As the winter season approaches, it not only brings cold weather but also winter sports. Student-athletes are eager to begin training and competing for a variety of these sports, including: cheerleading, basketball, swimming, and wrestling. The season spans from late November to early February, leaving plenty of time for anyone in the Franklin community to catch a match or game and give support to these athletes. When it comes to wrestling, success is not just about competition but also about the teams working together to unite under a common goal.
According to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame,“Wrestling, mankind’s oldest and most basic form of recreational combat, traces its origins back to the dawn of civilization.” Wrestling matches are exciting and fast-paced, with crowds supporting wrestlers and teams throughout their rounds. In simple terms, “Wrestling is a martial art and combat sport that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset,” according to Britannica.
The dedicated student-athletes and coaches look forward to seeing after-school practices and matches. These teammates create a tight-knit bond over the duration of the season united under their mutual love for the sport. “My favorite thing about being on the team is getting to connect with the girls like [by] getting matching pajamas and cheering each other up during each of our matches,” says Adara Ramirez-Hall, a junior at Franklin who is in her second year on the team. This inclusivity gives students a strong sense of community. This is increased with the efforts of the caring coaches who dedicate their time to teach athletes about a sport they are passionate about.
Franklin’s wrestling team has two divisions, women’s and men’s. Steve O’Neill, one of the team’s head coaches, has been coaching throughout Portland Public Schools for the last 30 years. Along with coaching wrestling, O’Neill teaches culinary arts at Franklin.
As one of the head coaches, O’Neill oversees both divisions but primarily coaches the men’s division while head coach Kilsi Naanee leads the women’s division. The head coaches are aided by the team’s four assistant coaches: Doug Richardon, Gio Munoz, Tim Itami, and Grady Holt-Seavy.
O’Neill shared his belief that, “Over the last [several] years, we have slowly built ourselves up to have phenomenal members, really good athletes, [a] great family, and just a really … successful team.” This is supported by the team’s numerous appearances at state competitions, as one of their current senior wrestlers, Dane Hartmann, won third place in state last season.
“My favorite thing about my coaches is that they are really supportive, uplifting, hilarious and, most of all, someone [the team] can count on [to] try their best to make us better at wrestling,” says Ramirez-Hall. The best times are created among teams who encourage and enliven each other to do the best they can.
During preseason this year, the team met in the basement of the gym building to practice their skills and talk with the coaches about the season. It’s common for many sports to start training before the season has officially begun, many starting to train months before. These workouts help keep players in shape during the off-season and ensure they remain ready for the workouts, training, and competition ahead. After the initial pre-season training, Franklin senior Lozen Warner explains,“We have a lot of promising young athletes that seem pretty into it.”
The team has grown stronger throughout the years with the addition of new players, whether those are athletes new to the sport or those who have been competing since the start of youth competitions. “The atmosphere is exciting too, the coaches really care about the team and the athletes, which creates a room that makes you excited to compete and work hard,” says Warner. It’s clear that the coaches are very adored by their athletes and are held in high praise.
Sports can have a powerful connection to unite people together with shared interest and passion. “I just love that we consistently [connect] good individuals into our southeast community, and that wrestling is kind of what brought them to that point,” says O’Neill. Players work with coaches to continue to challenge themselves, encourage each other to persevere, and take the knowledge they learn to the next level. There is no telling how far this team or each individual athlete will go, but the Franklin community looks forward to seeing their achievements this season.
