Alexis Lodge

Alexis Lodge is not a big girl. If a high school boy that didn't know her walked by her, they may think she was a cheerleader or played soccer.

According to Alexis, Josh Silva was a big guy. He looked strong and muscular.

They both were at John Baptist High School for a wrestling meet. If you didn't know any better, you may think Alexis came to the match to cheer Josh on. But she didn't. She came to beat him.

There were two problems though.
1)Josh's size.
2)Alexis was intimidated.

Alexis says, “I remember seeing him and I was really worried because I didn't think I was going to win because he looked really buff.” Her coach didn't want to hear anything of it. Alexis says, “Coach kept telling me not to worry about how big he is and just keep my head in the match, and to be thinking about what moves I was gonna try.”

But her positive thinking didn't last long. “So I go on the mat and before you wrestle you have to shake hands and he had a strong shake. Usually I can tell how strong a person is going to be by their handshake.” How strong was Josh's handshake? “I got a little worried,” Alexis says.

This is actually quite common among girl wrestlers who have to wrestle boys. And though Alexis says Josh was bigger than most boys, she wasn't about to lose before the match started. She had a plan. She says, “I was gonna try to use my speed and technique, because he looked like he could definitely out muscle me.”

The ref blew the whistle, and that's when the intimidation ended. She says, “Once the ref blew his whistle, Josh just stood there in his stance. I think he was waiting for me to do something. So I did.”

Alexis quickly fire-manned Josh and got a quick take down. If Josh was surprised, Alexis was shocked, “I was thinking, holy cow, I cannot believe I just took him down!"

After the takedown, her brain went into overload. “I didn't really have a plan. My brain was going crazy because I was so excited I was winning!” But without a plan, she wouldn't be winning much longer.

Alexis quickly regained her inward composure, and went to work. “While we were on the ground I was trying to get wrist control so that he wouldn't flip me.” Josh tried to base up but that was a mistake, as Alexis snagged one of his arms and got him in a single chicken wing. She says, “I was thinking it was awesome but I probably wasn't going to be able to do anything with it, because he was so much stronger then me he was just going to muscle his way out of it.”

But then Josh made a mistake he would not be able to recover from. And Alexis knew it. Josh put his other arm up, trying to retrieve the arm Alexis had control of. Alexis says, “Wow did he really just give that to me?” He did, and Alexis knew the match was over.

She says, “After he gave me the arm I said, hmmmm OK I'll take it. Then with big smile on my face... I took it.”

The single-chicken wing was now a double-chicken wing. And Alexis knew there was no way out. “Well with a chicken wing you get both arms behind their back and you have to walk over their head and sit on your butt, that way their back is on the mat.”

At this point Alexis was in cruise control. “I wasn't really thinking I was more like laughing on the inside because he was so much more stronger then me and I beat him. I'm pretty sure we both knew it was over.”


And it was. “That's when I heard the ref slap the mat and call the pin. My mom was there too, and I looked up at her and gave her the biggest smile I think I've ever smiled before!”

But Josh wasn't smiling. Alexis wanted to be a good sport. She says, “After I won I jumped right up and tried to help him up, but he didn't want any help, so I just went back to the middle of the circle and had the ref raise my hand. Then I went and shook the other coaches hand with a smile on my face and you could definitely tell, Josh was angry.”

Alexis could understand why he was so upset, “I think he was pretty mad because, well, if you see me in person I'm not very big. I'm not muscular and I'm really tiny.”

And at 5'2 117 pounds, she was pretty happy he was angry, “I felt wonderful. I kinda wanted to laugh but i knew it wouldn't be very sportsmen like. I enjoy it very much when I win against boys because it shows that girls can do anything that boys can.”

Alexis is very glad she was able to face Josh, “This was a big meet to because all the seniors who wrestled last year were there to watch. Alexis was glad they saw her victory, “I felt a little show-offey, kinda like yeaaa!!!! That's how a girl does it!”


But could she do it again? Josh didn't think so, and he would get the chance. They had a another match at Hermon High School, at the Winter Tournament.

This time, the intimidation was gone, “I wasn't really as scared seeing him the second time as much as I was the first time because I knew I had beat him before and if I went out and just kept my head in the match then I could beat him again.” But Alexis knew she wasn't guaranteed a victory, “ I didn't want to start getting cocky because I didn't want to end up losing.”

She also knew that the match wasn't going to be as easy as the first time, “ I figured that since he knew what he did wrong last match I would have to think of something different to do, because he would never fall for the double chicken wing again.”

But as Alexis was planning for the rematch, she overheard a conversation. “I was talking to my mom and she was sitting right behind all of the MDI team. We heard Josh's coach tell him that with all the stuff he was saying about me that he better go out and beat me.” That didn't sit well with Alexis. She says, “I was thinking I was gonna go out and pummel him again just to make him look like a fool, because I don't really like when boy wrestlers talk crap about girl wrestlers specially when a girl has already beaten them.”

Because Alexis is tiny, she has to rely on her wits more than her muscles, and even though she wanted to prove her win was no fluke, she realized she was in Josh's head. “Well if he was talking about me on the bus, I must have made a good fist impression because he wouldn't be talking about me if not. And I think people only talk smack about someone else when they know that the other person is better then them.”

And though she was facing pressure, she realized Josh had it far worse. I asked if she felt the tables had turned and now Josh was intimidated, and she replied, “Oh yeah for sure. He was scared I was going to beat him again, in front of all his "boys." And he was probably scared because if I was a guy wrestler I would definitely be embarrassed if I was beat by a girl.”


It was time for Josh to prove the first match was a fluke, and Alexis could tell, Josh was more prepared this match. However, so was Alexis. Gone was the intimidation of a much larger opponent. Alexis said, I kind of figured it was going to be easier to wrestle him because last time I beat him so fast. I knew I was gonna beat him, but I dont go into any match cocky because that messes with your mind. You have to be confident, not cocky.”

The match started and Alexis immediately took a 2-0 lead. Josh tried tried shooting a double leg takedown, but Alexis sprawled on him, and took him down instead. Alexis says “I wasn't really surprised I took him down. I was happy that he went down so easy like last time.”

From there, Alexis had control of the match, “After I took him down, we went back and fourth here and there, but mostly I was on top. I tried to throw in a power half, and he tried countering by attempting to base. But he left one of his arms open so I grabbed it and threw in a single chicken wing. he went to lift up his other arm and ended up hitting me in the eye with his elbow. I was irritated at him because my eye was blurry the rest of the match.”

But even with a blurred eye, Alexis was able to catch the wayward arm and put him in a double chicken wing. However unlike last time, Josh was able to escape. “Somehow he got out, which surprised me a lot.” But even though he escaped Alexis' finishing maneuver, Josh was still in trouble. Alexis says, “He was still on the bottom, so I just kept working at getting that double chicken wing back. I was trying a lot of different maneuvers to get him on his back, but he was pretty rugged so it was hard trying moves on him. I was getting very frustrated. But right as I was going to let him up so I can take him down again and get more points, he lifted up his arm and I snagged it for another single chicken wing. I smiled because he falls for it every time. I knew he was going to try and base up from his position and leave his other arm wide open for a double chicken wing. And that's exactly what he did.”

After I caught him again, I hung on really tight to both arms so no matter what, he couldn't get out. Once he was secure, I just had to walk over his head and sit on my but so that I could pin him. When the ref slapped the mat, I was wicked happy. I usually am right after I beat a boy. It makes me laugh when a girl wins a match against a guy.”

But Alexis is a good sport and after she got up, she tried to help Josh up. However Josh didn't want her help. Alexis says, “Whatever. I walked back to the center of the mat so the ref could raise my hand and not Josh's. That made me wicked happy. A big smile broke out on my face!”

After the match, Alexis watched Josh sit in his chair and sulk. She says, “It was funny. I got a chuckle out of it. I enjoy when boys throw hissy fits after I beat them, I just laughed and high-fived Airen (her twin sister who is also on the wrestling team). I was really happy, we were both cracking jokes about it and I went over and talked to my Mom and she was laughing. She's really into the whole wrestling thing.”


Airen was thrilled with her sisters triumph. “When I was watching this match, I thought Alexis was so bad ass. She's a spectacular wrestler.”