Siblings on the Same Field: Lucy Bircher and Abi Contreras developed a passion for wrestling after both of their parents and older siblings wrestled as well

Sweaty mats, the risk of ringworm, a knee to the face and blood dripping to the floor. To outsiders, it may be hard to understand the appeal of wrestling when faced with these risks. But, to freshman Lucy Bircher and senior Abi Contreras, they can overlook these inconveniences to pursue their passion.

Both Lucy and Abi’s older brothers grew up wrestling. After years of watching them, they both started the sport in middle school and developed their own love for the sport apart from their older brothers’ legacies.

All three of Abi’s older brothers placed at least once at the state championships, while two of them are two-time state champions. 

While Abi admired her siblings, their legacy came with some high expectations once she joined the team at East her freshman year.

“The first year I started wrestling, a lot of people were like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna have another state champion,’ this and that,” Abi said. “I don’t think they realize how hard it actually is to become state champion.”

Abi and Lucy encourage each other after meeting two years ago at wrestling camp during the summer. The girls have been friends ever since. Even though they’re in different weight classes, they’ve practiced wrestling against each other several times in the past. 

Lucy’s wrestling career began, not only by following in her brother’s footsteps, but with a sport she’d done her whole life: Jiu jitsu. 

Jiu jitsu is a sport like wrestling, both involving fighting on your feet and on the ground — some skills can be used in both sports. Lucy’s dad, Jason Bircher started a dojo — Kansas City Brazilian Jiu Jitsu — six years ago. As a black belt, he teaches jiu jitsu to students of all ages. 

Lucy goes to her dad’s dojo around five times a week to practice jiu jitsu and help her dad teach younger kids.

“There’s been days where at school it’s just really frustrating,” Lucy said. “And then I come [to practice jiu jitsu], I let all my anger out through other people.”

As an alternative to daycare, Lucy and her brother, senior Jackson Bircher, were brought along to their dad’s dojo five to six times a week, four hours a day. From before she could walk, Lucy would watch her dad teach adult classes.

“I remember Lucy was super tiny, and she had no idea that she had to stay off the side while [our dad] was teaching,” Jackson said. “She’d run out onto the mat, just jump on his back and try to choke him, which I thought that was really funny for like, a 4 or 3-year-old to do.”

Over the last few years, skills that Lucy developed in jiu jitsu like knowing how to take someone down and creating her own strategy proved to be useful in her wrestling matches in middle school. This ultimately led to her placing sixth at state last year, despite an MCL injury. 

Throughout the years, Lucy often injured her shoulder or knee at wrestling matches, bringing her close to quitting, but the one thing that kept her going was setting goals for herself. 

Her goal this year? To win state. 

Though Abi didn’t qualify for state last year, her goals for wrestling on the girls’ varsity team this  year is to build more muscle and, like Lucy, to win the state championship.

“I think, because it’s my last year, I want to do the best that I can,” Abi said. “If I win state, that would be literally the biggest blessing ever.”

Last year, Abi returned home after a trip to Mexico the night before a big tournament. She almost wasn’t allowed to wrestle. She weighed in on her scale, and she was one and a half pounds over the specifications of her weight class of 115 pounds.

“I was sweating, I was spitting, like I was going to the bathroom, everything, and I was even considering cutting my hair a little bit,” Abi said. 

They allowed her to weigh herself on three different scales after the first time. She got on the first scale and she was 0.2 over 115 pounds. When she stepped on the second scale, she was still 0.2 over. 

“So…I got on the third scale, and I prayed, like, I prayed so hard, and took out as much air in my body as I could, suffocating myself,” Abi said. “And then that one said I was 115 on the dot.”

Though some may attribute the younger siblings’ skill to their family’s genetics, to Lucy and Abi, it’s all hard work and discipline. 

Whether it’s cutting weight in order to meet their weight class requirement or attending wrestling practice 12 hours a week to practice drills and learn moves, they work hard to achieve their goals with help from their parents and siblings. 

“I’m there to be rough and tough on [Lucy], so therefore she doesn’t feel rough when someone else [wrestles with her],” Lucy’s brother, Jackson said. “My dad always says it looks like we’re trying to kill each other, but then we get up and laugh, so it’s light hearted.”

Both of their families have shown up to almost every one of their wrestling matches to support them. Jackson uses his wrestling experience to help Lucy improve her technique and skill by being there to support her, while still trying to beat her.

Crossface! Double leg! Chin strap!

Through the voices of the crowd and her coaches during a wrestling match, Lucy can always pick out her dad Jason’s voice as it rises above the others — giving her advice for certain moves based on her situation. 

At the same time, Jason doesn’t want to put too much pressure on Lucy to practice jiu jitsu or wrestling. 

“I think that I have to be very cautious that my obsessiveness with [jiu jitsu] isn’t something that makes them feel like they have to have it in their lives,” Jason said. “I’ve always given them the space to take breaks when they want to.”

Similarly, Jahir Contreras, a two time wrestling state champion who attended East two years ago, and Abi’s youngest of her older brothers, tries his best to alleviate pressure from Abi to win the state championship.

“[Abi] doesn’t have to be me, she isn’t me,” Jahir said. “She has her own legacy.”