Fort Mill senior wrestler Bella Hoffman is looking to compete next month in the beach wrestling world championships in Romania.
Hoffman, 17, is looking to raise $5,000 to go and compete in the tournament at the 110-pound weight class after finishing third in the nation in her weight class in May at the national championships. The event in Romania is Sept. 21-27 as she will be wrestling for Team USA in the event.
“We are scrambling to get our physicals and passports,” she said.
Hoffman got a call from USA Wrestling earlier this month telling her she was selected to go complete overseas after her performance at the beach nationals in Jacksonville, Fla.
A 2020 state champion for Fort Mill High, Hoffman said beach wrestling, which she just recently got involved in, is a lot different from what she does in high school and in other tournaments, even down to the rules.
“It is super quick,” she said. “To get points you have to be better or stronger than your opponent. You can’t stall your way to a win.”
In beach wrestling, there is one three-minute period and the first wrestler to three points wins. Each takedown is a point.
Hoffman plans on wrestling in college, but is still looking at her options of where she wants to go because there aren’t many colleges with female wrestling. Ultimately, Hoffman said she would like to represent the United States in the Olympics in either 2024 in Paris or in 2028 in Los Angeles. It is believed that beach wrestling may be an Olympic sport by 2028.
To help with fundraising efforts, the Fort Mill Wrestling Foundation has agreed to direct any tax-deductible donation in support of the event or you can go to a GoFundMe page set up for her by searching for Bella Hoffman.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
