Friesen overcomes slow start
Last year’s U SPORTS female wrestler of the year, Mia Friesen, successfully defended her 56-kilogram crown at the recent championships but it was far from her finest performance.
“It was a little bit of a tough go and not my best stuff,” the Brock wrestler said. “It was nerves, not feeling well and then the nerves make it worse. You want to do so well and then thoughts creep in your head. What if you don’t do well? Even though it wasn’t my best performance. I got through it.”
In her time of need, she called upon her father, Rick, right after a rough first match.
“I gave him a phone call because I was freaking out and he calmed me right down. He told me things to tell myself and it was things I needed to hear even though I didn’t know that I needed to hear them. He was saying all the right things and I called him a few more times during the day and that really helped get me through the day.”
It isn’t the first time Friesen had dealt with the same issues.
“I did it to myself at the under-23 worlds and that was a tournament where I couldn’t pull it out and make the best of it. I ended up losing in my bronze medal match and even from that tournament until now, I have had similar things happen to me,” the 2023 Brock female athlete of the year said. “Just seeing the progress I’ve made to pull myself out of it, that’s a win in and of itself.”
In the past year, Friesen has grown in confidence as a wrestler and in her ability to use her athleticism more.
“I feel like I have something that not a lot of people do with athleticism and I haven’t been able to use it until recently with help from my dad and Marty (Calder). We are figuring out how to incorporate that and we are starting to unlock that door.”
In the past six months, Friesen points to her performance last December at the Canadian Olympic wrestling trials in Edmonton as a highlight. She lost in the 57-kilogram finals to clubmate Hannah Taylor after a couple of impressive wins, including a pin over Alexandria Town.
“Being a real Olympic alternate to someone who just qualified the class is definitely a real high. I want to be the Olympian but being the Olympic alternate is very, very cool and a high for me. Being in the semifinal at my second world championships was also a high and winning OUAs (Ontario University Athletics) are still highs. They still mean a lot to me.”
At the OUA championships, she was named the meet’s most outstanding wrestler.
Another key develop for Friesen is her being one of 30 finalists chosen to receive funding from the RBC Training Ground program. A total of 2,200 athletes, aged 14 to 25, took part in the competition. The $7,500 in funding will come in handy.
“It’s super important to have that funding. With wrestling there’s a lot of age-group things that are self-funded. I am a U23 athlete and my world championships were self funded and the Spanish Grand Prix I went to was self-funded. The club helps a ton and that’s great.”
Next up for Friesen are the senior national championships March 14-17 in Ottawa.
“I can’t wait to go wrestle at nationals because I feel even though I won (at U SPORTS) I didn’t think that I performed very well. I am excited to get back to nationals and redeem myself.”
The 21-year-old is looking for her first senior national championship.
“That is definitely on my bucket list and to do list. I am going to put it all together and help all my other teammates and coaches.”
Photos courtesy of Laurel Jarvis.
