Gray writes letter to female wrestlers on International Women's Day

Adeline Gray after getting a victory at 2020 Senior Nationals (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)

To the girls on the mat,

We see you.
Your heart is brave.
Your vision is wide.
You thrive in challenging yourself.
You like to make your own decisions.
You feel natural in leading yourself in school, with your friends and family.

Wrestling is a home, one where we challenge ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally. We set goals. We achieve them and we fall short. We win and we lose. We receive instruction and adapt. We learn grit, patience, self-acceptance, self-belief. We meet our feelings - ​happiness, excitement, frustration, sadness, anger, and we learn that moving through them keeps us moving forward.

We learn who the right people are to put in our corner because we know they will support us, encourage us, and love us regardless of the outcome.

We become disciplined by making choices that keep our health, academics, and training at a level of excellence.

We come to know humility, sisterhood and a bond that is greater than what we have known before.

And time goes on, we learn that we have become leaders. We have the confidence, critical thinking, and emotional resilience to reach our full potential in every part of our lives.

Welcome home -- I'm proud to be your sister-in-wrestling and I stand-by watching you make HERstory.

Adeline Gray
Olympian and 5x World Champion