Worthing – “Wrestling has Given Me the Biggest Confidence Boost Ever”

By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

(January 30, 2022 8:00 AM) East Jackson High School senior Isabel Worthing has spent a lot of time trying various sports.

She has competed in basketball, skating, cross country, track and field, golf and swimming.

But her biggest thrill has come in the sports of wrestling.

Worthing is the No. 2 ranked wrestler at 145 pounds in the state of Michigan in girls’ wrestling. But the EJHS wrestler does not fit the perceived mode of a wrestler.

She is a 4.05 student who plans to study in the medical field.

Worthing is in band and was recently named to the Jackson County Honors Band.

And for fun she likes to make soup.

Not exactly the makeup of a wrestler.

“Wrestling has given me the biggest confidence boost ever,” Worthing said. “I went to one practice and thought it was the best thing ever.

“I fell in love with it instantly.”

Worthing said she loves the intensity of the sport.

“It (wrestling) felt freer than basketball,” Worthing said. “You work hard, but it is fun.”

Worthing was named as one of the captains on the East Jackson team this season. It is a job she takes seriously, recruiting a handful of wrestlers to the team.

“I just tell kids they should try it … we would love for you to be on the team,” Worthing said of her recruiting approach. “Practice is at 4 p.m. … see you there.

“They at least show up for one practice.”

Worthing is in her third year of wrestling and has moved up in the ranking of girls’ wrestling. 

Girls have competed in Michigan Wrestling Association state finals at Adrian over the last few years. The MHSAA will sponsor a girls only tournament at the same time as the boys’ tournament in March. 

To qualify for the girls 2022 state finals, wrestlers will need to place in the top eight of their weight class at one of the two sectional tournaments, which will run the Sunday after the boys regional tournaments. There will be no divisions – just one tournament with 14 weight classes.

The weight classes are 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 155, 170, 190 and 235 pounds.

Worthing recently finished first at a girls’ only wrestling tournament in Boyne City and second at another at Ovid-Elsie last weekend. 

“The sport of wrestling is all about your mentality,” Worthing said. “Win or lose, it is how you come away from it.

“Every win or loss is a learning experience and you need to go in each match with that mentality.”

Worthing plans to wrestle at Adrian College next year and earn a degree in a medical field. She would eventually like to earn a doctorate degree.

She is tied for first in her class with a 4.05 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.