Humans of East: Q&A with Sylvia MohrSting about her recent eighth place ranking at girls’ wrestling state

After finishing fourth place in the regional girls wrestling competition, Sylvia MohrSting became the first girl in East history to ever advance to the girls state competition. State took place on Feb. 22 and 23 during the school day at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas where Mohrsting placed eighth in the state. She reflects on her advancement to state and her placings.

How does it feel that you’re the first girl in East history to ever advance to state?

“[It’s] a lot of pressure, but [advancing to state] feels really good. Going in, I tried to not think about [being the first girl in to advance] a lot because, for me it felt like there was a lot of pressure. It was also an awesome feeling to know that you’re to be the first to do it. I was doing my first couple of matches and I was like, ‘OK, it’s just a normal match you just have to stay calm,’ but in the back of my mind I was like, ‘But it’s not a normal match.’”

How did you do at state and what places qualify for the podium?

“I placed top eight, [but] to place on the podium at state, you have to be top six. And so originally I was like, ‘Man, this sucks.’ [I was] really disappointed, but then I figured [out] I was [top eight in] the whole state and that’s actually pretty insane. So overall, I’m really proud of myself for making it as far as I did.”

Who or what do you attribute your success to?

“One of the main things is probably the five-minute go’s that we do at the end of [practice]. They’re these really intense conditioning [exercises] but they definitely helped me get as far as I did in my matches. A lot of the girls that I wrestled didn’t have the same, as [wrestlers] call, Gasquet or the same endurance as I did. Also, the coaches in general for supporting me and for helping to keep my interest in wrestling going because the coaches could have easily said, ‘Oh, you’re a girl, so we’re not going to pay attention to you,’ but they really helped my partner [Abi Jared Contreras] and I go far in the season.”

After leaving state with a success, are you ready for next season?

“Yes, I am so so excited for next year. I know what to expect now, and we’re gonna try and get more girls [to join wrestling].”