PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A three-time Oregon state girls’ wrestling champion is heading to the global stage this summer, but needs help getting there.
Destiny Rodriguez will be competing in multiple tournaments this summer, including one in Bulgaria, but to help Rodriguez and her family prepare for these opportunities, the West Linn High School wrestling booster club will be hosting a fundraiser this week.
“Before my matches, during my matches, I always tell myself I’m the best, I worked the hardest, so that’s what usually pushes me through my matches,” Rodriguez told KOIN 6 News.
It’s that mindset that has made this 17-year-old one of the top female wrestlers in the United States.
Rodriguez, who has won three state championships, is heading to the world stage later this summer for the U20 World Championships in Bulgaria in August.
Rodriguez said by learning how to be “mentally tough” has helped carry her far.
“I feel like in practice when things get hard, you have to know you can keep going and I think that’s important in life,” she said, adding that trust in her coaches and others has helped as well.
The fundraiser takes place on Wednesday, June 1 at the Willamette Cider and Ale House from 6 to 8 p.m.