Shelburne wrestler going to Junior Pan Am Games

April 23, 2014 · 0 Comments

Shelburne’s Hannah Little will be going up against the best in her class after qualifying to attend the Junior Pan Am Games in Brazil. The 15 year-old wrestler competes in the 49 kg class and will soon find herself on the mat with other competitors from North, South, and Central American counties. She leaves April 30, on the long flight to the South American country. The games pit the top Junior athletes in international competition and is considered one of the avenues an athlete can travel to make it even farther in their sport. Hannah competes with the Guelph Junior Wrestling Club after originally starting out with Triumph Wrestling in Orangeville. Her place on the National team was the result of winning at the national level, and competing in FILA and again coming out on top to qualify for the Pan Am Games. While girls and women’s wrestling is still a fairly young sport, Hannah has already made her mark after taking it up when she was in grade five. “I used to be really into dance. My brother started wrestling, I saw it, and decided to give it a try – I loved it,” she said of her start on the mat. “I love a good challenge – it’s the whole sport – I love everything about it.” While she won her qualifying competition by winning in four consecutive bouts, Hannah know the next stop will find her up against the top national wrestlers in her weight class. “This is probably going to be the hardest competition I’ve had in my life,” she said, adding that focusing on what she has to do is the most important part of the sport. “You have to believe in yourself, and know that you deserve it,” Hannah said of the fact that she earned her spot on the team through dedication, skill, and talent. Training in Guelph takes a lot of commitment, but she’s used to the travel and dedicated to the sport. As for future plans in the sport, she said she’s not looking too far ahead at the moment. “I know you have to think about it,” she said, but right now she’s focused on her short-term goals, but added, “Eventually, I’d like to be on a university team and be part of a high performance sport.” At the collegiate level, Hanna is on her high school wrestling team at Centre Dufferin District High School in Shelburne. She also competes in track and field at school, but considers wrestling as her main activity and focuses on her training on the mat.

By Brian Lockhart