rina Walker
Wrestling gives Claire Lancaster a sense of empowerment. She has wrestled with ‘NORMAN’ across her chest since she was five years old. Now a freshman at Norman High School, she has seen firsthand the evolution of her sport.
“When I first started wrestling, there were no girl-only brackets; we even had to wear skull caps under our headgear to keep our hair back. Girls wrestling has grown so much since then and I am so happy I got to be a part of it,” Lancaster said.
Lancaster is a more determined person because of wrestling. It pushes her limits, giving her confidence and strength. A big accomplishment in her wrestling career was last summer when she became an All-American at Fargo.
When asked who most inspires her, she names her dad.
“He is always in my corner, if not physically then mentally,” she says.
Because her dad ran the local Little League, wrestling was a part of her life from early childhood.
“Whenever you’re five, you don’t really comprehend that you’re going to start a lifelong sport that plays such a big role in your life, but I don’t regret it one bit. It was one of my best decisions,” she said.
Lancaster laughs, saying everyone always thanks their parents but she genuinely feels that without her mom, none of this would be possible.
“I couldn’t do any of this without her. She drives to any event and spends any amount of money to see me compete; she is my biggest supporter,” Lancaster praised.
She also wants to thank Nick Turner. The countless hours he put in to make sure she succeeded did not go unnoticed. A final shoutout goes to her teammate and best friend, Rylie Hillis.
“Rylie has been with me through it all and I wouldn’t trade her for the world,” Lancaster said.
While very important, there is more to life than wrestling. Lancaster loves to bake and play softball. She is also excited about a planned vacation to Mexico in the summer. After high school, she wants to continue wrestling in college and pursue her dream of becoming a doctor.
