Girls\u2019 wrestling is a rapidly growing sport, with more than more than 74,000 girls participating at the high school level, according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n But many schools do not pay for students to participate in tournaments and the costs for travel and high-end equipment can total well into the thousands.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The Bronx Times spoke with Ramirez, 15, who started wrestling in seventh grade and quickly became a standout.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Ramirez said she\u2019s always been athletic, and when she met an older female wrestler at the Bronx High School of Science,\u00a0something clicked. \u201cI was like, oh, this is pretty cool. I like throwing people.\u201d<\/p>\n Riverdale\/Kingsbridge Academy has a co-ed wrestling team but no girls-only team, so started with the girls at Bronx Science. For months, she practiced after school every day, went on a strict diet, and flexed her time management skills to balance homework, practices and other commitments.<\/p>\n Her hard work soon paid off, as she won the city championship with Bronx Science and went on to place first in her weight class and age group at the state tournament. From there, she placed fourth at the regional tournament and qualified to compete at nationals in July.<\/p>\n This summer, Ramirez said she plans to participate in tournaments in both Indiana and North Dakota. But her quick success in the sport left her family somewhat unprepared for the costs, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re supposed to start saving up beforehand, but I didn\u2019t really know that, because we didn\u2019t expect me to go to nationals this year.\u201d Wrestling can be a surprisingly expensive sport when you have to buy top-notch shoes, headgear, kneepads and singlets and pay for travel and accommodations, Ramirez said. The GoFundMe has thus far raised about $2,300 out of a $7,000 goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ramirez said she\u2019s truly found her community in girls\u2019 wrestling. She said she\u2019s made many friends from all over, and girls even do each other\u2019s hair before matches.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn wrestling, if you see a girl, they\u2019re typically really nice,\u201d she said. \u201cIf they\u2019re better than you, they\u2019ll help you and provide support.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As for representing her school in the upcoming nationals, \u201cMy approach is really to have fun and to do my best, and see where I\u2019m standing and what I need to focus on to get better for next year.\u201d<\/p>\n Ramirez\u2019s mom, Raquel Oriol, said she was completely \u201ctaken aback\u201d by her daughter\u2019s interest in wrestling \u2014 and how quickly she showed real talent for the sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n When Angelina mentioned interest in the team, the first image that popped into her mom\u2019s mind was of WWE-style smackdowns.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI was actually driving and tightened my grip on the steering wheel. I was like, what?\u201d Oriol said.\n<\/p>\n Angelina was already involved in martial arts, but Oriol saw how much her daughter loved wrestling. At one point, she found out that Angelina was skipping an afterschool program to \u201csneak into the boys\u2019 practices every day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe was wrestling in jeans,\u201d Oriol said. \u201cI was like, this is something my daughter really loves and enjoys.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n In fact, Angelina was so committed, she made the ultimate sacrifice to better her wrestling performance: \u201cShe\u2019s giving up candy. So it\u2019s definitely a passion of hers.\u201d<\/p>\n At times, Angelina was the only freshman on the all-senior roster and the only female starter.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s definitely an emotional experience to see your daughter go out there and wrestle with some boys,\u201d Oriol said. But she too started learning the technique of the sport and saw that both RKA and Bronx Science were teaching care and safety for the young athletes. \u00a0<\/p>\n With her daughter set to compete on the national level, Oriol said she\u2019s proud.\n<\/p>\n \u201cShe loves it, and I enjoy being part of this journey with her.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Reach Emily Swanson at\u00a0eswanson@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0(646) 717-0015<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n
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Angelina qualified for nationals after just two years in the sport. Photo courtesy Raquel Oriol\n<\/p>\n