By Liv Harvilla and Rachel Cassandra
As winter settled over rural Alaska, the heat built up inside gyms across the state — where mats were filled with hungry, tired, and determined wrestlers. High-school senior Ari O’Domin – who lives in King Salmon – was one of those wrestlers. Despite a disability that makes it hard for her to use her left arm, O’Domin is one of the best wrestlers in the state in the 235-pound weight class.
Her high school classmate, senior Liv Harvilla, interviewed O’Domin and one of the wrestling coaches in November. First she spoke with coach Riel Anderson about his passion towards the sport and season so far.
Anderson: I'm a wrestling coach here at Bristol Bay Borough High School. I've been a coach for 14 seasons. Varsity girls, boys and middle school.
Harvilla: Perfect. Why do you have an interest in being a wrestling coach? Like, what drives your passion?
Anderson: Sports were always a big part of my upbringing growing up. They teach confidence. First doing this was to just make sure the program didn't go away. And now it's about instilling that same confidence that I have in these kids, seeing them grow, progress, achieve goals, and then we all have a blast doing it.
Harvilla: How would you describe Ari as an athlete and person?
Anderson: Ari personifies strength and determination. When she sets her mind to something, she can achieve anything. For her, she's had that issue with her arm ever since she was a little kid, but she doesn't let that define who she is. She sets goals. She sets goals pretty high, and she goes for them.
Harvilla: If you could describe this wrestling season in particular in three words, what would they be and why?
Anderson: Duck on water. What it is, is, while it might seem calm and cool, there's a lot going on behind the scenes. We have a lot going on before season, when the season kicked off, and now with the season where we're at. Our expectations are always to be in the fight, but now, this year, it's really seeing the kids kind of come together, so.
Harvilla: Wonderful. In what ways do you try to inspire and motivate your athletes to push their limits?
Anderson: It's a combination of all the wonderful coaches I had growing up, being able to take those and just kind of conjoin them into one and let those kids know that we're there to support them and let them see their growth going.
Harvilla: Wonderful. And then if you have anything that I missed that you want to add in.
Anderson: Ari is a strong leader. She grew into that role. She keeps kids accountable. She does a great job with not only setting the example in practice, how we should maintain ourselves and how we should be acting, but she also does a great job when we're on the road as well. We're very lucky to have people like her and she's a benefit and asset, not only just in the wrestling room, but also in the school and community.
That was coach Riel Anderson speaking with student radio reporter Liv Harvilla on his feelings toward the season so far. Harvilla also sat down with O’Domin to hear how Bristol Bay has shaped who she is as a person and an athlete.
O’Domin: I've lived in Bristol Bay my whole life. I do basketball, wrestling, NYO [Native Youth Olympics]. I have four siblings, three sisters and one brother. I’m a senior.
Harvilla: How big is your graduating class?
O’Domin: Four.
Harvilla: What made you join wrestling?
O’Domin: 10th grade year, two weeks before regionals, Liv, Brookie and Bella were like, ‘We need a girls team for wrestling. Like, really, like, right now.’ And I was like, ‘okay.’ And I just got out of surgery for my foot, and I was still healing, but it was good. And so I just joined and I stuck with it.
Harvilla: What is your mindset going into this season?
O’Domin: I'm not a cocky person, so I'm not gonna be like, ‘Oh, I'm gonna beat everyone.’ So then like, I'm just, ‘I'm gonna do good this match. I can do it if I really put my mind to it.’
Harvilla: What inspires you?
O’Domin: The little girls, like my sisters. They want to do wrestling like me. And my uncles, who helped me a lot with it, telling me what moves can help. I just want to be an inspiration for the little girls.
Harvilla: What challenges have you faced being a women's wrestler?
O’Domin: The weight classes. There's a lot less than the men's. The one below mine is 185, which is 50 pounds. And it's just hard because the girls that I wrestle, they're bigger than me, and it's just kind of hard. And my arm, it's just kind of hard because some girls are like, ‘oh, look at her arm.’ And I'm just like, ‘okay, now.’
Harvilla: Can you elaborate on your arm?
O’Domin: I was born with Erb's palsy. They had to break my collarbone, which made all my nerves and in my shoulder ball up. So I can't use it that much.
Harvilla: What has that been like for you and what have you learned from those challenges?
O’Domin: With my arm, there's just, like, not really anything I can do but really try harder and make myself believe that I can beat them. And it really helped. And with the weight classes, I don't really care ‘cause I know I'm strong and I can do it.
Harvilla: Thank you. Speaking of your coaches, how would you describe you and your coaches dynamic?
O’Domin: Me and Coach Riel, we joke around a lot until it's time to get serious before a match. And the assistant coaches, Coach Nick isn't really there, but he watches from afar and he helps when I need it. Assistant Coach Dawson, he's my partner sometimes when it's time for me to get out of escapes. And Assistant Coach Logan, he helps a lot with all my moves and stuff. And, my uncle Kvasnikoff, he comes and just works with me because he used to wrestle when he was in high school. He went to state in Texas and he helps with a lot of things. He helps when I'm too high and he just dumps me off of him, and it helps a lot during my matches.
I'm gonna believe in myself. I'm gonna try my hardest.