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East Central wrestler in class of her own

By CORY YOUNG World Staff Writer
12/31/2003

Freshman the only girl on a TPS wrestling squad
Cheyenne Stokes doesn't share a locker room with her wrestling teammates at East Central High School, but she shares their passion for the sport.

Stokes, a freshman and the only female varsity wrestler in Tulsa Public Schools, said competing against boys has made her a better wrestler, but she doesn't get caught up in the hype of being the only girl on the team.

"Some people don't think that I should compete against guys," she said.

Although the first three matches of her high school career ended in losses, Stokes has proven herself, said East Central head wrestling coach Gary Roberts.

"She's the best person we've got at that weight," Roberts said of Stokes, who wrestles at 135 pounds. "She's taking her lumps now, just like any other freshman."

Chad Fairchilds, who is in his fourth year on the Cardinals' wrestling team, said he can attest to those early bumps and bruises.

Fairchilds won only about five of 50 matches his ninth-grade year.

Now, he has a chance to compete in the state tournament.

"It's really difficult your freshman year," said Fairchilds, a former junior high champion. "She's a freshman, going up against seniors that have been wrestling their whole life."

Stokes said her first high school match was a little overwhelming.

"I didn't know what to expect," she said. "I wasn't afraid, just a little nervous. After the first 10 seconds of the match, it started clicking, just like any other match."

Stokes started wrestling at age 8, when she defeated a boy for the first time.

"It really made me confident that I could continue in the sport," she said.

Stokes said she started wrestling when she saw a flier in the hall at Kerr Elementary School. It took some persistence before she could get her father to approve of her wrestling.

"I said, 'I want to wrestle,' and he said, 'No,' twice," Stokes said.

When she asked again, however, he approved it.

Much of Stokes' desire for the sport comes from her father, who wrestled for Guthrie High School.

In middle school, Cheyenne wrestled with the Broken Arrow Tiger Wrestling Club, mostly against high school girls.

Stokes wrestled national-level high school girls when she was in middle school. She fought past a separated shoulder to win third place at the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association nationals. An injury default kept her from going farther in the competition.

Stokes also took third at the seventh-grade competition in the Boys State Oklahoma Wrestling Association meet, which was the last time she beat a male wrestler.

Roberts said he treats each member of his team at East Central equally.

"There are some boys that she could beat in here (at practice)," Roberts said. "She has a lot of experience. It's hard for a freshman to just come in and jump in to varsity competition."

In addition to wrestling, Stokes plays on the school softball team and is president of the freshman student council.

"She's a great student and a hard worker," Roberts said.

Cheyenne Stokes, the only varsity girl wrestler in the Tulsa Public Schools, jogs around the track with fellow East Central wrestlers. She started wrestling in elementary school and placed at a national tournament when she was in middle school. CORY YOUNG / Tulsa World