Stepping off the podium as a state runner-up for VHSL girls wrestling this past February, junior Betsy Polanco knew she had come a long way.

Her success at this tournament, however, was not defined by any singular moment of preparation but a long journey of dedication and resilience. 

Before participating in wrestling, Polanco was learning Jiu-Jitsu in seventh grade after participating in gymnastics since she was five. “I [initially] did gymnastics,” Polanco said. “I [did it] for seven years. Then my brother took a [Jiu-Jitsu] class randomly. When he [was taking] the class, I was just viewing, and the teacher [said], ‘Oh. You should join.’ [I just wanted to watch, so I replied], ‘Oh no, I’m good.’ [But they were persistent, saying,] ‘No, you’ll like [it]; it’ll be free and stuff,’ and I was like, ‘Okay’. So I joined in, then boom— the wrestling.”

In her previous years wrestling at Rock Ridge, Polanco faced obstacles. “In ninth grade I was in JV and got injured later into the season, [so] I wasn’t really able to wrestle for the rest of the season,” Polanco said. “In my sophomore year I started taking wrestling seriously and trained as much as I could during the season which helped me improve by qualifying and competing in girls and boys states.”

Growth was crucial for Polanco. “I practiced a lot, just watching my film and seeing what I can improve on,” Polanco said. “[I was also] getting advice from my coaches to perform better and [learn] what I need to work on.”

But practice wasn’t the only ingredient for Polanco’s success. 

“It was a combination of [practice and my teammates],” Polanco said. “Sometimes you run 20 laps around the school, and I have to lose a lot of weight for it. [At times] I feel like giving up, but then my teammates encourage me to run and [are] like, ‘You got it.’ [So] honestly, my teammates, my friends, my mom, my coach–they [kept encouraging me,] and that really helped boost my confidence and keep going.”

Though Polanco was able to journey to second place at VHSL, it wasn’t without hardships–in fact, her season almost ended the same year it started. “[In] my freshman year, I strained my ACL, so I [had to stop wrestling], and since I couldn’t do it, I kind of cried because I [thought] I might just [have to] quit,” Polanco said. “But [Coach Wrenn] helped me recover and [still included me] in the team, which I found very nice. Because of that, I [decided to] continue.”

Many champions have a pregame ritual that helps them focus on the game at hand. For Betsy, it starts with manifesting her victory before stepping onto the mat. “I’m gonna do my best today,” Polanco said. “This is my fight. I try to imagine myself standing in first place on the podium, or at least seeing the medals. Those two things encourage me to do my best.”

Though Polanco has seen success for herself, she is trying to involve others. “I’m trying to get a lot of girls to wrestle, because I think it’s a really good thing, and it really boosts confidence knowing you can beat someone,” Polanco said.

Although Besty placed runner-up this year, she aims to be state champion next year as a senior, and her ultimate goal is to become one of the greatest girls wrestling athletes in the nation. “I want to be a national champion,” Polanco said. “We’ll see if that works, and if it works, then I’ll just let the future take me on from there.”