physical intensity, and the mental demand of the sport,” Cottam said. 

She turned her fears and doubts into motivation making her a very strong wrestler both mentally and physically. This pushed her to train even harder and to have a strong mindset going into everything. 

“Don’t be afraid to start from scratch. Everyone starts somewhere, the pro in anything was once a beginner,” Cottam said. “Be patient with yourself, progress comes with consistency, it’s going to be hard sometimes, and it’s easier to give up, but giving consistent effort will bring results. 

The next meet is Dec. 10th away at Waukegan High School at 5:30 pm.