Amber Mefford knows she’s one of the lucky ones, so she made sure to do more than simply pat herself on the back when she got word of her latest accomplishment.
"For women, it’s really hard to get on the mat," the recent Sauk Prairie graduate and four-year varsity wrestler said, "because most coaches don’t take you seriously."
"But at Sauk, I had such great wrestling coaches. ... They just taught me so much more than other girls have the chance to have."
And she put that instruction to good use, enjoying considerable success in both the winter high school season and at offseason tournaments — the latter, she thought, going a long way toward her being named by Wrestling U.S.A. as a girls High School All-American.
"It was really nice to be recognized," she said. "I think it’s a great way to end my career."
In fact, it is a fitting end to a career which saw Mefford, who started wrestling in sixth grade, compile a 59-65 record for the Eagles , who she was a sectional qualifier for as a junior. And she finished in the top eight at the USGWA national tournament each of the last years.
She finished fifth at 112 pounds at the tournament in March, eighth at 116 last year and eighth at 122 in 2007.
Mefford will attend UW-Baraboo in the fall, and plans to transfer to UW-Platteville after two years to begin to study for a career as a chiropractor.
