Girls wrestling on the rise at Seneca East

Leave it all out on the mat. For Seneca East, the girls wrestling team is following the advice that all Tigers are given by their coaches: give it everything you got, and success will come. Like most of the schools, they started with girls practicing with the boys until the sanctioning happened. As the numbers grew, and more girls events were available, Athletic Director Doug Mason and wrestling coaches Greg Bordner and Travis Salyer approached the board of education, as well as school administration and made one simple request: make girls wrestling an officially recognized varsity sport as well as a junior high sport. It was approved, and the split was born. There are two Tigers that are credited for being the pioneers of the program. Two years ago, Kiera Depinet and Kendyll Salyer were just two seventh grade girls that decided to wrestle on the mat. While Depinet competed during her younger years, Salyer made the decision to wrestle after being around it her life. Both finished their junior high careers with achievements. Depinet was a two-time OAC junior high girls champion and Salyer was an OAC junior high state runner-up. They both enjoyed it so much that the next logical step was to move into high school girls wrestling, and thus started the high school team version. "I have been coaching wrestling for a long time," former Columbian coach and now SE assistant coach Travis Salyer said. "Kendyll is my daughter. They needed a coach, and coach Bordner was helping with the boys. I traveled with Kendyll in eighth to all her matches and then stepped into the high school role." Last school year was the first official season of Lady Tigers wrestling. Depinet and Salyer lead the high school squad, while the junior high squad was made up of Brianna Ball and Roslyn Johnston, who were seventh graders. From humble starts, the program has grown from two to five for high school, and from two to four for the junior high squad.The current high school team has sophomores Depinet, Salyer and newcomer Haylee Dawson, while adding freshmen Jolie Schimpf and Natalie Snavely. For the junior high team, returners include Ball and Johnston, while sporting newcomers Cammy Skurtis and Nyah Flynn. "Having a mix of girls with experience and some without is a strength," Salyer said. "The experienced ones are giving pointers to our newer girls. They are a group of hard working girls and they get noticeably better each week." The biggest challenge still facing the Tigers is the lack of experience as well, as well as exposure to the sport, but that is something that comes with experience and personal growth in the sport, and not being scared to put in the work doesn't hurt either. As for achievements, Depinet has been successful since starting wrestling when she was younger. Last season, she earned fourth place as a freshman in the 135-pound weight class at the state tournament. She is currently ranked second in the 135 weight class on Dubstat. While Salyer did some wrestling before middle school, she didn't hit the mat hard until she came out for seventh grade wrestling. She finished fifth place at regionals last season and was a state alternate. She is currently 17th on Dubstat for the 110 class. Though Dawson and Schimpf were familiar faces last season, they wanted in on the action as following the team and watching last season got a little bit boring. Trading clipboards and pencils as mat stats for wrestling shoes this season, these two are no stranger to the arena and are looking to place soon. As for Snavely, she was inspired by her cousins that wrestled. She wanted to try something new and her positive attitude doesn't go unnoticed. For the junior high team, Johnston and Ball have already some success, with winning multiple tournaments and posting winning records for SE. Flynn and Skurtis have also had wins on the mat already this season as first years to the program and not knowing anything about the sport. Goals for the season include keeping healthy, retention and achieving their individual goals, which are written down and posted in the locker room. Goals of state aren't out of the question, neither is state placement and champions.The support from the community that makes up SE has been unparallel. "The administration and board quickly threw their support behind the program approved funding of the additional coaches we needed," Mason said. "Fortunately, we have had a loyal group of community members here support the boys wrestling program and they have been receptive to adding their support to the girls program." Mason also credits his coaches Bordner and Salyer with the amount of experience they bring for coaching everyone of all abilities as a reason for the growth. He also credits Depinet and Kendyll Salyer's hard work on the mat, as well as for bringing their friends into it. Coach Salyer credits his team, which the girl's have one major goal: to have a full team in two years time and are huge advocates of the sport. He also wants to start having girls meets at SE, as well as crediting administration and faculty members that show up to support the wrestlers. As for the father and daughter team dynamic, coach Salyer doesn't coach just the girls anymore. "This season, Greg is full time with the girls, and I'm his assistant," Salyer said. "It allows me to help out on both sides and break away from the father/daughter, coach/athlete aspect and let her be coached by someone that isn't her dad." As for the benefit, both Salyer and Mason are in agreement. "It takes a lot of courage for a girl or boy to participate in wrestling," Mason said. "It is just you and another person competing against each other on the mat. Your success or failure is based on your individual abilities and attitude, not your teammates performance or abilities. You learn a lot in that situation; self confidence in the sport as well as about yourself, which is a life lesson that serves well for the rest of your life."