Daniesha Watson changed her mind from continuing as the Waterloo West wrestling team manager to stepping foot in the action. This moment left a mark in history for the team as Watson won the individual state championship for her weight class, being the first wrestler in the team’s history to win it all.
The sport of girls’ wrestling was sanctioned on January 12, 2022, and went into effect for the 2022-23 season. Although sanctioned in 2022, this never stopped young girls from partaking in the sport, such as Watson. Wrestling was nothing new for her; as she started wrestling at the age of three, with a big influence coming from her brothers, who were also wrestlers.
Watson continued to wrestle throughout her middle school and high school career until an injury her freshman year ultimately made her decide to step away from wrestling. “When I got injured my freshman year, I decided to leave wrestling because I no longer felt the passion for wrestling; I was running on fumes,” shares Watson.
The decision from manager to athlete was due to Watson wanting to be in the action. Watson said, “What changed my mind from being a manager to wrestler was seeing the camaraderie from the girls and how much fun they were having; I wanted to be a part of it.”
But becoming a state champion never crossed her mind. After winning regionals, Watson says, “I just wanted to finish the season wrestling the best I could.”
Head coach Josef Kadlec has been coaching the team since it was created, but noticed Watson’s potential watching during a tournament her freshman year before the East and West programs combined. “The first time it fully came into focus this season was at the Battle of Waterloo during her match with Lilli Cooper (Denver) that if we could get the rust off before the season ended that she could beat anyone she came up against,” states Kadlec.
Kadlec shares, “Day was up 7-1 going into the last stretch of the match and then Lilli hit a move and Day got thrown and ultimately lost the match,” but, “that was when I realized that if we could get her back in form that she could beat anyone in the state.”
Going into the championship match Kadlec shares that as a coach, making sure that Watson was in the right head space was important. “Warm up the same, focus on one key component of the match (work to control the tie) like we do every match, and above all: have fun,” says Kadlec.
Senior Kennedee Dunning has been a part of the wrestling team all four years of high school and took the trip to Des Moines, Iowa to watch Watson Wrestle. She shares the environment of the arena stating, “the arena it is full of chaos and excitement. With 1A and 2A wrestling at the same time it can get super loud, but as soon as DayDay got the win it was without a doubt that the arena got 10x louder, it was seriously the loudest I’ve heard it get.”
Winning a state championship is a huge thing for any individual but for Watson it meant more than just a metal. “To become the 1st girls’ wrestling state champion means a lot because I made history for both West and East High School. Something that is not common and I brought more exposure to Waterloo, something positive,” emphasizes Watson.
“I’m proud of how the entire community and all of Waterloo supported and celebrated with and for her after she won the title,” says Kadlec. He goes on to say, “It didn’t really hit me how big the match and win was for a while, but the excitement for Day Day pulling off the win for all of Waterloo.” At last, saying that as a coach, he is proud of Watson and all the work she has put in over the years.
Although this is the end of Watson’s wrestling career on the mat, she plans to remain involved in the wrestling community.
“At this moment, it is the end of my wrestling career, but not the end of my involvement in the wrestling community. I plan to share my knowledge and skills with others through coaching,” says Watson.
Also sharing that for those who are unsure about wrestling, try it out. “The decision is ultimately yours to make and to not let nothing or nobody change that. Wrestling is not for everyone, kind of an acquired taste, but it doesn’t hurt to try,” said Watson.
Dunning also goes on to say, “No matter when you start, how many years you take off, you can do big things if you have the drive to do so. Wrestling isn’t easy but it helps with many other things outside of it like mindset, and discipline. I think even if you don’t find yourself “fit” for the sport there is always room for you if you want to put the work in.”
With a champion for the team, Kadlec shares that his hope for the future of the team is to continue to build off of success. Sharing, “I hope that all the girls in Waterloo can fully see that if they put in the work for it, that they are capable of achieving great things on the mat. I also think that the message of “why not me” and “why not here” can start to resonate in the girls’ heads.”
While Dunning says, “This is a huge turning point for the team, people kind of judged the girls team for Waterloo, and this just shows that we have people just as skilled and extremely talented as others.”
