San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
EL CAJON VALLEY WRESTLER EXCELLING, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM A FRIEND
Val Roche has had her ups and downs in four years of wrestling for El Cajon Valley High, but the one constant has been Ivan.
Ivan is a 160-pound grappling dummy, and this year, just like when she was a freshman, is basically the only thing she can practice against since she’s the lone girl on the Braves’ team. Not the greatest for someone who has high hopes of winning the section at 235 pounds and placing high at state.
“Ivan’s been my best friend for four years,” said Roche, a senior. “I use him to practice bridging, turning, shooting and throwing. He’s landed on my face, especially when I’m practicing bridging, and I have to throw him. It gets very tiring, but I counter that by trying to go at a higher speed.
“Sure, it would be nice to have girls to work with, and sometimes I wrestle against guys and when a 270-pound guy lands on you, you know it. But Ivan’s one of the big reasons I’ve improved as much as I have.”
Last spring Roche finished second in the section before advancing to a modified state meet where she placed fourth, losing to the No. 2 seed 3-1 after beating the No. 8 seed.
That’s quite a jump from when she first went out as a freshman.
“Everyone beat her when she was a freshman,” said third-year coach Jason Gibbs. “She was 0-2 before lunch but she improved. She’d have certain wrestlers in her head and that’s where she’s made the biggest improvement — she’s wresting with a lot more confidence.
“We just want to get her to the finals, and when she does, she can win.”
That’s what happened last weekend when Roche improved her record to 6-0 by capturing the Goddess of Olympia Tournament at Olympian.
Although only the No. 2 seed, she collected three straight first-period falls, pinning San Clemente’s Lily Mercado in 1:38 for the gold. Mercado had advanced when No. 1 seed Angelina Leal of Olympian suffered an injury in the semifinals.
“My goal is to go undefeated,” said Roche, a 17-yearold with a 3.79 GPA who is still considering which college to attend since she would like to keep wrestling.
“When I’m approaching a match, I don’t watch my opponent, I just focus on myself and my mental attitude. When I first started, I had no confidence at all — I used to cry before every match. I’ve grown mentally and physically, so now I just tell myself when I reach the finals that I deserve to be there.
“Wrestling against the San Clemente girl at the Goddess of Olympia Tournament, I didn’t know anything about her, except she beat Angelina, so I decided to try something different. I went after her right from the whistle, and that’s how I won.”
Attacking — shooting — is something she has added this year, and she’s using it in different situations, with great success.
“State is a completely different thing. It’s high intensity, different than any tournament. But I just tell myself that I made it this far, I’m capable of winning, and to not over-analyze everything.”
So far, so good, with a little help from Ivan.