Successful Young Wrestler Enjoys Benefits of the Sport

By Jim Workman, For Black By God 

In just her third year of wrestling as a fourth grader, Maya Fleming of Charleston, West Virginia came in sixth place in her weight and age division in the state tournament on Feb. 24.

It was her second Top Ten finish in a row. She was fourth last year.

When she was in second grade, Maya learned about wrestling during a presentation at her school.

Intrigued, she came home and told her mother, Nicole Cofer, that she wanted to give it a try.

Having already participated in youth soccer since she was three years old, wrestling would present new challenges. But ones that she was ready to take down, head on.

“I knew nothing about (wrestling),” Cofer said. “I grew up in southern West Virginia, and we didn’t have wrestling when I was in school, so it was new to me.
“We found a team that was close by that would take her,” Cofer explained, speaking of the  Charleston Wrestling Club, a Kanawha Valley-based youth wrestling organization. “They’ve been wonderful.”

Wrestling has many benefits for her daughter, Nicole said.

“She’s tough,” she said of Maya. “The first year they did states, they didn’t break (participants) down by ages. So Maya was eight years old and wrestling against 12-year olds. But none of the 12-year olds were able to pin her. She lost, but she toughed it out, all the way through and made them work through all of their rounds. It’s shown a lot about her character and how her fight is, when she applies herself.

“It makes me confident that when she becomes a young lady, and goes to college, she will be able to take care of herself too.”

Wrestling definitely helps build physical and mental strength, Cofer added.

“Sports is the way that Maya deals with some of the other things that are going on with her life,” she explained. “Both of my daughters have had issues with their father, and they’ve used sports as kind of an outlet.”

As a midfielder and striker on the pitch, Maya scored a lot, she said. Wrestling requires new skills and mental toughness, switching from a team sport to a primarily individual one.

Though it’s been a lot of work, Maya says she enjoys it, and she feels she is good at it. “Winning” is the best part, she added with a grin. “It feels good,” admitting that in the beginning, she was “just ok,” but with experience, she is gaining confidence with each success, crediting her coaches as well.

Maya is an exceptional student in the classroom, with all A’s and just one B.

“Both of my daughters have been excellent students,” Cofer said. “With the adversity they’ve gone through, (sports) has allowed them to have another focus outside of school.

“In wrestling specifically, Maya can let out any frustrations she’s got out on the mat and walk off and be done with it. That’s generally how she functions. She’s a pretty happy-go-lucky kid.”

Wrestling is not just a fad or passing interest, Maya said. She wants to do it “for a long, long time.”

Mom also encourages her with her wrestling, she confirmed.

“It’s fun,” Maya said.

Jim Workman is the publisher of Wally’s & Wimpy’s Sports Digest and Vice President of the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.