WACO’s Rice keeps looking forward

WAYLAND — WACO Junior Rylee Rice approaches her wrestling journey with a never-give-up, never-back-down, and always-do-your-best attitude which she learned well before she even began her wrestling career.

“Rylee is probably the best person I know,” her dad, Jon Rice said. “She’s honest, caring, smart, helpful and loving. She honors me simply by being herself and I am forever proud of her. My hope for Rylee is that she keeps making life work for her. Ultimately, I just want her to be happy.”

Her dad, along with her mom Kassi Rice, made intentional decisions early on to support Rylee as she explored and discovered what she loved despite a heart condition that could have slowed her down.

“Rylee was born with a ventricular septal defect, which is a hole in the wall between the heart's chambers,” Jon said.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “A ventricular septal defect (VSD) changes how blood flows through the heart and lungs. Oxygen-rich blood gets pumped back to the lungs instead of out to the body. The oxygen-rich blood mixes with oxygen-poor blood. These changes may increase blood pressure in the lungs and require the heart to work harder to pump blood.”

The size of these holes in the heart can vary along with the impact that make on individuals.

“Growing up, we chose to never hold her back in any activities or sports she chose to do and in doing so her doctor said it's as if her heart doesn't recognize it has a problem,” Jon explained.

In the same way, Rylee doesn’t recognize anything that might hold her back, but continues to move forward in pursuit of this sport which has already taught her so much.

“I’ve learned to have confidence and to believe in myself,” she said. “I’ve learned that anything can happen in this sport. I have also made many new connections and relationships with people.”

“I love the sport,” Rylee said. “I am grateful for all the people I've met along the wrestling journey. I'm thankful for my family and friends, my brother for getting me into wrestling, and my sister for going to as many tournaments as she could. I just want to thank them all.”

According to Rylee, she began her wrestling journey in the middle of the 2021-2022 wrestling season because her big brother convinced her it would be cool to play a sport together before her graduated that spring.

While her dad, Jon Rice, originally thought she must have been joking or wanting to manage the wrestling team, he couldn’t be prouder of “the pure focus she has on the mat, her mental toughness, her dedication to the sport and her team.”

With the support of her family, Rylee hit the ground running and snagged many wins in that first season, including her first win by pin in January 2022. Only a short time later she qualification for the 2022 Girls’ State Wrestling Tournament, even before the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union officially sanctioned the sport for the following season.

“The first year she qualified for state, it was still unsanctioned,” Rylee’s dad said. “I knew she was part of history that day. Seeing her compete at state showcased her raw talent and achievements, as well as where she needed to improve.”

She did improve from there as she finished second at regionals in 2023 and attended the first ever IGHSAU State Tournament, and she kept going. This year she pulled out a fourth-place finish at regionals and yet again punched her ticket to IGHSAU.

According to Rylee, wrestling at these state tournaments “always feels intense, yet amazing,” and “exciting and nerve-wracking all at once.”

Despite not making it past Day One at the 2024 state tournament, Rylee says, “there’s always next year,” and she “will work harder than ever,” as she plans to spend her offseason working on conditioning and hitting the gym when she’s not busy with her summer job.

For others considering taking the leap and getting out on the mat, Rylee encourages them to never give up either.

“It will be scary at first,” she said. “You’ll win some and lose some but stick it out and focus on the next match. Never let your mental game define you.”

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com