LBJ wrestler Rendon finding home, success in sport
AUSTIN (KXAN) — When Michaela Rendon began as a wrestler, it wasn’t the most encouraging start.
“My first match, I didn’t know what to do,” Rendon said. “So I kind of just screamed in the middle. I didn’t win.”
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Seven months later, the sport seems like it has always been a part of her life.
“I like the sport because it’s a one-man sport,” she said. “You can’t really rely on a team like in football. It’s really just you and the other person. That’s what it comes down to.”
Despite being newer to the sport, Rendon has excelled. She qualified for the Junior National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota, this July.
The LBJ standout just finished her freshman year and is staying extremely focused.
“What makes Michaela special is the idea of an athlete being what I would call complete,” said Randy Bryant, principal of LBJ High School. “She does what’s necessary inside the classroom and she’s doing what’s necessary to be successful at athletics.”
Bryant is also the owner of Heart and Pride Wrestling, where Michaela trains. The club is free for students from the Austin Independent School District.
“Some gyms you can tell when it’s just about the money, but I feel like they really want to help out the kids and they’re just genuine,” she said.
Rendon is an athlete in every sense of the word. She’s been successful in track and field and football, as well as boxing.
She said that her boxing background has helped her in wrestling. Her goal in wrestling is simple.
“I want to win state,” she said.
She has helped revitalize the wrestling program at LBJ. There should be around 20 athletes in the program for the upcoming season, a turnout much higher than it typically is.
“It feels good. I don’t want to say I’m the start, but I’m one of the first ones that is going to start the club back up,” she said. “It feels good.”
