My daughter overcame seizures to prove ‘Wrestle Like a Girl’ means something

"Siena, are you proceeding what I’m saying?" 

My girl conscionable stared arsenic if she was looking done me. 

Not again. 

ARIZONA WRESTLER BECOMES FIRST GIRL TO WIN HIGH SCHOOL STATE TITLE

I hugged her and looked astatine her mom. We knew what was coming. Seconds later, she had a seizure. I guided her to the floor, keeping her airway clear. Parents, coaches and teammates surrounded her, blocking onlookers. 

Siena Palmisciano overcame wellness issues to beryllium she could beryllium a victor successful wrestling.  (Photo by Kelly Ianello )

The seizure lasted 36 seconds, with astir 90 much seconds until she woke. Fully alert 15 minutes later, she had nary representation of her caller North Carolina wrestling authorities tourney win. 

Two years ago, astatine this infinitesimal successful the authorities tournament, my girl had 1 of her archetypal seizures. She had conscionable upset a ranked hostile and needed 1 much triumph to marque the podium. When she came to, she begged maine and her ma to fto her wrestle. We said no. 

A twelvemonth later, medicated to forestall seizures but struggling with encephalon fog that affected her schooling, and mat performance, she placed fifth, losing matches to a two-time authorities champ and this year’s authorities champ astatine 114 pounds. 

Now, with amended meds and having a stellar season, her lone nonaccomplishment was to the eventual authorities champ, and she was warring to the consolation finals erstwhile her seizures returned. 

I fought backmost tears, holding my fierce small girl, erstwhile again robbed of accidental by thing beyond her control. 

And this kid has fought. 

Siena archetypal entered a wrestling contention successful 6th people astatine the Middle School State Championships. She competed successful the girls and boys part truthful she would get the astir matches possible. At that point, she had lone wrestled successful a people I taught astatine a jiujitsu school, truthful everyone successful the tourney had much experience.  

She finished 2nd successful girls and 4th successful boys. After a 6-5 nonaccomplishment successful the girls' finals, a biased referee who disagreed with her competing successful the boys’ part chopped her remainder clip earlier her boys' match. With lone 2 minutes of rest, she won that lucifer arsenic well. 

Siena Palmisciano stands with a poster celebrating her 100 wins wrestling. Her coaches Rebecca Mathewson and David Cureton basal with her. (Photo by Kelly Ianello )

In 7th grade, she yet was allowed to wrestle connected the schoolhouse team. She lone mislaid erstwhile that twelvemonth successful the end-of-year tourney finals. COVID-19 took her 8th people year. 

When she reached precocious school, her choices were to halt wrestling oregon to wrestle boys. She chose to wrestle boys. 

While respective teams had girls connected the team, astir nary wrestled varsity, truthful it was a large astonishment to a batch of radical erstwhile she won implicit fractional her freshman matches. Her wins took a carnal toll. Unlike successful mediate school, she was weaker successful each lucifer and had to accommodate with skill, flexibility, and her strongest attribute: grit. 

Except for the uncommon schools that embraced girls' wrestling, for the astir part, the ladies who wrestled astatine that clip were successful a akin concern to my daughter. They were successful it for the emotion of the game. They were talked about, mocked and looked down upon. Nothing had meaningfully changed since the ’90s erstwhile I wrestled and the worst happening you could bash was "lose to a girl." 

It wounded maine to ticker her treatment. I tin lone ideate however she felt. For the astir part, she was stoic, wanting to beryllium embraced by her wrestling community. I retrieve a uncommon clip I saw her "competition face" interruption astatine the commencement of her sophomore season. We overheard the different squad talking: 

"Bro, I get to wrestle the girl. Easy day," said her opponent. 

"Dude, that ain’t nary girl. That’s that Siena ‘Parmesano’ chick. She’s nary joke," his person replied. 

"Oh, damn. OK." 

Siena and her begetter Nick Palmisciano successful a quieter moment. (Photo by Kelly Ianello )

She pinned him. 

That aforesaid week we recovered retired that girls' wrestling would beryllium approved arsenic a athletics successful her inferior year. This was unthinkable news. 

It was astatine this time, erstwhile she yet had a existent accidental to compete, the seizures started. They robbed her of the accidental to podium astatine her sophomore authorities championships, leaving the tourney tied for seventh. And now, 2 years later, arsenic I held her arsenic she convulsed connected the level of the Greensboro Coliseum, the seizures astir to instrumentality distant her elder twelvemonth arsenic well. 

"I’m wrestling my adjacent match, dad." My girl wasn’t asking, but she knew my interest earlier I adjacent voiced it. 

When she reached precocious school, her choices were to halt wrestling oregon to wrestle boys. She chose to wrestle boys. 

Unlike 2 years before, she was present 18, but I besides knew what this meant to her. She wanted to spell retired connected her ain terms. 

After a seizure, she is athletically slower for 2 to 3 days. Still skilled capable to bushed astir of the field, but she and I some knew that this was a large handicap. 

She went retired and battled a adjacent match. In the past 22 seconds, down connected points but inactive not quitting, she managed a reversal and astir turned her hostile to her back. 

She lost, but she finished connected top, warring to the bitter end. 

This portion started arsenic a backstage enactment of designation for my daughter. Then it became catharsis by expressing what it’s similar to beryllium a dada with nary power of an unfair situation. And finally, it became an acknowledgment of the young women who whitethorn not stock my daughter’s wellness challenges but apt person shared astir of the others. I’m arrogant of each of you. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

When I wrestled, determination were 112 girls wrestling nationwide successful precocious schoolhouse compared to 250,000 boys. Today, determination are 64,000, with astir of that maturation happening successful the past fewer years and carried connected the backs of immoderate precise pugnacious young women. 

When I was a kid, "Wrestle Like a Girl" was an insult. But aft years of watching this procreation of girls wrestle boys, beryllium disrespected and yet summation their ain spot of esteem, it means thing precise antithetic to me. 

Siena Palmisciano during 1 of her wrestling matches. (Photo by Kelly Ianello )

And aft watching Siena get disconnected the crushed aft a seizure with occurrence successful her eyes and dictate that she was going backmost retired there, I privation to archer you thing else. 

I could never, "Wrestle Like a Girl." 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

I’m not pugnacious enough. 

I would person quit.