High school girls who compete in boys’ sports are necessarily treated differently, and as a result they can miss out on the camaraderie so essential to the experience. At the end of her first winter of wrestling, Mila Boucher is grateful for the manner in which the Middleborough High School wrestling team made her feel included.
“It just happened,” Mila said of the tight connection she has made with her teammates. “They kind of started to include me within the first week, and we all just got really close as the season went on because it’s such a tight-knit sport. You have to be close with everyone, just to have fun. I feel like we just got close from all the shared experiences, and competing and going to meets and practicing six days a week.”
Mia’s mother Kristen Boucher called the team “an amazing group of kids.”
In addition to its 26-2 dual-meet season and repeat as South Shore League champion, qualifying eight wrestlers for the MIAA Division 2 state tournament, Middleborough High School was recognized by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association for its sportsmanship.
“Mila had no problem fitting in with the team. We had a great group of kids this season with excellent captains, evident in the Division 2 Team Sportsmanship awards the team received this season,” said Middleborough wrestling coach Derek Seibert.
It also helped that Mila has proven herself a tough out when wrestling against girls and boys, earning respect from opponents and teammates alike. “One hundred percent,” she confirmed.
Having started out at eight years old with training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at her parents’ New Bedford-based studio, Mila describes Jiu Jitsu as “a ground-based, grappling martial art … like wrestling but more like on the ground, on your back.”
Mila built her skills in that discipline, only last fall taking the opportunity to see how it would all transfer into varsity wrestling.
The 15-year-old freshman from Mattapoisett attends Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School in North Rochester, but Old Colony does not have wrestling as a varsity sport. Thanks to a cooperative arrangement, Old Colony students can try out for the Middleborough High School wrestling team.
Mila is the only girl on the team, but her first wrestling opponent was another girl because the season kicked off with a tournament that allowed Middleborough coach Derek Seibert to match her up with some caution. Wrestling against boys is something that has required mental as well as physical toughness.
“It was a little challenging because I have to remember that I can’t match strength, but I still do my best,” said Mila. “I also try not to get hurt at the same time, because I tend to be stubborn and not want to lose, and it can get me into trouble where I do get hurt. But it feels really good when I do win.”
Most of Mila’s 26 victories (against nine losses) in her first season of wrestling came against boys. In the postseason, Mila became the first student in Old Colony’s history to place (finishing fourth) in the MIAA Division 2 state meet and first to place in the MIAA All-State meet (finishing fifth).
“I am a firm believer that Jiu Jitsu benefits wrestling and vice versa,” said Seibert. “There are a few positions that emphasize different things, but overall having a grappling background coming into wrestling is a big advantage. We have five athletes from Old Colony on our team who come from a Jiu Jitsu background, and all had great seasons for us.”
Mila’s successes as a freshman helped her become one of Middleboro’s eight South Shore League All-Stars. With only three months of wrestling under her belt, it would seem the sky is the limit for Mila, but she is committed to the process.
“I have a lot to learn, for sure,” she said. “I did not know what I was doing this season. … I was just going with what felt right and hoping I wouldn’t get called for doing anything illegal. … It got better as it went on. … I got called twice for a Full Nelson.”
Mila began learning how to wrestle under MIAA rules in October. The adaptation came with restrictions, as in, not every technique or move in Jiu Jitsu is allowed in high school wrestling.
“It took me a couple of weeks to figure out the rules,” said Mila, noting that submission holds are not allowed. “There was a kid that tapped.”
At the height of intense competition, Mila found it initially challenging to avoid her Jiu Jitsu instincts, but she learned the ropes of wrestling as she went.
At 5-foot-3 and a natural 120 pounds, wrestling against competitive high school boys can present a difficult matchup in terms of strength, Mila started wrestling in the 120-pound class but did what most high school wrestlers do. She cut weight to 113 pounds to wrestle in the lighter class but can still compete at 120 as needed.
“I don’t think 120 is too much of a jump when it’s in the girls’ division, but when I’m wrestling boys it’s definitely a jump,” said Mila.
Jiu Jitsu has weight classes but does not come with the typical requirement that competitors cut weight. That’s the part of high school wrestling that Mila wishes she could do without.
“I hate it so much, it’s awful,” she repeats for emphasis.
“She’s been ‘hangry’ all season,” said Kristen.
Hydration before weigh-in is tricky because of the obvious need measured against the pure weight of water.
“It’s so difficult trying to find a balance where I have a little bit of energy to still wrestle but also staying on weight. Sometimes, unfortunately, weight comes before energy,” Mila said. “My teammates are cutting four pounds in an hour, and I just can’t do that.”
After deciding last year that splitting time in high school between academics and a practicum was more appealing than full-time classwork, Mila matriculated to Old Colony with a concentration in automotive. Despite her skills in Jiu Jitsu, high school wrestling brought its own set of challenges.
“I was humbled a lot of the time. A lot of things I thought I could win I didn’t, and it was humbling,” Mila said of her freshman season. “I learned a lot of perseverance and not giving up when it got hard, because there were many times where it got very difficult.”
Seibert sees great things ahead for Mila.
“I think she’ll get very good. She has a great support system and great work ethic. She’s very coachable,” he said. “Girl’s wrestling is the fastest-growing high school sport in the country over the past few years, and many college programs are being added every year so there are definitely some big, long-term goals.”
Now that high school wrestling is over for 2024-25, Mila will continue with Jiu Jitsu.
On the March 22-23 weekend, Mila placed third in her bracket in the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation’s largest tournament in North America. She says that Jiu Jitsu attracts people of all ages including senior citizens. Mila’s sister Aja, 11, participates in Jiu Jitsu classes.
Wrestling, however, remains a secondary sport along the South Coast.
“I wish more schools (had wrestling), but so many people quit early on in the season, not many people stick around,” said Mila. “A lot of people sign up, not a lot of people actually do it.”
By Mick Colageo