Brooke Corrigan, a junior, has won the first two WIAA girls state wrestling championships in the 100 lbs division, and she isn’t stopping there. I had the pleasure to interview Brooke about her wrestling career, and what that entails.
Q: “How long have you been wrestling?”
A: “Around eight years.”
Q: “What does wrestling mean to your family?”
A: “It’s a big part of my family. My Dad wrestled in high school and my brother is at the college level wrestling right now (Shane wrestles at UW-Parkside). So wrestling has always been in my family.”
Q: “What does winning the last two state championships mean to you?”
A: “It’s been really fun winning state titles. I’m excited for this next year. And it’s a really big step in women’s wrestling for them to add a Women’s Championship to the state.”
Q: “Do you feel pressured at all to go for your third title?”
A: “I feel a little pressure because I did kind of say I want to be the first ever four-time state champ. So obviously getting to four you have to get to three. So I feel a little pressure getting the next one.”
Q: “What is your biggest lesson or take away from your wrestling career so far?”
A: “If anything I would say probably hardship. If you’re going to go through something that you really want, you have to go through hardship. Practice isn’t always easy or a tournament doesn’t always go your way. But you can always persevere through it and get through the next day.”
Q: “What has been the hardest part of your wrestling career?”
A: “Learning to lose during practice, or even if you’re losing out on the mat for big, national things. It’s hard to see all your hard work not amount to something in one match. You have to learn that not every match is going to go your way.”
Q: “What has been the most enjoyable part [of your wrestling career] so far?”
A: “Probably meeting everyone. I’ve made so many connections through wrestling. I’ve made so many friends from all over the country wrestling.”
Q: “What are your post high school plans for wrestling? What are your goals? What are your dreams with this?”
A: “Right now looking at some colleges. I’ve got a couple of visits coming up so probably wrestling in college. Then not too sure after that, but I do like the freestyle aspect of wrestling. That’s what they wrestle in college. I think it’s super-exciting.”
Q: “Which [championship] was sweeter? The first of the second?”
A: “Probably the first. The first ever championship is just really exciting, and there’s a lot of hard work put into getting there, and winning as a freshman did mean more.”
Q: “Who’s your biggest inspiration for wrestling?”
A: “My dad because he wrestled in high school, and he’s just always there supporting me. It’s really great to have him as a coach.”
Q: “What advice do you have for kids who are just getting into wrestling?”
A: “Stick it out. Everything good that comes to your life is going to be hard. Practices some days are hard or tournaments are hard. But as long as you stick it out, you can find the good.”
Q: “Is there anything else you think readers want to know about you or wrestling in general?”
A: “I am excited to get to wrestle again this year after injury. I dislocated my elbow this summer. I haven’t been able to wrestle since June. In the national rankings, I have moved down a little bit. I think the highest I’ve been is 14th. Now, I’ve dropped to 17th, so I just want to get back out and just show everyone.”
