Beckler Durst, a senior on the Varsity wrestling team, has been wrestling throughout her high school career. She has been a key player on the team, especially now in her final year at LJHS. Her determination and motivation for the sport make her shine as a supporting teammate and strategic player on the mat.
“How long have you been wrestling?”
“I’ve been wrestling since Freshman Year back in Tennessee, then I moved to San Diego after sophomore year, where I continued wrestling until senior year.”
“Are you planning on going to college, and do you plan on wrestling there?”
“If I go to community college, then yes, otherwise no.”
“How has your experience been with your team?”
“My experience has been wonderful throughout the years. I definitely have a very supportive environment here at LJHS. Since the girls’ team is rather small, we’ve all become very close and bonded. My teammates are motivating and always happy for each other’s success. Through the wins and losses, we’ve stayed determined and have never given up.”
“What got you into wrestling?”
“Originally, I had no desire for the sport, but there was a girl in my ballet class back in Tennessee, my Freshman year, who started talking to me about joining the wrestling team with her. That’s how I got into the sport, and I’ve really grown to enjoy it ever since.”
“Do you think that the mats are well cleaned?”
“It’s funny you mention it, because last year so many people got skin diseases from the mats. Yet, this year we got new mats, and there are mat managers who come and clean them before games and practices.”
“How do you handle a difficult teammate or someone blaming others?”
“I would say something to the coach, or directly to the person respectfully.”
“How do you learn to improve from your mistakes?”
“What I do after most matches is watch the film back and pinpoint where I made mistakes so that I can learn from them and improve so I don’t do it again in the future. Also, I’ll ask some of my friends on the team what they thought to get more input from other experienced wrestlers.”
“What’s the best advice you’ve received from a coach?”
“There was a coach named Coach Feldman who came to the school to talk to the team. He said to win, you need a predator mindset, to be fierce on the mat, and not make excuses for yourself.”
