“It was an interesting experience definitely, a unique one being the only girl on the team but overall it was a very rewarding experience and it really did kind of shape me into the person I am today, I’ve learned a lot of life lessons on the mat including how to work hard, not to give up, how to be persistent, and set goals,” stated Ms.Boscoe
The former Braintree High School student athlete returned to teach Math and coach on the wrestling team. During her middle, and high school years, Ms.Boscoe completed an impressive seven years of wrestling throughout her career. She was almost always the only girl on the team and it impacted her in positive ways more than anything. Now that she’s back, she has a passion for spreading her expertise and connecting with her athletes on and off the mat.
“One of the reasons why I wanted to become a coach was to encourage other female athletes to get involved in wrestling and my hope at least is that having a female coach will make it a little bit easier to join the team and have a little bit more confidence,” she mentioned.
Last year there was only one female athlete on the team, but this year they have expanded to three. Although it is a slight shift in numbers, girls all around the state of Massachusetts are getting more involved with the sport of wrestling. With it being a predominantly male sport, it can definitely be intimidating and challenging to try something new without guidance or support from fellow females. Ms.Boscoe has provided exactly that for each of her athletes, and has watched from behind the scenes as they have succeeded more and more each season.
“I am so proud of how hard our girls have worked, Sophia, Brianna, and Veronica, all qualified for the girls all-state tournament, and Sophia ended up placing fifth, and it’s been great to see her growth over the past two seasons, last year she won a match at all-states, but didn’t end up placing, so for her to end up placing fifth and be
ing an alternate for the New England tournament was incredible,” she proudly said.
A great coach is always impressed with their athlete’s accomplishments no matter how big or small it might be. For Ms.Boscoe, she enjoyed providing her girls with the guidance they needed to score big wins and continue to grow with the sport, especially now that it is receiving more publicity and support from that community.
“Seeing their hard work pay off is really rewarding, I know it’s challenging sometimes for all of our athletes, but I think wrestling is one of those sports where you really start to see your input pay off,” Ms.Boscoe mentioned.
Working alongside other coaches, she is able to realize how much work her athletes are putting in, in order to improve, succeed, and thrive. Having coachable kids is always a great factor to have, because when given advice and seeing it be used out on the mat is especially rewarding. In a sport like wrestling, there are many tactics and different styles to it, so when athletes are given good advice and take it, they end up making their coaches very proud without even realizing it.
“In people’s resilience and their determination, that’s the hope as a coach, is to pass on your understanding and your wisdom and they pick up little pieces of it, whether it’s your wrestling style or your knowledge of the sport. But you also hope to give them determination and strength and instill things in them that they can carry in life as opposed to just in the sport,” she commented.
When transitioning from an athlete to a coach, things can definitely change, however one’s ways can and always will be passed onto other athletes. Everyday, coaches are empowering young student athletes across the world and working hard to give them the tools and resources they need.
