Elise Marshay Hunter
Pulling my braids into a low ponytail, I checked the time on my Apple Watch. I had twenty minutes to get across campus to the gym before practice started. After locking my purse in my desk, I slipped my phone into the pocket of my joggers and headed for the door.
Mrs. Patina, the receptionist, barged through the door before I could step out. I backed up, giving her space to enter with the large, vibrant arrangement of sunflowers and yellow roses.
“These came for you a few hours ago, but we were swamped down there,” she chirped.
“Thank you, Mrs. Patina,” I bubbled, taking the vase from her hands and placing the flowers on my desk.
“You’re welcome, honey. They are so pretty, I hate to see them leave my desk. They were brightening up the office down there. Are they from someone special?” She pried, offering me a knowing glance.
“Yes, they are from someone special,” I beamed, pulling open the card.
“That’s wonderful. From that smile on your face, I know we’ll be hearing wedding bells soon,” she suggested before exiting the room.
My smile widened as I read the card.
Happy first day of practice. Shove those nerves down and hold your head up high. You got this. There ain’t nobody better than you for this position. You got it, now run with it. Love, Rashawn.
Pulling the card to my chest, I took a deep breath. Rashawn had me smitten. My Apple Watch alerted me that I was down to fifteen minutes until practice started. I scurried out of my classroom and headed across campus.
I caught a few eyes on my trek along the pathway. On the average day, I dressed for success—heels, cute dresses, or something fashionable graced my figure, garnering compliments. Although we started preseason warmups the week prior, I didn’t touch the mat; my role was to observe the boys’ wrestling coach as he led the coed sessions. Therefore, I wasn’t changing out of the clothes I wore during the day before going to practice. Apparently, my shift in attire caught just as much attention.
When I entered the gym, a huge grin spread across my face, and the nerves disappeared. A sudden jolt of excitement consumed me. I burst into an elated jog, my arms pumped in the air, and my feet thundered against the plywood floors. I took a moment to breathe deeply before closing my eyes and saying a quick prayer.
“Dear God, I want to thank you again for putting all of the pieces in place that led me back to my love of wrestling. Please walk with me as I guide these beautiful young ladies through my first season as a wrestling coach. Please keep these ladies safe, healthy, and courageous for the duration of the season. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.”
My eyes popped open while I lifted my head, and Cara, the previous team captain, stood near the entrance with her eyes closed. “Amen.” She sputtered before her eyes popped open.
“I’m sorry. I thought I was still alone,” I apologized.
“You don’t have to apologize, coach. I appreciate you for adding us into your prayer. I was the one intruding.”
“It’s never an intrusion. I just try to ensure I’m alone due to the legal rules against teacher-led prayer,” I explained.
“Well in that case, it never happened,” she shrugged.
The girls started to trickle into the gym, dropping their bags off to the side where Cara stood. They gossiped while doing light stretches until the entire team arrived.
“Ladies,” I called out, garnering their attention. “Let’s gather around for a moment before we warm up.”
The talking ceased, and Cara was the first to jog over to the middle of the squeaky mat where I stood. It took less than thirty seconds for the rest of the girls to crowd the space.
“We have met briefly over the last few weeks, but I want to formally introduce myself again now that it’s just us. I’m Coach Hunter, I teach math, and I’m your new wrestling coach. I played the backfield during preseason warm ups last week, but I’m front and center today.”
“We see you came dressed and ready today,” Melody nodded, examining my outfit.
“I did,” I beamed. “Before we get started, I want to get to know you guys. You heard enough about me last week during our introductions. Let’s start with a simple icebreaker question. What brought you into wrestling? Cara, would you mind starting for us?”
“Yeah, I put my big brother in a chokehold when I was ten, and he started choking. My dad put me in wrestling and boxing immediately afterwards. I just gravitated towards wrestlingmore. Boxing was too restrictive. I need to be able to make you tap out,” she smirked.
Our team was small, seven girls on the roster, and they went in a line sharing what brought them into wrestling. I enjoyed listening to their stories and watching their faces light up while reliving the events that led them to the mat. The icebreaker question I had mulled over for weeks did exactly what I wanted it to do, and I definitely felt more connected to each girl. From wrestling on the playground with their brothers to watching WWE, it warmed my heart to hear them discuss their love for wrestling and how their families fostered that interest since they were kids. Their dedication would be vital moving forward because our small team would likely face a lot of forfeits during dual meets since we didn’t have a girl in every weight class. Our main focus would be tournaments and rebuilding the team.
“What brought you into wrestling, Coach Hunter?” Cara inquired.
“Growing up, I used to love watching wrestling with my brother. When I got into high school and found out there was a girls’ wrestling team, I started as a team manager and eventually joined the team too. I was the Regional Champion my senior year of high school.”
“Oh, you have accolades, huh?” Taylor chimed in.
