Gunnison girls wrestlers out to earn wins on the mat

Spots on the podium at the state championship are earned on the mat.

For all the winning that can be done in the mat room at practice, the Gunnison girl’s wrestling team is looking to prove it in February at Ball Arena. With two-time state place winner Roxie Uhrig and state place winner Romie Uhrig, who is returning from injury, the Cowboys have wrestlers who have walked those steps before.

But now, they’ve got to do it again in the fastest growing girls sport in the country. The competition could be deeper as wrestlers with experience matriculate from the middle school ranks and new participants emerge.

“There’s not a spot on the podium for mat room champions,” GHS girls coach Mike Dawson said. “For us, we want to drill intensity and toughness. We don’t care who wins in the room. We want wrestlers to try what we are teaching and what we want them to learn. No one cares who wins in practice. If they can do the moves technically and correctly, they’ll succeed on the mat. We try to drill to do things the right way.”

After she missed last season recovering from a knee injury, Romie Uhrig returns from a winter filled with “mental reps.”

“She was in the girl’s corner every time,” Dawson said. “She was out there helping everyone out even if she didn’t compete. She needs some mat time to get some confidence on the mat back. But to watch her wrestle in the room, she hasn’t lost a step. But she has to break the ice on that first match back. She needs to get that swagger back. She’s a very smart wrestler. Very tactical. She does everything she can to not make the wrong move and to put herself in good positions.”

As a finalist last season, Roxie Uhrig has a tough partner in the mat room: her sister Romie.

“Roxie is one of the toughest kids I’ve ever coached; boys or girls,” Dawson said. “She’s matured over the last three years. Off the mat, she’s one of the nicest, most kind people in the world. But she’s tough as nails on the mat.”

Because the Cowboys drill hard on being “hammers on top,” Dawson said they are in position to turn wrestlers and earn valuable back points. He said Roxie’s strength is on her feet and her throw is a potent move in her arsenal.

While their individual success is important, both Uhrig’s are paying it forward with the younger GHS wrestlers.

“They are the ones showing the young kids the ropes,” Dawson said. “They are really good at coaching them up. When they are working with the younger girls in the room, it makes my job easier.”