In bold letters the poster said “Wrestling meeting today after school.” Included in the fine print was “girls welcome too.”
This caught Amelia Guimond’s ’28 eye, kick-starting her Staples wrestling career. Soon after, Guimond made history, becoming the first female Wrecker to place in the State quarter finals.
“I actually got eliminated last year because I got a concussion,” Guimond said.
Despite her previous injury, the following season Guimond got back on the mat and found herself at the CIAC State Championship bracket. She advanced to the quarter finals, where not only would she have to overcome her opponent, but a teammate and a friend.
“I practiced with her every day in the preseason,” Guimond said. “It was a tight match.”
In that quarterfinal match, she was defined as the underdog. Her opponent was seeded and Guimond was not.
“I wouldn’t say that I didn’t think I was going to place, but I didn’t have high hopes for it,” Guimond said.
After losing that match, Guimond continued to battle through the consolation bracket, which is a series of matches that allows wrestlers who lose earlier rounds to compete for final placements. It is in the consolation bracket where she would work her way up to sixth in the state division.
In the year prior, she joined a wrestling club where she competed against both boys and girls. This year on the Junior Varsity wrestling team, there were only a few instances where she was against a male opponent.
“There were two other guys in my weight class,” Guimond said. “So they got more opportunities than I did.”
Even though she did not get the opportunity to compete against both boys and girls this season as frequently, she hopes to wrestle guys in her next year’s flex season.
Being a female in an environment and sport that consists of mostly boys was not necessarily easy. She faced criticism from others outside of school about her decision to participate in a sport that often doesn’t cater to female athletes. She notes that it was worth it. Still, she said the challenges never made her reconsider.
“When I wanted to wrestle, I realized that would happen but that wasn’t an issue of mine,” Guimond said. “My issue was the injuries.”
Because of her experience, she encourages others to push past fears or doubts that they may have and to take the same path that she did.
“It’s not as bad and scary as it sounds,” Guimond said. “The practices are hard, but it’s worth it.”
What started as a small line of fine print on a poster for an afterschool wrestling meet, turned into a season that reshaped Staples boys’ and girls’ wrestling history.
“I was really proud of what I had accomplished this year,” Guimond said.
