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Wrestler, 10, wins first place in Iowa


Julye Keeble

Staff writer

Though she hyper-extended her elbow a week before, 10-year-old Uvalde resident Stephany “Nini” Barrera won first place last weekend in the 110-pound weight class at the second-annual Conflict for Charity wrestling tournament held at Independence High School in Iowa.

To get there, she joined a wrestling organization called Sisters on the Mat, which accepts female wrestlers from all over Texas. The group was recommended by her wrestling coach. Barrera’s mother drove to Keller, where they met the group and travelled the rest of the way on a bus. They stayed at at local gym, Hard Drive Mixed Martial Arts.

“It was like a big sleepover,” Barrera said.

Her typical weight class is 100 pounds, but as she weighed in at 1 pound over, she was required to compete in the 110-pound weight class.

She competed in two matches, and won the first by a pin, and the second match by a point in overtime, where she injured her finger at the end of the match. The injury was minor, and has not slowed her down.

The tournament was held Oct. 12-13, and all proceeds were donated to cancer charities.

Barrera has been wrestling for approximately five years, and she is coached by John Perez of Uvalde. Perez’s daughter, state-champion wrestler Adelyhda “Lala” Perez, whom Barrera looks up to like a sister, critiqued her performances via video and sent her advice and tips.

She thinks wrestling has become more popular with girls in the last few years, speaking of how a national sporting goods merchandiser now has a female wrestler on adverting materials displayed upon store windows.

Barrera is happy most wrestling tournaments have finally created a girls’ division, because until recently she competed against boys at most events she attended.

The girls’ division, she said, “is a good thing because I’ll have a break from wrestling mostly boys.”

She enjoys playing soccer and football with her cousins and family, and watching wrestling movies. Coach Perez recommended a movie about real-life events involving Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz.

“Foxcatcher was pretty good, and coach remembers when it happened,” Barrera said.

Training is held Monday through Thursday, usually from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Barrera runs, does push-ups and sit-ups, runs some more, and, of course, practices wrestling. She likes to play rap, hip-hop and rock music to keep her energy up.

Before wrestling, she tried cheerleading, joining the youth team. Then, one evening, she accompanied her mother to pick up her brother at wrestling practice. Barrera took one look and said she’d like to try the sport.

She quit cheerleading and took up wrestling, a sport she has now been involved with off and on since she was 5. She was ranked fourth in the state when she was 7 years old.

After taking a break while her mother attended school, she is back wrestling and hard at work.

She is the daughter of Lourdes and Juan Barrera of Uvalde. She has three brothers, Diego Barrera, 15, who plays football and is the one who first inspired her to try wrestling; Gregorio, 13, who also plays football; and younger brother Itzae, 6, who plays football with the Junior Coyotes.

She is the granddaughter of Francisca and Mariano Pargas Jr. of Uvalde.

She planned to compete yesterday at the Texas Open Preseason Tournament at Austin Bowie High School. She is also looking forward to Panhandle National Wrestling set Friday, Nov. 29, in Amarillo.

Barrera is hoping to compete in her usual division, so she has cut out sodas, bread and candy temporarily from her diet, and her mother is shaping the entire family’s diet to be more healthy.

Barrera misses Sprite the most, but says it will be worth it once she competes.

Lourdes BarreraTen-year-old Stefany Barrera (center) wears her first-place medal and displays the brackets showing opponents she wrestled to win the 110-pound division at the second-annual Conflict for Charity girls’ preseason tournament. The tournament was held at Independence High School in Iowa.

Lourdes BarreraTen-year-old Stefany Barrera (center) wears her first-place medal and displays the brackets showing opponents she wrestled to win the 110-pound division at the second-annual Conflict for Charity girls’ preseason tournament. The tournament was held at Independence High School in Iowa.

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