聽 聽 聽Talking with the polite, soft spoken, young lady it鈥檚 hard to link her to the wrestler who just pinned her opponent to the mat in a matter of seconds to claim another gold medal. Tianna Kennett makes out powering and out maneuvering other wrestlers look easy in a sport that is anything but. The 17-year-old, Grade 12 student has travelled across the country and around the world thanks to the unconventional sport she鈥檚 grown to love, but it wasn鈥檛 always that way.
聽 聽 聽When teacher Monte McNaughton came to the rural school of Manor, SK he brought his passion for wrestling with him. The Manor Mustangs wrestling team soon grew in popularity and attracted the attention of Tianna鈥檚 younger sister, Trista.
聽 聽 聽At first Tianna wasn鈥檛 interested in the non-traditional sport and shrugged off encouragement from her sister to join the team.
聽 聽 聽鈥淚 didn鈥檛 join to start with but when I went to watch Trista wrestle I thought, 鈥楾his isn鈥檛 as dumb as I thought鈥�,鈥� she said with a laugh.
聽 聽 聽Since initially joining the team in Grade 9, there haven鈥檛 been many opponents who can stand in her way. Tianna may only be 5鈥�2鈥� tall but she鈥檚 a powerhouse few competitors want to mess with. Her skill and drive as a wrestler have earned her countless accolades and the opportunity to travel to Germany, Austria, Brazil and China representing her country on the international stage.
聽 聽 聽Tianna is a two time High School Provincial Champion and two time National Bronze Medalist. She won gold to make the 2014 52kg Cadet National Team, placed second at the Pan Am Games in Brazil, won the Austrian Open Tournament, won first in the Canada Cup International Tournament and finished 6th in the Youth Olympics in China. Most recently she has been named as one of three finalists for the 2014 Youth Female Athlete of the Year by Sask Sport Inc., an honour that will be unveiled at the end of the month.
聽 聽 聽Not bad for an athlete who describes herself as 鈥渘ot very coordinated.鈥�
聽 聽 聽鈥淚鈥檓 5鈥�2鈥�, I can鈥檛 make the volleyball team and I鈥檓 really not coordinated with a hockey stick or at bouncing a ball, but with wrestling I鈥檓 in total control,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about balancing your own body.鈥�
聽 聽 聽While a spectator would think the young athlete is under a lot of pressure, it鈥檚 something she thrives under.
聽 聽 聽鈥淚t鈥檚 not as much pressure when it鈥檚 an individual sport,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to worry about letting my team down. In wrestling it鈥檚 just me.鈥�
聽 聽 聽In a crowded gym with noise and excitement coming from several mats where competitions are ongoing, it would be hard for most people to focus on the task at hand but Tianna has found a system that works for her.
聽 聽 聽鈥淵ou learn what you need before you go into the ring. Some people need to be serious, others get hyped up. I鈥檝e got a game plan and when the whistle blows I just go by feel,鈥� she said. Thru her experience she鈥檚 learned to keep a calm head and focus on what she鈥檚 doing, listen to her coaches and learn from her mistakes as she grows in the sport.
聽 聽 聽Tianna鈥檚 success has not come without effort. During the regular season she trains two hours a day, six days a week. Leading up to major competitions, that schedule is increased to three or four hours a day, six days a week. She spends a lot of time cross training, strengthening and conditioning and doing yoga outside of her time training on the mat.
聽 聽 聽Tianna has a lot of coaches in her corner who have helped get her to where she is today. In addition to her high school coach, Monte McNaughton, she works with coaches from the University of Regina a couple of times a month during the regular season or once a week prior to major competitions. Three time Olympic medalist Tonya Verbeek has also worked with Tianna as part of her European Tour and the Cadet National Team.
聽 聽 聽鈥淭o have an Olympic coach in my corner is something huge,鈥� said Tianna.
聽 聽 聽Adding to quality coaches, Tianna has a big family supporting her as well. Her parents, Brian and Lorna Kennett, together with their other children and extended family, can be heard cheering from the side lines whenever Tianna is in the ring.
聽 聽 聽鈥淔amily is very important to me and I鈥檓 thankful for the support they鈥檝e given me.鈥�
聽 聽 聽Wrestling has provided numerous travel opportunities to the teen who has enjoyed travelling within Canada and places abroad.
聽 聽 聽鈥淭he international experience is totally different,鈥� she said. 鈥淓veryone has a different angle on things and there is so much to learn.鈥�
聽 聽 聽Tianna has attracted the attention of several universities and is currently being scouted by schools in Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary and Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. As she finishes her Grade 12 year she plans to attend university to work toward a career in psychiatric nursing.
聽 聽 聽鈥淢ental health is one of my biggest interests,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really interested in how people think.鈥�
聽 聽 聽When she鈥檚 not wrestling, Tianna works at the Redvers Activity Centre where she cares for adults with cognitive disabilities.
聽 聽 聽鈥淚 really like where I work. The people there are really fun to hang out with and it reassures me that it鈥檚 what I want to do.鈥�
聽 聽 聽However, her wrestling career is just beginning. With the peak age of a wrestler at 28 and the average age of the Olympic team being closer to 30, Tianna has a number of years on the mat ahead of her.
聽 聽 聽鈥淯niversity is just the start,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檒l see where I stand at the end of four years and see if this is something I still want to do.鈥�
聽 聽 聽As she excels in her sport and heads to bigger matches, the competitive nature of the athlete kicks in.
聽 聽 聽鈥淢y ultimate goal is definitely the Olympics. The higher level you go the more you want to work and that鈥檚 a big motivator. I鈥檓 hungry for more. I think of all the opportunities I鈥檝e had in one year and it鈥檚 just a start,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not done yet.鈥�
