Jessica Mangelson, sophomore here at Davis High School is one of our wrestlers on the girls wrestling team. Though she hasn’t been wrestling for long, it’s her new favorite thing to do and she wants it to be your new favorite thing too. 

Mangelson has only been wrestling for 5 months, starting back in August of 2022. She went into pre-season training with no experience beforehand. Jessica got into wrestling in the first place by giving into peer pressure from her friends who were doing it too. 

“I didn’t even think about wrestling, but my friends were pestering me enough that I finally gave in so they would shut up about wrestling to me, but now that’s one of my favorite things to talk about.” Mangelson admitted. 

Jessica’s favorite part about wrestling is the environment it creates within the people. In fact, some of her closest friends she made because she met them in wrestling, or even went against them in a wrestling match. 

“The environment in wrestling is just so fun, because the coaches literally treat and love you like you’re their kids and you treat and love them like they’re your second pair of parents.” Jessica Mangelson answered.  

Some of Mangelson’s favorite moves are the Turk, barbed wire, and the cradle. The Turk is simply a move to get the wrestler on their backs and pin them underneath you. The barbed wire is where you basically get your opponent’s opposite shoulder to your opposite hand and twist them then get their legs out from underneath them.  

The last move, the cradle is where you wrap your arm around your opponent’s neck and wrapping your other arm around their knees. During the match, it usually stays quiet, and the wrestlers in the circle don’t talk to one another.  

“I don’t talk to the girl I’m wrestling during the match, but after, I’ll be like ‘Hey great job’ and things like that, unless they’re like a cocky, poor winner, then I won’t talk to them after.” Jessica replied.  

  Jessica Mangelson wants you to know that wrestling is super fun and gives you extracurricular. She wouldn’t recommend joining in during mid-season right now, but next season make sure you go to pre-season to learn all the moves and bring out your inner wrestler, Dwayne Johnson.