Rising to the Top - By Kylee Fox

The Richland Bomber Girls Wrestling team just beat the Hanford Falcons in the 25th annual 'Battle of the Bone' duel between Richland and Hanford, a staple dual that is mainly dominated by Hanford in which whoever wins this dual is set as the best wrestlers in the famous town of Richland. The Bombers beat the Hanford Falcons and took home the 'Battle of the Bone' trophy with a score of 48-27. 

Photo courtesy of Bailey Gifford (RHS Yearbook).

The Richland Bomber Girls Wrestling team started off hot in this year's 2022-23 wrestling season, beating a tough Kennewick Lions team 48-30 in their first match of the season. The girls showed up and multiple people got on the podium. 

Photo courtesy of Bailey Gifford (RHS Yearbook).

Then beating the Kamiakin Braves 60-24, the next match for the Bombers was the Best of the West tournament which they placed 6th out of 24 teams; Toppenish, Othello, Royal, Hermiston, and Kennewick were the only teams in front of the Bombers. Skadi placed 6th, Savannah Dufault 5th, Kyndra Casias got 4th, and Erin Kremer got 3rd in the BOTW. 

The girls also had 9 placers out of 12 wrestlers for a 4th place team finish in the winter cup, 2nd place finishes for Portia Harker and Erin Kremer, 4th place finishes for Savannah Thorpe, Kyndra Casias, and Yanneece Sanchez, Amy Ordaz with a 5th place finish, 6th place finish for Emma Kirschenmann, and 7th place finish for Savannah Dufault. 

Photo courtesy of Bailey Gifford (RHS Yearbook).

Then the Bombers hosted their first dual against the Hanford Falcons for the 25th annual 'Battle of the Bone' dual, in which they won 48-27. The Bombers had one goal in mind going into this match, to win the Bone wish they haven't won in several years. The girls never gave up and fought until the end of the match. The Bombers were determined, and in the end, they brought the Bone back to Richland. 

Photo courtesy of Bailey Gifford (RHS Yearbook).

Lastly, the Bombers headed to Kelso for the Kelso invite with a very large bracket of very tough teams and in which the bombers placed 14th overall out of 96. Erin Kremer had an awesome tournament placing 2nd in her weight class, and Kyndra Casias placed 8th. They currently stand at 3-0 and are ranked 1st in the Mid-Columbia Conference rankings. What an outstanding performance the past month and with big matches coming up the bombers are looking good heading into the mid to late season.

Photo courtesy of Bailey Gifford (RHS Yearbook).

This year has been a little different for the Bombers than last year having five girls to this year having over twenty. Wrestling is becoming more popular every year. Girls wrestling is one of the fastest-growing collegiate sports and is moving on down to high school. The Tri-Cities is becoming known for wrestling. "Once you start wrestling, you see a different side of people, and they just become family. Wrestling is a sport that once you start to get the hang of it, it becomes a really fun challenge," said Erin Kremer.

Photo courtesy of Bailey Gifford (RHS Yearbook).

Wrestling is by far one the hardest sports to train for, not just physically but mentally. Wrestling is a very physical sport, but it's also very hard mentally to keep pushing and practicing harder than an actual match itself. "I believe our team is as strong as it is because we don't only train physically, we also train mentally," said Portia Harker. The girls not only have physical practice, but they also have practice for their mental game as well. The Bombers do not support each other on the mat but off the mat too. "My favorite part of wrestling is my great team," said Harker. In wrestling, it's only you and your opponent on the mat, but it is also one of the best team sports because of how close you get with your team through those grueling practices. When you train hard with your teammates, you get really close, and you want to see your teammates succeed, and they want the same for you. While matches don't last very long at long meets, there's lots of free time. "My favorite part about wrestling is how many people that you meet and become friends with. You start talking to some of the girls on the other teams, and then you go cheer them on," said Erin Kremer. This is why matches are so intense: everyone's rooting for their teammates while wrestling it is just you, but you know your team has your back. You're not just wrestling for yourself; you're wrestling for them. 

Next up for the Bombers is Senior Night on Thursday against Pasco! But looking further ahead, the Bombers are looking to be MCC Champs and compete in State. 

Photo courtesy of Bailey Gifford (RHS Yearbook).