By RUTUJA SABNIS
Staff Writer
“I started [judo] when I was six, so I’ve been doing it for eight or nine years,” Lorena Egea (Jr.) said. Two weeks ago, Lorena Egea was picked as the Wrestling Athlete of the Week by OC Varsity.
She started judo as a child, following her father’s footsteps. “My dad introduced me to judo but he wasn’t going to force me to do it if I didn’t want to,” Egea said. Two years ago, she received the 2015 State Championship Title in judo, a tremendous accomplishment.
After becoming a sophomore, Egea wanted to join a sport, wrestling, because it was the closest to judo. She did not make varsity sophomore year, but after dedicating her time to wrestling this year, she has not only made varsity, but CIF. She won all four of her matches in the 137-pound weight class in the first quarter of the CIF Southern Division Qualifying Tournament in less than 50 seconds.
Since Egea is the only girl on the Varsity Wrestling team, she joins the boy wrestlers for their workouts. These workouts consist of a four to five mile run, which is then followed by warm up stretches and some practice takedowns. Afterwards, the wrestlers split into upper, middle, and lower groups (Egea is in the upper) and practice technique. Then everyone lifts weights for strength and endurance .
“[Lorena is] absolutely dedicated to the sport,” Team Captain Nicholas Dang (Sr.) said, “[She goes] well and above what is expected of other wrestlers on the team, takes time to help others, and [is] never afraid to ask for help.”
In her free time, which she rarely gets, Egea enjoys baking and watching cooking shows even though she cannot really eat the foods in order to stay in shape for her sport.
Although she is unsure of whether she will continue wrestling in her college career, she hopes to pick up judo again after wrestling season ends upon the conclusion of her CIF matches.
Lorena Egea: La Niña of Wrestling
February 21, 2017
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