It is not a typical thing to see a female wrestler wrestling for the Falcons wrestling team, but freshman 125 pounder Adriana Alcaraz is committed to proving she’s worthy against her male teammates.
Alcaraz is one of three women who are a part the Falcon’s wrestling team this season at Cerritos College.
Her first stint with wrestling started in her junior year at Downey High School.
Other than wrestling, Alcaraz is also majoring in cosmetology.
“Adrianna is kind of new to wrestling. She wrestled one year in high school, so to make that jump from a high school team to a college one is a big jump,” head coach Don Garriott said.
“She is actually the one that is the most consistent. She’s at practice everyday. For her, I think she is using this year to be better.”
Alcaraz’s future plans include the possibility of transferring to UC Davis.
As of right now though, she is trying to accomplish all her goals she has set for herself.
She said about her team, “It gives you a chance to show what you really have. Since I’m a girl, it gives me a chance to see what kind of skills I have. And even if I don’t know (something), I can learn more and more everyday.”
Alcaraz’s parents weren’t that supportive in her choice to continue participating in wrestling.
“To this this day, they aren’t supportive at all. They said that I should be more of a girly-girl and join a girl sport.”
Garriot said about the females on his team, “Female wrestling has become such a common thing, I don’t really think there is a reaction toward them on the team. A lot of the guys are kind of focused on their own thing.”
Alcaraz talked about how the other wrestler’s on the team support her.
“They treat me equally, (it) doesn’t matter if I am a girl. They will still kick my ass no matter what.”
Her goals for this semester is to get her Associates degree.
Alcaraz goes into what she wants to accomplish in wrestling, “I really want to go to Nationals. I hope I do one day,”
“Even though people tell me that ‘you can’t because your a girl’ and this and that, I’m sure if I (stay) positive and I do what I got do, I would probably make it.”
Dalton Foster, 133 pounder, gives his thoughts on Alcaraz and the rest of the women on the team.
“I am actually very impressed with them, they have been coming out and they have been working just as hard as any of the guys and they have been competeing just as well as any of the guys.”
Foster said about the genders meshing with one another, “I have nothing against them, if they are willing to put in the effort that the rest of us are willing to put in then I got nothing against them.”
George Mariscal, 133 pounder, said, “To me, it seems like anyone who is actually willing to do the sport of wrestling, whether you would be a male or female, I give mad props to anybody who is willing to come out to the sport.”
He added, “I don’t think it’s a sport for everbody. It’s definetly hard, you really need to put the work in. For (wrestling) being a male dominant sport, us having some women coming out to the team, I think its great. I think they’re doing a great job, i feel like they’re working hard (and) they’re putting the time in.”
“I really don’t see them as a female, I see them more as my teammate. i would definetly say there is that camaraderie, even though there is that sex border.”
Garriott goes on to talk about Alcaraz and the other women wrestlers.
“The best way I can put their work ethic is, I don’t even notice them during practice. I mean, if someone is not doing a certain thing, you notice that.
“I always got guys who aren’t running, or who are hurt or whatever. I don’t even notice the girls in practice, so they must be doing what everybody else is doing.”
She talked about her inspirations for participating in the sport, “My inspirations are my coaches. They taught me from day one (how to do) the basics and taught me to do whatever I set my mind to do.”
Even though there is no women’s wrestling team at Cerritos College, Coach Garriot mentioned the possibility of one.
“There’s talk of women having their own wrestling team, because it’s getting so big in high school that we’re talking about bringing it into junior colleges.”
