Smoky Valley Wrestler Noelle Peters told VYPE her favorite part of being on her team is “being able to push myself and feeling strong. Wrestling has taught me so much and I am so thankful for the experience I had on this team. I love seeing the growth in myself, the team, and women’s wrestling as a sport.”
In fact her favorite moment this season came from “watching Smoky Valleys first girls state champion, Keira Mullen, win her title. After a day filled with a roller coaster of emotions, the team went to bogeys and we got all the burgers, fries, and ice cream we could want. We reminisced about the season and shared a lot of laughs. I am so excited for the Smoky Valleys girls wrestling team to be growing so much and I loved our team.”
Specifically the teammate who left the biggest impression on her – her “older sister, Belle Peters.”
Saying “Throughout every sport she did she was a role model for everyone. She has always shown up and worked hard every day. My sister is two years older than me, so I got to compete with her for two years in high school in each sport.”
“However, the reason she has left such a big impact on my life is because she encouraged me to go out for wrestling for the first time with her my sophomore year. We helped start the program together. Since there were only 3 girls on the team at the time, we had to wrestle every day at practice. Even though I was smaller than her and she could easily beat me, she helped me work to improve and lifted me up when I was frustrated.”
“Although she graduated and was no longer on the wrestling team after that first year, she continued to support me and the growing girls team. I was able to become the athlete I am because of her and I strive to be like her. I am thankful she has always been there to push me and I look up to her as an athlete and a person.”
So much so that the goals she has sent for herself include being “consistent throughout each of my sports was to be a good leader as a senior. I wanted to push myself and encourage my teammates to be able to do the same.”
