KANE — Grades drop, wrestling stops. That’s the motto for this young girl and her mother. Brooke Chittester, 10, of Johnsonburg has proven herself once again, by taking fourth place in States this month.
Chittester is the first female in Kane history to place in a Pennsylvania state wrestling tournament. Five years of wrestling under her belt, approximately 70 medals and she continues to strive for more.
Plans are in the making to attend wrestling tournaments in a number of different states this year. Texas, Florida, and Tennessee are just a few that are on the list. But, first they are training for Myrtle Beach and heading to Nationals in May.
With her mother as her trainer, Chittester is extremely devoted to the sport. “It is important that I keep my daughter in good health, holding at a steady weight of 75 pounds, while training for each of these upcoming tournaments,” states Chittester’s mother, Amanda.
Brooke responds, “I don’t know what I would do without my mom.”
Some of the training Chittester participates in is cardio and weight lifting, with an increasing intensity and duration as the training moves forward. Specific diets are required to stay healthy and strong during such training sessions. Fruits, vegetables, and lean meats are crucial elements to this diet. This is the type of focus and discipline that helps to maintain Chittester’s status of four-time All American and two-time area champion.
Chittester has also placed second in the the Midwest Region as well as the East Coast Region. Headed in the right direction, Chittester exclaims, “My ultimate goal is to learn freestyle wrestling and make the Olympic team by the time I turn 15 years old.”
Although Chittester began this season sponsored Nationwide, drafted as an independent, freelance wrestler, it was time to find herself a team.
Chittester was in need of a team environment that could offer the fundamentals, shadowing, and what is known as live wrestling, with other wrestlers her age. The Kane wrestling coaches believed in Chittester and provided her with an equal opportunity on their team. Chittester states, “I am thankful for my coaches and the outcome of my year. Joining the Kane wrestling team made me feel like I was home again.”
