A silver medal is an excellent finish for Dapp wrestler Haley Heffel, especially considering the 14-year-old faced older and more experience opponents.
In fact, the girl who won the gold medal in the 65-kg category at the 2011 Western Canada Summer Games is a national champion — a fact that Heffel said makes a silver medal quite an accomplishment.
“It would have been better if I’d won gold, but it’s pretty good knowing I’m up to that,” she said, “especially knowing I was so much younger.”
Megan Kuruvita, the B.C. wrestler who defeated Heffel, is 17. Furthermore, Heffel weighed in right at the bottom of the 65-kg weight category, coming within three ounces of dropping a weight class.
Regardless, Heffel made a strong showing at the tournament, which was broken into two parts. The first component was a team event, while the second was the individual tournament.
Heffel’s first match was against Saskatchewan wrestler Alexis Sigda, where she ran into a bit of trouble right off the bat. She easily defeated her opponent in the first match, but the Saskatchewan coach argued on a technicality in the second match, forcing her to hit the mat for another 30 seconds. Fortunately for her, she was able to keep her opponent at bay and notch a win, outscoring her opponent 10-7.
Her second match was against Manitoba wrestler Christina McKay, which was an easier victory. While she did not manage to pin her opponent, she won by a formidable 13-5 margin.
Heffel’s final match came against Kuruvita, who has earned a gold medal at the national championships prior to the Western Canada Games. Heffel struggled, and in the end fell 7-0 to the national champ.
“It wasn’t a very good match,” Heffel said. “She was the national champion, so my mind probably wasn’t in the best place it could have been.”
Heffel’s performance in the first day’s matches earned her a shot at the gold medal in the individual competition, but once again was bested by the B.C. wrestler, this time by a 9-0 margin.
However, there is much consolation to be had from the fact that Heffel went the two rounds without being pinned.
Heffel has wrestled for just two complete seasons, and said she is looking forward to her third. She got involved in the sports because of her older sister Caitlin, who earned a bronze medal at nationals in 2010.
She said her trip to the tournament was a great experience, and she would encourage any other athlete to seize the opportunity to compete at higher-level tournaments.
“I think if anybody gets the chance to make Team Alberta, they should take it,” she said.
