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Massine blazing trail on wrestling team at Velva

Ryan Ladika/MDN On Jan. 9, Elizabeth Massine (bottom) took part in Bishop Ryan wrestling tournament and competed in the 120 pound weight class.

Of all the stress, heartache and anxiety that was produced by the year 2020, we saw some good moments materialize as well. Especially in the world of sports, we saw women continue to make strides in a predominantly-male industry.

At the local high school level, Elizabeth Massine of Velva High School competes on the boys varsity squad. Massine has been wrestling for most of her life, starting out in the fifth grade.

“I started at a young age, and it’s the only sport I’ve stuck with,” she recalled. “I’ve done a lot throughout my career. I was the first girl to make it to the state tournament in North Dakota, and I’ve just stuck with it ever since I started.”

Now a senior in high school about to turn 18 years old, she is proud of where she is and what she has been able to do. No one has treated her differently than the rest of the boys, and she is glad to be able to show what she can do on the mat.

“For her, I think the biggest thing is she has always had a chip on her shoulder, like she has something to prove because she’s a girl,” Massine’s wrestling coach Chad Barstad said. “You don’t see that much, where you have girls wrestling guys, and she has accepted that challenge and run with it since she has been a younger athlete. That’s the biggest thing for her, is nothing’s really got her down. She has just been able to go out there and compete.”

And compete she has. After not wrestling much in the 2019-2020 season due to injuries, Barstad said, she won two matches at the North Dakota State Wrestling Tournament. During the Class A and B State Duals Tournament, she defeated Christian Brist from Hillsboro-Central Valley High School at 106 pounds by way of fall in 2:37.

When she is not competing during the season in North Dakota, she goes out of state to wrestle girls in female wrestling tournaments. There aren’t many girls wrestling in North Dakota, though, so she knew she would have to step up to the challenge and wrestle boys who are often stronger than she is in order to keep pursuing her passion.

That prospect never daunted her. She simply started perfecting her techniques to use to her advantage against bigger opponents.

“It was weird at first, but I got used to it and I am proud of being the only girl on the team,” Massine said. “Being able to stick with it for so long, I am glad that everyone has treated me just like one of them.”

Her coach has had nothing but high praise for her since she started out at Velva.

“She has been in our varsity lineup since she’s been an eighth grader,” Barstad said. “There weren’t a lot of reservations, we have needed her on the team. She has been a big part of our team and filled a spot for us for quite a few years now.”

Throughout her wrestling career, she has also looked up to other female athletes who have come before her in her sport, such as Ronna Heaton and Olympians Adeline Gray and Helen Maroulis. Sophia Smith, a Minot native now wrestling in Oklahoma and one of Massine’s friends, has been able to take her wrestling career to new heights as well.

Massine is already taking over for them as the one other girls are look up to.

“I’ve had a lot of girls come up to me and ask for pictures at tournaments, and one year they wanted me to go in and have a practice with just all the girls,” she added.

Though her high school wrestling career may be nearing its end, she is grateful for what she has been able to accomplish to this point and hopes that she can continue to inspire others to take a leap of faith. To follow their dreams even though it may require stepping out of their comfort zone.

“I know there are a lot of girls who look up to me and that’s also another big reason why I keep going, because I know I inspire other girls to keep wrestling and it makes me proud.”

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