She Didn’t Know If She Belonged on That Mat
Brian Armer
Rosa had watched the practice-room door open six times before she went through it. Each person seemed to know where to leave a bag, who to wave to, and which stretch to begin. She stood just inside, holding her shoes.
A woman near the edge of the mat looked up. “First night?” Rosa nodded. “I’m Kit. Bags over there. Shoes on over here.” Kit moved her own bag aside to make space. Rosa sat down and pulled at a knot that had somehow tightened during the drive.
When the coach called for partners, Rosa stayed seated a second too long. Kit was already standing in front of her. “Come on. You’re with me.”
The first drill involved a change of level, a step and a finish. Rosa managed to do all three in the wrong order. She stopped halfway through and apologized. Kit reset her stance. “Try the step first. We can worry about the rest once you’re moving.”
Rosa tried again. Her foot landed too far away. Kit showed her where to put it, then waited while she worked through the movement. Around them, other pairs were flowing through the drill. Rosa could hear shoes on the mat, the coach calling corrections, and her own breathing getting louder.
“I’m slowing you down,” she said.
Kit glanced at the clock. “You’ve been here twelve minutes.” She bent her knees again. “I was planning to give you at least thirteen.” Rosa laughed despite herself and stepped forward.
They worked through the drill, changed roles, and began again. This time Rosa felt where Kit’s weight went before she moved. She asked a question, tried the answer and asked another. Once, Kit had to take a quick step to keep her balance.
“That,” Kit said, pointing at Rosa’s feet. “Do that again.”
“I don’t know what I did.”
“Then we’ll find out.” They slowed it down until Rosa could feel the difference. When she managed it twice in a row, Kit grinned. Rosa was grinning back before she remembered to be nervous.
Near the end of practice, the coach called for one final round and told everyone to find a partner. Rosa looked across the room. Kit had gone to get water. Other wrestlers were already pairing up, and the old hesitation returned.
Kit came back, wiping her mouth with the back of her wrist. “You ready?” Rosa glanced toward the more experienced pairs. “You don’t want to go with somebody else?”
“You just figured out how to move me.” Kit set her bottle down. “I want to see if you can do it again.”
Rosa stepped onto the mat. This time she didn’t wait for Kit to show her where to stand.
Getting ready to step onto the mat? Bring Zombie Infusion into your before-and-after wrestling routine, with natural antimicrobial ingredients in a skin spray you keep beside your gear.