Katelyn Romano matches sister
There will be no family bragging rights between Katelyn and Samantha Romano.
Older sister Samantha won a bronze medal in the 50-kilogram division at the junior national freestyle wrestling championships and Katelyn matched that feat with a bronze medal in the 46-kilogram division at the juvenile nationals.
Sixteen-year-old Katelyn lost her first match in the event in Fredericton, N.B., before capturing the bronze medal by recording a pair of victories.
“I was upset because I ended up beating the girl I lost to the next day at the trials, but you never know what is going to happen in the match,” said the Grade 10 student at Welland Centennial.
The fourth-place finisher at this spring’s Ontario Federation of Secondary School Associations championships was making her first-ever appearance at the national championships.
“I was really happy with my performance,” she said. ”I was more aggressive on the mat.”
The biggest lesson she learned at the national championships was not to worry so much.
“I ended up stressing a lot and that ended up losing me the first match,” she said. “It’s definitely something to work on for the future.”
The stress was more than a case of a few butterflies.
“I was frozen and I couldn’t think,” she said. “I had my music going which helped calm me down a little bit, but I was frozen in the moment.”
Thankfully, she didn’t remain that way for the entire tournament.
“After the first match, I got really pumped up,” she said. “I realized that I could have won my first match and it made me angry.”
She had mixed emotions standing on the podium.
“Second place was definitely possible and first place was in reach, but I have to get over the mental barrier of the stress.”
At the next day’s trials for a chance to represent Canada at the Pan Am and world championships, Romano placed third again.
“Like I said, I beat the girl that beat me on the first day and that was annoying, but there’s always something to work on and improve on.”
She plans to continue training through the summer, sparked by her passion for the sport.
“I just like that you never know what is going to happen,” she said. “Each match is different with different outcomes.”
In addition to Samantha, all three of Katelyn’s younger siblings, Matteo, Bianca and Arianna, wrestle. The Romano family moved from Durham two years ago to take advantage of the wrestling culture and coaching in Niagara.
