'Stronger than we look' - Eatonville wrestler shines on national stage at Elementary National Duals
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Jezlynn "Chicky" Battles has been chasing opponents across the mat since she was 6 years old. Last weekend, the Weyerhaeuser Elementary fifth-grader was chasing something bigger — a spot on the national stage.
And she earned every bit of it.
Battles, 11, represented Washington State as part of Team Washington at the Freeco USA Elementary National Duals, one of the premier youth wrestling tournaments in the country. The event, held June 5-7 at the Union Bank and Trust Sports Complex in Elkhorn, Nebraska, draws state and club teams from across the nation and features both freestyle and Greco-Roman competition for grade-schoolers from first through sixth grade.
The invitation to join Team Washington came in March, and for Battles, it stopped her in her tracks.
"I was so surprised and shocked," she said. "My goal was to be able to travel with my wrestling when I got older, but I made it before I even reached middle school."
She was selected to compete at 145 pounds, a call that made sense to anyone who has watched her compete. Her folkstyle résumé already includes a district championship, a runner-up finish at the league championships and a third-place finish at state. She is a regular placer and champion on the local tournament circuit, the kind of competitor that coaches notice.
But the Freeco Duals would test her in ways she had never faced before.
Unlike traditional individual bracket tournaments, the Freeco Duals uses a team format, with wrestlers competing head-to-head in dual meets. Every match carries weight not just for the individual, but for the entire squad. Battles competed across both freestyle and Greco-Roman, going 7-7 overall against teams from Ohio, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, New York and Iowa, a who's who of wrestling-rich states.
It was her first time competing on a national team. It was also her first time ever stepping on the mat in Greco-Roman style.
She didn't flinch.
Greco-Roman wrestling differs significantly from the folkstyle competition Battles had built her reputation in. The style eliminates leg attacks and emphasizes upper-body control and throws, demanding a different kind of strength, technique and instinct. For most wrestlers, a first Greco experience comes with a steep learning curve.
For Battles, it came with enthusiasm.
"I really liked Greco practices, so I was excited," she said.
That excitement showed. In Greco-Roman competition, Battles was aggressive and assertive from the opening whistle, setting the pace and imposing her will on opponents who may have underestimated the fifth-grader from Washington State.
In freestyle, Battles delivered what may have been the single most important moment of the tournament for Team WA. With the squad trailing in points heading into the final round robin match, the outcome and the team's bracket placement came down to her. Win and the girls advance to the Gold bracket undefeated. Lose, and the opportunity slips away.
It was a fast-paced, back-and-forth match that had everything on the line.
"I felt excited and nervous before the match," Battles said. "But I didn't know exactly how much it meant to my team until after the match. Then I was just proud."
She had reason to be. In the closing seconds, Battles secured the pin, sending Team Washington's girls into the Gold bracket undefeated and delivering the kind of clutch performance that defines competitors far older than 11.
The foundation for moments like that was built years ago, and it starts with the Cruiser Wrestling Club, where Battles has trained since she was 6 years old. Coach Zach Trujillo has been there throughout, helping develop a wrestler who now competes on the national stage before she has ever set foot in a middle school hallway.
Battles said what keeps her coming back to the sport is the sport itself — the endless variety, the constant growth.
"My favorite part about wrestling is learning the different styles," she said.
Five years in, she has already mastered more styles than most wrestlers twice her age and last weekend, she added Greco-Roman to that list on the national stage.
The goals ahead are big. The dreams are bigger. And after a weekend competing against the best elementary-age wrestlers the country has to offer, Battles has a message for anyone who might overlook a girl on the mat.
"You can never judge a book by its cover," she said. "And most of us are stronger than we look."
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