Quinna Sheets has been a fast learner as a wrestler.
But the Grayslake North senior, already a regional champion at 135 pounds in just her second season, knew a few things when she started.
“My dad has a dojo, so I grew up around a lot of fighting sports with discipline and hard work,” Sheets said. “My dad taught me karate and judo.”
Sheets’ father, Chad, is the owner of Goho Seishin Martial Arts in Gurnee. He has studied martial arts since 1989.
Chad Sheets said it’s not surprising Quinna is winning matches.
“I think wrestling is one of those things she was always interested in doing because of the contact,” he said. “Once she found out in wrestling it’s OK to be a little more aggressive, I think it was eye-opening for her. She really took on the fighting aspect of it. Wrestling is a natural progression for her to achieve success with it.”
Quinna Sheets (22-7), one of nine Grayslake North wrestlers who qualified for the Evanston Sectional on Saturday, agreed that training with her father has helped her.
“He’s always been teaching me a lot of things,” she said. “It’s mainly about pressure points, how the body works and how to be most effective with your movements and to be willing to go through hardships.”
Sheets said she saw a poster for girls wrestling three years ago, but she wasn’t ready to join the growing sport at the time. She changed her mind before last season. Something about wrestling appealed to her differently than all of her other school activities, she said. Sheets is a goaltender for Grayslake North’s girls soccer team and is in the color guard.
“There’s something about wrestling where it’s all on you,” she said. “It’s how you build your body. You have to have complete trust in your abilities if you want to succeed. There’s such a short amount of time to prove yourself. Every time on the mat, you have to prove something to someone, from your coach, opponent and even to yourself.”
Grayslake North wrestling coach Collin McKillip said Sheets’ background helped her adapt to the sport more quickly than some of her teammates.
“She took to it right away,” McKillip said. “She’s super busy with sports, but she has a history with contact sports through her dad. She works hard and wants to get better.”
Sheets heads into the sectional with momentum after a strong performance at the Round Lake Regional. She pinned Highland Park’s Clara Ugaz, a state qualifier last season, in the third period of their semifinal match and then pinned Lakes’ Christina Hasner in the first period of the championship match.
“She’s not flashy,” McKillip said. “She’s tough. She wants to do real wrestling moves, to work on top. She can be angry and tough, which separates her from a lot of people. She will also wrestle the full six minutes like the first minute.
“She won some good matches. She has expectations to go to the state tournament. She’s in a good position.”
Quinna Sheets performs with the Grayslake North marching band on Center Street during the Grayslake Summer Days Parade in Grayslake on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)
Sheets’ success makes her wonder.
“I wish I found the sport sooner,” she said. “I’ve become more and more invested in it. I put in a lot of work since last season. I’ve got a better understanding of the sport. I really like it.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
