El Camino Real wrestler Alex Waitsman made school history at CIF State meet

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El Camino Real girls wrestler Alex Waitsman had watched the CIF State wrestling finals many times before on video. She knew that Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield filled up for the finals, but seeing it in person was something else entirely.

“Every seat in that arena was full,” the high school senior said. “I was walking out and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m about to step on the mat and wrestle right now,’ ”

She lost in the final Saturday, but still made El Camino Real history. The senior placed higher than any boys or girls wrestler in the school’s history, finishing as the runner-up in the 116-pound weight class.

Waitsman began wrestling her freshman year of high school after practicing jiu jitsu since she was 8 years old. It was something that she and her mom shared a passion for. Waitsman eventually was spending hours at a time at the gym and her mom’s training partners became her surrogate family.

Her mom died of lung cancer when Waitsman was in eighth grade. That was January 2019, and Waitsman began wrestling at ECR seven months later. She moved in with her grandmother during that time, then moved in with her father. Shortly after that, she lost her grandmother, too.

Wrestling came at a good time.

“It was always a constant for me,” Waitsman said. “It was always an escape despite what was going on, the outside distractions of my life. The minute practice started, it was like, my mind kind of just turned off and it was just about wrestling.”

Wrestling had an effect on Waitsman, and she had an effect on the sport, too. John Terndrup had taken over as head coach a few seasons prior and was dealing with the mental and emotional challenges that come with rebuilding a program as a solo coach.

“And then Alex came around and made it fun again,” Terndrup said. “She changed the environment, the attitude in the room. Everyone was like oh, if we work a little harder like Alex, we could see the success that she’s seeing. Me as a coach, it pushed me to have a tougher practice.”

Waitsman won every match her freshman year until she reached the CIF State tournament. Her success was consistent, then made a serious jump prior to her senior year when she began training at Somar Wrestling, an all-girls club based in San Diego.

She made the two-hour drive three times a week for practice. Instead of being the only girl like she was at ECR, she had many female training partners at Somar — and they were good, too.

“She also got that sisterhood,” Terndrup said. “And especially this last senior year, seeing her interact with other teams and teammates from that training facility, it’s been really fun. I kind of feel like she’s my daughter a little bit, so it’s nice to see her grow up and be so loved by the community.”

Waitsman was the only girls wrestler at ECR her freshman year. This year, five more girls joined the team. Waitsman will wrestle in college at William Jewell College, an NCAA Division II school in Missouri, where she plans to major in psychology.

Wrestling is her priority now, and although jiu jitsu has taken a back seat, she’s grateful for the memories in both sports.

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Her mom went to every jiu jitsu competition. Her grandmother came to all her wrestling tournaments, cheering loudly even though she wasn’t always sure what was going on, Waitsman adds with a laugh.

“When I step on the mat,” Waitsman said, “I just want to make them proud and represent my family.”

BIRMINGHAM’S FERNANDEZ RUNNER-UP

Birmingham Charter freshman girls wrestler Adelaida Fernandez finished in second place at the CIF State tournament at 143.

Patriots coach Jim Medeiros said that his group of young, competitive wrestlers this season has seen rapid improvement.

“They’re just really naturally aggressive kids,” Medeiros said. “So it’s kind of easier for them to get better faster when they have natural ability to get after it.”