Bruins' Bartosch raises eyebrows while fighting stereotypes

Her chance of winning was slim. The match was winding down and Kayla Bartosch needed five points to tie Hylton’s Phillip Clarke and send the contest to overtime.

Time ran out and Bartosch, then a sophomore for Forest Park’s wrestling team, lost by a point.

But before the conclusion, Bartosch left an indelible mark on her coaches, teammates, fans and most important Clarke.

“She threw a nasty headlock and chucked the guy to his back,” Forest Park coach Seth Cameron said.

That move sent those watching into euphoria.

“I know people were going nuts,” Cameron said. “The crowd was cheering. Our team was cheering. I remember seeing the fear in his face just because he was wrestling a sophomore girl and he was one of their studs. She took everything out of him. She was very close to upsetting him and winning that match.”

What’s more, she sparked the Bruins to a dual match victory.

“That kind of put some fire in us after that,” Cameron said.

Two years later, Bartosch still applies her moves on the mat. The lone female on Forest Park’s wrestling team does so in the 125-pound weight class.

And she enjoys the experience.

“I started in sixth grade,” the former Graham Park Middle School wrestler said. “In sixth grade, I had no idea if I would keep going. By eighth grade, I was definitely on board. In high school, I really hoped I would get a scholarship. I hoped it would help me through college. I’m really glad it has.”

The senior will wrestle next season at King College in Bristol, Tennessee, an NCAA Division II provisional member. King College has an all-female wrestling team and Bartosch has been given a partial scholarship.

“She’s wrestled varsity matches for us ever since she was a freshman,” said Cameron, whose father Bill coached Bartosch’s father Paul when Paul wrestled at Potomac. “She started 15 times as a freshman and as a girl, that’s a great accomplishment. Kayla’s got a great gift.”

Her talent, though, once came out on the dance floor as she did nine years of ballet before wrestling.

But wrestling figured to be high on her priority list. She watched the sport and knew that if she’d do it, she’d continue if she liked it.

She just didn’t understand the challenge of getting to the right weight and the physical rigors that came with it.

Gradually, though, her passion began to develop thanks to a match which enhanced her confidence.

In sixth grade, Bartosch wrestled a girl two years older.

“Automatically, I was like, ‘This isn’t going to be too good. She knows more than me,’” Bartosch said.

She overestimated her opponent. Bartosch admits she was not technically sound, but she won by scoring more points.

That victory motivated her to improve. Since then, Bartosch has wrestled two years for the Quantico Wrestling Club and for the Northern Virginia Wrestling League. She became an All-American by placing fifth in an all-female U.S. wrestling national championships last spring in Oklahoma.

Bartosch has practiced her moves with younger brothers, one of whom served as her practice partner for three years.

“She’s been somebody that’s wanted to learn,” Paul said. “She takes that to all parts of her life. She’s always been very open and wanted to study.”

She has also been mentally tough. When wrestling in middle school, male wrestlers and coaches took turns questioning Bartosch’s ability.

“They’d tell the wrestler to make it quick,” Bartosch said. “That I won’t be out there that long. That she’s a girl. You need to be tougher than her.”

Bartosch silenced the talk. She pinned one male wrestler after he and his father mocked her during her preparation for the match.

In high school, Bartosch has further silenced criticism by being very precise in executing her moves. She does so against the teammates she practices with and guys from other teams whom she competes against.

Bartosch knows she surrenders a physical advantage when wrestling, but lets her instincts dictate the course of a match.

“I’ve been trying to work, not on my aggression in the match, but scoring first and pushing the action, not letting them take advantage,” she said.

Of course, she can be aggressive if need be.

Staff writer Robert Daski can be reached at 703-878-8049.