Wrestling is in Shayla Martinez’s (10) family’s blood.
Her dad was a wrestler. Her siblings were wrestlers.
Now, Shayla’s a wrestler.
She has been wrestling since eighth grade, and while she never saw herself as a wrestler, she’s been one of the best on the mat since she stepped onto it. She has been competing for over three years and since November of 2024, Martinez has won over 15 matches.
Throughout the season, Martinez wakes up before the sun rises every other weekend at 4:30, preparing for her wrestling tournament.
During the week, school is just the beginning of Martinez’s day. After school, she goes straight to Broomfield High School for her first wrestling practice of the day. After that, she heads over to her club practice.
“I don’t get home until around ten,” Martinez said.
That’s just the weekdays.
Tournaments and coaching on the weekends is even harder.
“I have to go to my little siblings’ wrestling tournaments, and I’m also their coach. So I go and coach, and then I also ref. So I work on weekends for wrestling. It’s stressful, but it’s nice,” Martinez said.
Although she’s deeply involved in the wrestling community, when she competes, it’s just her on the mat.
“Wrestling is a team sport, but when you’re out on the mat wrestling, it’s just yourself that you can blame for your mess-ups or doing well,” Martinez said.
Martinez’s goals are ambitious, and she carries them with her constantly. Tattooed across her chest, they are a persistent reminder to never give up.
“My parents and I made this agreement that if I place at state, then I get a tattoo, and I never thought I was going to place or even make it to state,” Martinez said. “So I did that and also made it to Fargo.”
Fargo is the largest high school tournament in the United States, hosted in North Dakota. By placing at the state tournament, she had qualified. Martinez has some of her fondest memories there.
“It was my first match there, and I beat a girl from Iowa,” she said. “After I went up into the stands, I saw my family, and I just hugged them.”
Martinez’s career has just begun, as her plans to wrestle at Iowa State and in the Olympics progress.
“Be the best, and to be the best, you have to beat the best,” Martinez said. “My family motivates me and drives me to be a better person. I just want to be inspirational to them.”
