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Howland’s Sayre pursues wrestling national title
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Corri Sayre, top, who gets to pin boys as a member of the Howland junior varsity wrestling team, will be wrestling girls this weekend at the United States Girls Wrestling Association national championships at Eastern Michigan University.
By Doug Chapin
HOWLAND
Corri Sayre, a junior at Howland High School, doesn’t hesitate when asked what is her favorite thing about wrestling.
“When I am wrestling girls, even in a good match, even when I end up with a pin, it’s not the same as beating a boy,” she said. “You feel like you can conquer the world. The guys get all mad, but I don’t care. I hold my head high. It’s the best thing in the world to pin a guy.”
Sayre gets her opportunities to pin guys as a member of the Howland junior varsity wrestling team (9-6 record this past season), but she will be wrestling girls on Saturday and Sunday at the United States Girls Wrestling Association national championships at Eastern Michigan University.
“I am aiming for the gold this time,” said Sayre, who is making her fourth trip to the national tournament. She placed fourth a year ago. “I don’t want to settle for third or second, I am going for first.”
Sayre, who wrestles at 165 pounds in the girls high school division, won her fourth straight state title last weekend at Doylestown Chippewa High. Her interest in wrestling came from her brother, Chuck, who wrestled at Howland and coaches Corri in her non-school matches.
“It’s hard getting coached by your brother,” Corri said. “You don’t want to have a sibling telling you what to do, but he obviously knows more than I do about what’s going on on the mat.”
Corri says she puts more pressure on herself when wrestling against girls.
“When I’m wrestling guys there is not as much to lose,” she said. “It’s great to win, but if I lose I’m not as hard on myself, I mean I’m getting beat by a guy. When I’m going against a girl it’s an even battle and If I lose to a girl I beat myself up.”
Corri is one of a handful of girls in northeastern Ohio who are wrestling on scholastic boys teams. The compare notes when they get together at girls tournaments.
“We always talk about getting muscled around and how we have to work to have better technique to counteract that because boys are so much stronger,” she said.
Corri has discovered, as most wrestlers do, how time-consuming the sport can be.
“Wrestling is my dominant thing right now. I’m busy October through April, it’s very time-consuming,” she said. “In the offseason I work with my parents, who own a tree service. I do ground work, splitting wood and dragging brush.”
Before she gets back to work in the family business she has some unfinished business to take care of this weekend in Michigan.