LadySports ::: Sarah Sullivan

Time Is On Her Side

By Shiai Mata

Sarah Sullivan is in a race against time.

At the ripe old age of 21, she already fears that she started too late in wrestling in order to be at the competitive level she wants to be. She thought at first that when she began training on her 20th birthday a year ago, she was actually getting an early start on a pro career, but she's since learned that things are a bit different than she had anticipated. "I wish I started at an earlier age," she says. "I have met a couple of girls who are 15, 16 years old and have been training longer than me! They have a great advantage over me as a result."

But tardy entry into the grappling game aside, don’t make the mistake of thinking this newcomer doesn’t have skills. And don’t be fooled into thinking that at 5'3" and 122 pounds she lacks the physical ability to go toe to toe with an opponent. She has a string of victories on her record to prove her ability, and she fully intends to make certain there’s championship gold in her future.

With her natural athletic abilities, she took immediately to the rigors of wrestling. "You'll probably never see me in skirts or a dress," the brunette jokes. "I'm a big tomboy." But if her native talents explain how she's able to carry her weight in the ring, the reasons why she's in the sport to begin with are more elusive to define. "I can't tell you exactly why I love wrestling and why I do it. There is something about it that grabs my attention more than anything ever has. I wake up thinking about wrestling and I fall asleep thinking about it."

As for the reactions she gets when she tells people she's a professional wrestler, "the friends I grew up with think it's awesome! They think it fits me. I find the females I meet think highly of it, but some of the males I meet are in disbelief. They say, "What? YOU wrestle?" and laugh. I hope to change that."

Over the past year, Sarah has cut her teeth in several Northeastern organizations, including New England Championship Wrestling and Power League Wrestling. Perhaps most unexpectedly, she currently finds herself as the Commissioner of the New England Wrestling Alliance! Along the way have come the usual bumps and bruises, but the worst she has suffered has been a badly sprained ankle. She credits her training for keeping her fit enough to handle the rigors of a match, which is one of the reasons why she frowns upon women in the sport who are little more than "T&A," with virtually nothing in the way of real ring training. "For the women who take it seriously, I thank you. For those who are just in it to show off their body and just want to be famous, I don't think you're any good for the sport."

One of the things which amazes her is the fan base she’s building. "The fans of mine I have met are really great. This one girl actually invited me to her wedding!" And with every match, Sullivan’s list of fans grows.

Away from the ring, she loves watching skateboarding and BMX biking. "I skated for a little while, but I wasn't very good." She also fills her leisure time with video games. "I would play anything!" Musically, her tastes run towards the punk rock of Pennywise, A.F.I. and Rancid.

And just how does the young brunette describe herself? "I'm a pretty outgoing person and I love to be crazy and have fun. I'm not a quitter and I am very stubborn. I treat people the way they treat me. If you're nice to me, I'll be your pal. I will stick by you 'til the end. But if you treat me wrong - watch out!"

This past year has been a wild ride for Sarah, and she’s loving every minute of it. And if, in her own mind, she's lagging behind in the level of training she thinks she needs well, she’s got plenty of time to learn.