vLEONARD continued from page 9
can be surprising at times, with people
approaching Leonard’s parents at matches
and expressing awe over her participation.
Other times, however, the reaction isn’t as
supportive.
“People have no problem walking up to
you and voicing their opinion of what they
think of a female wrestling against boys,” Kim
said. “You sometimes hear people on the side
yelling (to the other wrestler), ‘She’s just a
girl, you got this.’ And old men have said to
her ‘You’re still pretty’ after a loss. It’s really
frustrating sometimes.”
She said she reminds Leonard that she
stands out due to her being a girl in a male
dominated sport and that people will be
quicker to judge her.
“If she cries on the mat, they’ll say it’s
because she’s a girl and can’t handle it, even
though boys have cried too,” Kim said. “It’s
an emotional sport; everybody cries. You’re
putting everything out there and it’s very personal.”
Leonard dedicates much of her time and energy into practicing for wrestling matches, from
getting up early on average three mornings a week to work out before school and practicing after
school on weekdays. She has recently begun having practice sessions at the Yankton High School
(YHS) and can already see a difference.
“Training at the high school is a lot more intense than at the middle school,” she noted.
For the last two years, she has trained under the guidance of YHS wrestler Carlos Ruffo, his
father and brothers, Giovanni and Royce.
The family has recently moved away and Leonard has begun working with a new trainer,
though she won’t forget the lessons the Ruffo’s taught her.
“They’ve given me a lot of pointers and taught me a lot of techniques that I had never done
before,” she said.
Getting a taste of what wrestling will be liked at the high school level hasn’t dissuaded Leonard
from continuing it. If anything, it’s fueled her determination to keep going in the hopes of
receiving a college scholarship through her participation in the sport.
She had previously considered taking up boxing to become a UFC fighter, but has since
decided to stick with wrestling.
“I would rather get very advanced with what I already know how to do and go from there,” she
said.
Kim credited Leonard with her ability to juggle training with her school life.
“Wrestling takes a lot of self-discipline, which
she has,” she said. “We don’t have to really
monitor or push her. She knows what she has to
do and does it.”
Leonard noted that there are talks of taking
wrestling out of the Olympics, which she thinks is
a bad idea.
“People put a lot of time and energy into
becoming the best wrestler they can be,” she said.
“Most of the more advanced wrestlers put a lot of
extra time into what they do. They have to make a
lot of sacrifices.”
Those sacrifices are worth it when she is able
to prove any naysayers wrong by coming out of a
match on top.
“Those victories at the end of the matches
are rewarding enough for me,” she said. “I feel
accomplished.” n
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