DE PERE, Wis. (WFRV) – Most high school athletes have one thing in mind, qualifying for the Wisconsin State Tournament, and West De Pere’s Bella Bolek is making her dreams come true.
While wrestling is typically a male-dominated sport, Bolek and two other West De Pere girls are taking the conference by storm. Bolek earned her spot at the State Tournament, but it took hard work and dedication to compete at a high level.
“It was definitely hard at first,” said Bolek in an interview with Local 5 News. “Definitely feel like you have to earn respect from [the boys], but I think with more girls being in it, it’s definitely less pressure on you to feel like you have to prove yourself.”
Bolek says the increase in girls’ tournaments has increased throughout the last few years. After all, she started off wrestling boys since her sophomore year.
Now a senior, Bolek will head to state after winning at sectionals over the weekend. Her coach Chris Gallegos could not be more proud of her.
“It feels amazing,” said Gallegos. “The first girl wrestler headed to state in the last couple of years so it’s exciting to have our first female heading down to Madison.”
Gallegos says that he’s excited to see how Bolek performs at the state tournament.
“She’s peaking at the right time for the state tournament and I think she’s going to be ready to go starting Thursday on her first match,” stated Gallegos. “She’s put in the hard work from the offseason and in-season so seeing her down there in Madison, were happy for her as a program.”
As for Bolek, she says she hopes to wrestle hard and give it 110% and who knows, maybe she’ll come home a state champion.
