Tianna Kennett's progression in wrestling was quick but her disappointments gave her the strength needed to triumph in the end and is now looking to tackle bigger competitions in the sport.
It was the third time Tianna Kennett got pinned by this wrestler, a feeling she knew all too well. The first time she was in this predicament she was taken down quickly, posing no challenge. The second time she met her rival, Kennett made it to the second round of the match but again got pinned. The third time around she battled her way through each round of the match in anticipation of a win but was disappointed when she lost on points. At this stage she was broken, not in body but in spirit and although she controlled the match, she was again on her back, pinned, bested by a competitor that she so ardently trained to beat.
This took place in 2012 and early 2013, but at this year's high school provincial wrestling championships organized by the Saskatchewan Amateur Wrestling Association (SAWA), Tianna Kennett was loose, calmly bouncing on the tip of her toes. And she was somewhat playful before her match, a characteristic many haven't seen before. But the opponent she was facing would be a familiar one, they met four times before. This time Kennett dominated.
"She wrestled with unbelievable confidence," her father Brian Kennett remembers.
"She dominated the match "
Tianna Kennett, 15, won gold in 56 kg category at the 2013 SAWA high school provincial champions in Regina. Her father said the difference he saw in her wrestling was her confidence. Confidence that blossomed from the defiance of not wanting to get pinned the very first time she tried the sport, to confidence that has her eyeing the 2013 Canada Summer Games. Her accomplishments at the high school level, along with her perseverance has also ushered her onto the Canadian team for the 2015 Pan Am Games in Columbia. She attributes her current success to not only the time she puts in for training but also her coach and her family's input throughout her journey.
"Last year I didn't do as good," she said.
"We did a lot of training and hard work and just the support I've had from my coach and family - it's been a huge motivator, because if you don't have that, you can't become better," she said.
A grade 10 student at Manor School, Tianna Kennett is now only in her second year of wrestling but she admits the beginnings were humble. The first year Manor School introduced the sport, she wasn't involved but a combination of her sister Trista Kennett being on the team and the influence of the school's coach; she began to wrestle. She said the sport suited her natural athletic ability and said in the beginning she was nervous but as she developed her technique, her comfort level grew. Her coach Monte McNaughton said they decided to put in the hours needed to attain success and believe all the hard work is paying off.
" She has completely changed her eating habits, work habits, she's focused, she is not a regular person her age anymore," McNaughton said.
"She accepts the fact that she's an elite athlete and that she's not going to do the normal things and some people see it as a sacrifice but we kind of see it as priorities. I hope to go as far as we canWith her, I have already gone farther as coach than I ever did as an athlete"
With the Canada Summer Game approaching this August Tianna Kennett is hopeful she can make the team, the competition is held every two years and has amateur athletes from across the country representing their province. The Kennett family is hopeful that her success will transition to this competition. And with the feat of leapfrogging from fifth place at the 2012 high school provincial wrestling tournament to winning gold in 2013 they said their confidence has never been higher. From traveling across the country for various competitions, to enrolling her in camps to further develop her skills; her parents Lorna and Brian Kennett said they've always supported their children's endeavors.
"For us as parents we feel each our kids have been given gifts and talents, this just happens to be one of hers so we've encouraged each of our children and they don't have to be the same, if their different that's great we wouldn't ever have had an idea that was one of her talents," he said.
"But with her coach being willing to give her the opportunity to train and compete, it's just come out that she likes it, she has a passion for it but is also good at it"
The Canada Summer Games trials will run from mid- May to mid-July and the Games itself will be held in Sherbrooke, Quebec.
