Gaither's Female Wrestler Takes it All in Stride

"I just have to take it."

The driving motto behind Gaither High School senior wrestler Daisy Santos is something she lives by, both as a senior in high school and the only girl on the boys wrestling team.

"Some people give me a hard time about it," she said. "They say it's a guy's sport. (But) I really don't feel that way."

Santos didn't wander aimlessly into wrestling. It's in her blood.

Her father, Michael Santos is the Gaither wrestling coach, and a former competitive wrestler. Daisy cites her dad's coaching of her stepmom Ingrid Medrano - who took ninth place at the Beijing olympics in 2008 at 48 kilos for El Salvador - as her inspiration.

Michael Santos is a former Florida high school state champion at 103 pounds. He also won a national championship wrestling with the U.S. Army, and competed in three different Olympic trials.

"I think a woman can do anything a man can do in wrestling," he said. "They may not be quite as strong, but they can learn anyhting and be competitive."

"I don't think of her as a girl," he said. "I think of her as a wrestler."

Daisy was exposed to wrestling as an eighth-grader, learning moves from her dad and wrestling with Guardians, then Caveman wrestling clubs. Shortly after, Michael Santos formed the new Evolution Wrestling Club.

Daisy recalls her dad taking her to a Chamberlain High School wrestling practice as a middle-schooler.

"I was wrestling all of the boys," she said, "and beating them."

Michael Santos remembers Daisy losing her first 10 or 12 matches when she started as a freshman at the varsity level. But just before the holiday break, that season, Daisy won her first match at the Varsity level.

"I remember the look on her face after that first win," he said. "It was like she finally believed she could win at this level."

Now, Daisy is a girls wrestling state champion at 106 pounds. She is also a three-time regional qualifier in boys wrestling. She claimed the fourth-place spot at the Class 3A District 7 tournament on February 4, battling through freshman Zamir Ode of Steinbrenner and freshman Daniel Helget-Lainey of Seminole. She was bumped to the consolation bracket by Palm Harbor's 49-1 freshman Conner Prince. Prince claimed state runner-up at last Saturday's finals in Lakeland.

Meanwhile, Daisy is preparing for a tournament coming up in a couple of weeks. During the first weekend in March, she will be competing in the FAWA USA Wrestling State Championships in Kissimmee.

And her dad is confident of her abilities to keep winning.

"She learns fast, has great discipline," he said, "and she's going to wrestle the whole six minutes."