On Jan. 13 at Rockwood Summit High School, junior Maggie Ortmann hit 100 wins in her wrestling career. Hitting 100 wins is a huge achievement that not everyone can celebrate in their high school career. This goal wasn’t accomplished easily, Ortmann had to face many challenges so she could experience the rewards.
“My biggest setbacks have just been my mentality. My thoughts are usually the only thing that holds me back,” Ortmann said. “Once I’m able to get past my head and just wrestle, I compete at my best.”
Ortmann experienced an outcome this year that made her training all the more worth it.
“My favorite match of the year was my finals and the Afton tournament. It was the first time I’d ever been in triple overtime and the first time I beat a medalist,” Ortmann said. “It was gratifying to be able to win that long and hard of a match.”
Training for such a hard sport as wrestling it can affect a person both on and off the mat.
“Wrestling is the only thing I’ve cared about so much that I was willing to put my all into. I have given everything I have to succeed,” Ortmann said. “Working for something you love will always make you a better person because you don’t want to fail. Wrestling has given me everything and the least I could do is give it everything back that I can.”
At Washington High School, wrestling is more than just a normal team that learns from coaches. They are connected in many ways others may not understand.
“My team is my family. A lot of sports say that but don’t mean it. The Washington wrestling team has seen me at my highest and lowest and loved me regardless,” Ortmann said. “My coaches aren’t just like my parents, they are. I trust them to help me reach my goals and they trust that I will put my all into achieving them.”
Hitting 100 wins isn’t just a reflection of the coaches or the team, it’s a reflection of how far Ortmann has come. It also prepares her for whatever is to come in the future.
“I plan on wrestling for as long as possible, for sure in college and as far after as I can,” Ortmann said. “I can’t imagine my life without wrestling and I don’t plan to ever have a life without wrestling as a part of it.”
