Robbinsville athletics begins new legacy
* Lady Knights wrestling season preview
Robbinsville – Every dynasty has to begin somewhere.
The 2023-24 wrestling season has ushered in another story in the widely-respected annals of Robbinsville wrestling history. Thanks to the N.C. High School Athletic Association officially sanctioning girls wrestling, the Lady Knights have taken the leap from being a “club” team to a legitimate program.
The 14 grapplers on-hand are still working on their game, but their eagerness to improve and tenacity to win has already made waves. You will not find a senior on the roster – Winfrey said that only three of the wrestlers competed last year – but there is a solid mixture of juniors, sophomores and freshmen.
In other words, there is still time to help the Lady Knights launch the program on the right foot.
“I didn’t think we’d have this big of a turnout, but I’m grateful to have this many girls,” said Robbinsville head coach Josh Winfrey. “Not many of them have wrestled before, but we have to start somewhere and I can honestly say that these girls being as green as they are means that we don’t have to break any bad habits out of the gate. It’s all brand-new, like riding a tricycle and taking the training wheels off.
“But every day, they’re growing.”
Robbinsville Middle School also unveiled its first official girls team this season; Winfrey told The Graham Star that he has 29 on the roster. He attributes the interest to the Far West youth wrestling program – and of course, the one who blazed a path for girls wrestling in “The ‘Ville,” 3-time state champion Aynsley Fink, who is now a member of Ottawa (Kan.) University’s women’s team.
“We have a small army, but I would put our middle school team up against any other in the state,” Winfrey said. “They are super talented. That’s why the future of girls wrestling is so bright, because of who we have behind it.”
Things are already coming together. Robbinsville finished second overall in the girls race at the Enka Jet Invitational on Nov. 22; a feat that Winfrey believes is germane to the Lady Knights growing mentality stronger.
“I’ll never count anybody out from Robbinsville, but it’s hard for a freshman to jump into that role and wrestle against upperclassmen from other schools,” Winfrey said.
“It felt good to see the girls to compete so well at Enka. Some of them didn’t win a match, but it was big for them to be able to raise that team trophy. Now they come back to practice with a smile on their face; that gives them more to work for.”
The Smoky Mountain Conference will have a girls invitational tournament this year; Swain County has an entire team, with Cherokee, Hayesville and Murphy also welcoming girls who want to don a singlet and compete.