Madison Black takes down the state of California

Madison Black, senior, took home the California State Championship wrestling title after three long days of competition on Feb. 28. The gym roared with screams and cheers from rows of her teammates, friends and family supporting her from the bleachers during the big duel.
Having only started wrestling freshman year out of curiosity, Black quickly found a passion and skill for it. Black undergoes an intensive training regime, helping to prepare her body and mind for every tournament. Twice a day, she attends training to improve her techniques and overall strength. Black also prioritizes balance, getting Saturdays off for competition and the occasional Sunday for rest and recovery.
Although challenging, Black was able to carry her regular-season momentum all the way through the postseason to the final. “I think carrying my success into the postseason is just staying hungry for more and always wanting to be better than the day I was before and make sure that I’m really perfecting my techniques,” Black said.
Highlighting not only her big success as state champion, but also the team’s victorious season, Black reminisces on the overall accomplishments of the team this year. “The team became the first ever league champions for our school and girls’ wrestling. So I think that was definitely one of the highlights from this year,” Black said.
Comparing her ranking last year to this year, Black is able to recognize her overall improvement from finishing seventh last year in the state competition to becoming the state champion this year. Black is able to look back at last year’s duels and compare them to this year, seeing a large development in her skills and expressing gratitude toward the supporting community around her.
A key component of wrestling is keeping a positive mindset and not getting down on yourself. For Black, before matches, she prepares herself with positive reinforcements and words of encouragement. Black believes wrestling easily allows you to get down and doubt yourself, but keeping a positive mindset is important. “I just say I’ve done this before, and I’m capable of doing this again, and I’m stronger than I think and more capable than I believe,” Black said.
Next year, Black is going to continue her wrestling career at Sacred Heart University, where she will be competing at the NCAA Division One level. “I just want to continue my passion and my hard work and bring it [to Sacred Heart], allowing me to jump levels and hopefully go for an NCAA title,” Black said.