By Tessa Nacke
What does a sweep single, snatch single and a high crotch have in common?
These “shots” are Freshman Laiyah Stoddart-Cordova’s favorites. A shot is an unpredictable wrestling maneuver, and Stoddart-Cordova is anything but predictable.
After previously participating in Fountain Valley High School [FVHS] football, Stoddart-Cordova refocused her energy into a new sport, wrestling.
“Football season was over, so I joined wrestling in November. I’ve been wrestling for four months,” Stoddardt-Cordova said.
Even though she’s only a freshman, Stoddart-Cordova has already advanced to varsity wrestling status, and even debuted in a Master’s Tournament and the California Interscholastic Federation [CIF]. Stoddart-Cordova received fourth place at Masters and seventh place at CIF.
“I’m not sure if I was proud of how I did at [CIF], but I gotta give myself a little bit of credit since I made it to [CIF],” said Stoddart-Cordova.
During the season, Stoddart-Cordova was the only girl on the FVHS Wrestling team which provided some obstacles that she had to overcome.
“I competed in the 235-pound weight class, but I weighed 180 pounds,” said Stoddart-Cordova.
That isn’t the only obstacle that Stoddart-Cordova had to overcome.
“In the beginning of the wrestling season, I wrestled guys, and I went to guy tournaments. But, [in the later tournaments], I wrestled girls,” Stoddart-Cordova said.
Being female in a male-dominated sport may seem daunting, but Stoddart-Cordova sees it differently.
“It pushes you because going into an all-female-dominated sport, sometimes you aren’t pushed to the same ability and mindset as you are in a male-dominated sport,” Stoddart-Cordova said.
This mindset has strengthened Stoddart-Cordova, both mentally and physically. Although Stoddart-Cordova wasn’t happy with her performance at CIF, she knows how she is going to improve herself for next time.
“I think State intimidated me, so it got in my head a lot,” Stoddart-Cordova said.
Wrestling is a mind game, and Stoddart-Cordova has the support of the wrestling team to help her work towards a better performance. She has only been wrestling for four months and has already proven herself in the sport.
“[I] have good teammates to support [me]… the people that are on the team support one another, and it’s not like other teams that I’ve been a part of,” said Stoddart-Cordova.
Stoddart-Cordova and Freshman Rocky Windrath have supported one another in their wrestling journeys.
“Her greatest strength is that she is a very determined person, who cares about what she is doing and how she does it,” Windrath said.
The support system of the FVHS wrestling team has helped her fall in love with the sport.
“I fell in love with wrestling because I feel like it’s the only sport that pushes you to your limit, mentally and physically. I honestly love the way it feels to win when you know you worked hard,” Stoddart-Cordova said.
Stoddart-Cordova is an inspiration to all girls at FVHS. Being the only girl in a male-dominated sport is no easy task, and Stoddart-Cordova tackles it with ease.
“[For] any girl who wants to join a male-dominated sport, I recommend it because [it] pushes you and [it] encourages you to do better than most sports,” Stoddart-Cordova said.
As Stoddart-Cordova moves through high school, she has set goals to conquer: goals to become a better wrestler and a better student. But, with the support from the wrestling team, anything is possible.
“My goal for next year is to be the first girl [to receive] State Champion,” Stoddart-Cordova said.
Stoddart-Cordova is just the beginning. She revealed that another girl had joined the team right after the season ended. As more girls join, Stoddart-Cordova will continue to be a role model for all girls looking for a place in wrestling.
