Not just one of the guys

Bruises and an occasional black eye show one's dedication to a sport. Certain sports have that "it-factor" for athletes.

Once it elevates to a size two, 16-year-old former cheerleader-turned-wrestler chipping her hipbone, it's more than dedication. It has to be love.

"It's a family thing," Green said.

Growing up in a family of wrestlers and wrestling fans, it's hard for anyone to not question what is so intriguing about the sport. Ariel Green's brother, Beau, wrestled, and according to Green, she "just decided to try it."

Her older sister, Chelsie, takes stats for the teams at Sutter High, and her father helps coach Green's girls team.

Green began wrestling when she was in fifth grade, and hasn't let up by choice since.

The Meridian teen already has been to the State Championship once. Her match didn't end quite the way she had wanted, but she is determined this year will be a different story.

Green, a junior at Sutter High, is currently the No. 1 girl wrestler at 118 pounds in California. Her record is 25-2 wrestling both girls and boys. She will compete at the girls State Championship on Friday at Hanford West High in Hanford. It concludes Saturday.

Five years of constant bumps, bruises and the occasional black eye don't compare to the gruesome pain of dislocating a shoulder.

During her freshman year, Green dislocated her right shoulder in the Michigan Nationals. Green was protecting her left shoulder that was already hurt.

"I was just letting her pull on my right shoulder so I wouldn't hurt my left one even more," said Green.

Despite the pain, a dislocated shoulder is usually minor in the wrestling world and happens quite often, but in Green's case, it wasn't the circumstance.

Normally, the dislocated bone pops back into the joint, and coaches have the athlete coddle it for a period of time. In Green's case, the ligaments were damaged, and as a result, her shoulder will never fit back in to the socket correctly.

Green couldn't fully extend her arm and was unable to wrestle during her sophomore year - the 2006-07 season. Her doctor presented a workout program that would help get better and keep her active.

"My dad bought me the weights people wear around their wrists so I could run with them and straighten my arm," Green said.

Getting back on the mat after a missed period of time was intimidating for Green.

"I felt like everyone else got more mat time than me," Green explained. "It's like I had to catch up."

It wasn't the first injury Green has had while wrestling. In sixth grade, Green was wrestling in the championship match at a freestyle tournament. She was up by one point when she was flipped over and landed on her elbow wrong, breaking it.

Green didn't know it was broken, so she kept wrestling until the referee forced her to stop. It had swollen too much to continue. She had to forfeit the match and the championship title.

Also, Green chipped her hipbone while trying to do a sprawl. Needless to say, Green is more than dedicated to the sport.

The typical high school girl isn't interested in sweating to the point that her hair looks like she just got out of the shower. Running an "oak tree run" of about three miles isn't appealing to most.

"I lose about three pounds of sweat at practice everyday," Green said.

Eating, or lack thereof, is another issue that all wrestlers deal with on a day-to-day basis. Green doesn't cut weight like many wrestlers do, but what and how much she eats and drinks is constantly on her mind.

She cannot indulge in teenage pig-outs with friends. In fact, according to Green, "The only time I get to hang out with my friends is at lunch."

Green gets out of school at 2:51 p.m. Practice starts at 3:20 p.m. and ends at 5:30 p.m. In order to maintain her grades - mostly As and Bs - she goes home after practice, does homework and is so tired she goes quickly to sleep.

That schedule isn't for just a typical school wrestling season. Green starts her season in November and gets done with her freestyle league in July, but there is no rest for the devoted.

Green took up cross country to stay in shape for wrestling.

To some, all the effort and work Green puts in may seem overwhelming, but it definitely has its upsides. Memories are made everyday.

The girls she practices with in her girls league have become her best friends. Her different sets of coaches are a support system that many would be lucky to have. Bonds have been made with her coaches and teammates.

"Practice is serious, so there isn't time to goof around," Green admits, but just because practice is serious doesn't mean that unforgettable memories haven't been made.

Rob Lanterman, a coach for Vintage High in Napa, helps coach in the United States Girls' Wrestling Association (USGWA).

"We all do tricks on each other. One time when we were at the hotel, he [Lanterman] threw a bag of M&Ms, hit me in the forehead, and bruised it," Green noted. "Also he was announcing me at a tournament and said I like to run cross country and go cow-tipping."

In a sport dominated by males, Green is limited to only five universities to choose from that have a girls wrestling program. Even though she has one year of high school left, Green has spoken with each of them, but is unsure where she will attend. Green is certain she will wrestle in college.

Despite overwhelming thoughts about the championship, Green's focus hasn't altered in the least. Her practice routine hasn't changed.

When envisioning her match, Green will get pumped up the same way as the past.

"I put on my iPod, run around the gym a few times, and practice putting myself in positions," Green said.

She envisions not wasting time in a drawn-out match, and, of course, winning.

Wrestling has given her another family, and a whole different lifestyle than most athletes don't get to experience. Hard work and dedication have gotten Green this far.

Her backbone of supporters help immensely, and according to Green, "seeing how it will pay off afterwards is the best part."

Contact Appeal-Democrat sports reporter Cassie Bryant at 749-4797 or cbryant@appealdemocrat.com.