Los Alamos High School girls’ wrestling coach Emily Tew earned the USA Wrestling Women’s Age Group Council Person of the Year. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Los Alamos High School girls wrestling coach Emily Tew earned national recognition during a tournament in July in Fargo, S.D.

Tew received the title, USA Wrestling Women’s Age Group Council Person of the Year. This award is one of two national level awards given out each year by the USA Wrestling Women’s Age Group Council. USA Wrestling is the governing body of the Olympic styles of wrestling in the country.

Although Tew said she knew there was some chance she might be awarded the title, it still came as a surprise.

“It was really cool,” Tew added. “New Mexico wrestling is definitely growing and it’s cool to get a shout out.”

New Mexico Wrestling Association State Chair/Director Evan Copeland said Tew was chosen from a pool of nominees across the U.S.

“She’s a great advocate of wrestling, women’s wrestling … she’s been great for us in New Mexico,” Copeland said.

He added that she has advocated for growing the sport in the state and even held camps in New Mexico last summer.

“Her passion, her hard work, her character are all great things – something that we can all look up to as well,” Copeland said.

Wrestling is a sport that is growing in popularity, even locally, Tew said.

Five years ago, five to six girls finished the season, she said. That number grew to nine this year with eight advancing to the state competition and one wrestler placing fourth.

Tew said she is pleased to see young girls participate in the sport.

“One of things people are realizing is that wrestling isn’t just a male sport,” she said, adding that “these girls can see they have their own space – I love that – I think women deserve a combat sport in the schools and this is exactly that.”

Tew stays active in the wrestling scene throughout the year. The high school season starts in November and runs through February while the club level begins at the end of the high school season and continues through July.

Tew herself was a wrestler. She said she competed in high school and in college. After which she took a short break but “got the itch” to get back into the sport.

“I love the challenges it presents,” she said. “There’s always a new challenge.”

Once one skill is mastered, another challenge presents itself, Tew said.

It’s not just the skills used on the wrestling mat but also in life, she said.

“From the coaches’ perspective it has the ability to really make fantastic humans. There’s a lot of life lessons to be learned. One is definitely being able to push through adversity. It also can bring out really good habits,” Tew said.

These habits include nutrition and just general health.

Tew said she has grown as a coach, too. For instance, she said there are just as many lessons to learn in the losses as there are in the wins.

This wasn’t something Tew subscribed to when she was an athlete. She said she got caught up in winning and realized later that wasn’t the best way to do things.

Tew said she has a more holistic view now, which she said she feels is much more beneficial than the attitude of win at all costs.

“I do think this is a way to keep sane and handle failure,” she said.

Tew, who grew up in Missouri, said she got into wrestling because at 4 feet and nine inches, she didn’t feel like she would make it on the basketball team. Another girl she knew was wrestling so Tew went to a practice and “I fell in love with it.”

She graduated from Oklahoma University and she and her husband moved to Los Alamos because they got jobs at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Tew works as a chemist.

Besides working and coaching, Tew said she likes to exercise, bake and be outside with her and her husband’s two dogs.

When the high school season kicks off again, Tew invites the community to come out to support the wrestlers.

“I definitely think the local support is good,” she said. “It’s growing; our community is great, and the parents are phenomenal. I would like to see more people at the events.”

It would be worth the time; Tew said, “I think it’s a fun sport to watch.”

Home meets for the new season are Nov. 29 and Feb. 24.