WIBN Ambassador Spotlight | Emma Cochran

Meet Emma Cochran. Emma is a junior at Grand View University (Des Moines, IA), majoring in Kinesiology with a concentration in Health Promotion. She is the starting 101-pound wrestler on the team and one of WIBN's supremely talented Ambassadors. It was great to catch up with her and learn about her journey to Grand View and her plans for the future. Her story is not unique, as she is like many young women who now have expanded opportunities to wrestle. These opportunities result from countless hours invested by pioneers and key influencers at the local and national levels. Organizations such as the NWCA that promote and grow the sport nationally have also played an important role.

It is safe to say that wrestling has been a part of Emma's life since the day she was born. Growing up in a small town in Iowa (Moravia), her father was a wrestling coach, and her older brother was involved in wrestling before Emma was even born. She jokes that "the first place she ever went as a newborn was probably to a wrestling match." Despite the family connection to the sport and her interest, she didn't fully commit to the sport because of some of the pressures she faced with making and maintaining friends at that early age. It just wasn't "normal" for girls to be wrestling boys. But her attitude would change.

In between her freshman and sophomore year of high school, Emma traveled to Fargo for the US Marine Corps Cadet and Junior Championships with her brother and father. This was the first time that Emma saw a bracket with nothing but girls, and it made her realize that she, too, could have the same opportunities. And so that summer, Emma committed to the sport. Many young women, even now, are unaware of the broad wrestling opportunities available to them, and a great many don't even know how many college wrestling programs are available to them after high school.

Beginning her sophomore year, Emma joined her father's team. While many young women struggle initially joining a male-dominated wrestling team, Emma didn't have that problem in Moravia. First, her father was the coach. Second, she had been around the program her entire life, and the wrestlers were already like brothers to her. That would change a bit after her sophomore year, though.

Following her sophomore year in high school, Emma's father accepted a job at Chariton High School, which is about an hour south of Des Moines. While Emma's mother would stay in Moravia for a year before relocating to Sheridan, Emma went with her father and joined the wrestling team. She had not grown up with these boys as she had in Moravia, and she was the only girl on the team. However, she worked hard to develop mutual respect, and they, too, became like brothers to her.

Despite her experience at Fargo and seeing girls wrestling girls, Emma still primarily wrestled boys. While she traveled to girls tournaments throughout the country, her scholastic season saw her facing boys most of the time, and this took as much moral courage as it did physical. For example, she would wrestle in a high school tournament, and no matter how many matches were going on when she was wrestling, the majority of eyes were on whatever mat she was on. Some were rooting for her, and some were against her and women's wrestling. There was always the feeling that she had to prove that women/girls could wrestle, and now she is super thrilled that Iowa recently sanctioned high school girls wrestling, which is a tremendous vindication for Emma. Girls no longer must prove they belong.

As Emma's high school graduation loomed, she had some choices to make about where she would go to college. She absolutely knew that she wanted to get out of Iowa. That is until she visited Grand View University. She fell in love with everything about Grand View. While it is a smaller school, it is just outside Des Moines and afforded access to the social life that a small city offers. So, while she looked at other schools, she felt most comfortable with Grand View. It didn't hurt that the coach at Grand View was Angelo Crinzi. Emma couldn't be more thrilled with the leadership and mentorship that she has received from Coach Crinzi.

Three years later, Emma does not resent her decision one bit. She loves Grand View and the sense of community that she has experienced. She is very impressed with the administration and her professors. They have become mentors and advisors not just in their subject but in all things affecting her life. There is also the wrestling team where the connection between the women's and men's teams is tight, serving as each other's biggest supporters.

Next Spring, Emma will graduate and is looking to pursue a future in health promotion. Her ideal goal is to be a Wellness Coach, though her passion is nutrition. She is inspired by helping people reach their personal goals and wants to be a part of their journey. She has had to learn about mind-body-spirit wellness through wrestling, and she wants to pass on what she has learned to others. She recently received certification as a Yoga instructor and now teaches classes at Grand View.

Emma is just one example of the great Ambassadors we have at the WIBN, and we are grateful to have her on our team. She is a remarkable young woman with a great future. She will, undoubtedly, take the lessons she learned along her journey and use them to be a great representative for the entire wrestling community.

Some interesting facts about Emma:

Little know fact: State Champion in wrestling and dance (hip hop)

Favorite movie: Now You See Me

Favorite show: The Office

After weigh-in meal: Coconut water, PB and honey sandwich with bananas

Death row meal: Pepperoni pizza and wing, with a Starbucks pink drink

Three people she'd like to have dinner with: Jordan Burroughs, Kevin Hart, and Bailey Sarian