Great Brittany

It didn’t take Brittany McCauley long to realize her opponents were different. She was in Livonia, Mich. facing the top female wrestlers from around the country. She knew she was in for a challenge.

As she readied for her first match of the day at the United States Girls Wrestling Association Championships, McCauley had one thing on her mind: her first move. Strike fast, catch her opponent off guard and gain a quick advantage.

The problem was McCauley wasn’t used to wrestling other girls. When she competed with the CCHS team against other local high schools, she was almost always the only female participant.

Wrestling guys was no problem. She’d posted a 31-17 record during the winter, her sophomore season. She’d finished sixth in the Northwest Region.

Most of the guys McCauley wrestled during the season thought they could out-muscle her. She learned quickly that technique could beat brute strength any day of the week.

But in Michigan, she was up against 27 other 103-pound female wrestlers, many of whom had likely developed a similar approach on the mat.

Female wrestlers tend to be more flexible than their male counterparts. When McCauley faced male opponents, she used that to her advantage to counter their strength.

Not in Michigan. Those girls had the same bag of tricks McCauley did.

The tournament was an eye-opener for McCauley. She held her own, finishing fifth in the national-class field. In her final match of the competition, she won a 7-0 decision over Joanna Levy, a wrestler from Oregon.

“It was a good challenge,” she said.

McCauley is used to challenges. She relishes them. As a female in a male-dominated sport, she’s had to earn respect every step of the way.

She earned a bunch this year.

“It’s funny to watch because (male competitors will) come up and be like ‘oh I’ve got this girl,” said Kathy McCauley, Brittany’s mother. “Before you know it they’re pinned.

“I think she likes to prove to guys she’s just as good as them.”

Brittany picked up wrestling four years ago. She loved it from day one. There was something about pushing herself to the limit that kept her coming back for more. She started with the Culpeper Cobras, a local youth wrestling team and this winter made her varsity debut.

It wasn’t long before she was winning almost every time out.

Wrestling can be as much mental as it is physical. Every day, through bumps, bruises, aches and pains, wrestlers have to make a simple choice: keep going or give in. Pin or be pinned.
“You have to know that you want it,” McCauley said.

McCauley was named Culpeper’s most improved wrestler at the team’s postseason banquet. But that’s just the beginning, she said. There is room to get better.
She’ll focus on developing her flexibility, endurance and strength in the offseason. She wants to improve her lower body technique.

She’s found a new sport to keep her busy and active in the spring: Lacrosse.

And she’s already looking ahead to next spring, when she hopes to make a return trip to the USGWA Championships. She was taken a bit off guard this time around. Now she knows what to expect from her competition.

“A lot of people think girls aren’t strong,” McCauley said. “They were pretty strong.”

Jason Simcoe can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 166 or