Talking with the polite, soft spoken, young lady it’s hard to link her to the wrestler who just pinned her opponent to the mat in a matter of seconds to claim another gold medal. Tianna Kennett makes out powering and out maneuvering other wrestlers look easy in a sport that is anything but. The 17-year-old, Grade 12 student has travelled across the country and around the world thanks to the unconventional sport she’s grown to love, but it wasn’t always that way.
When teacher Monte McNaughton came to the rural school of Manor, SK he brought his passion for wrestling with him. The Manor Mustangs wrestling team soon grew in popularity and attracted the attention of Tianna’s younger sister, Trista.
At first Tianna wasn’t interested in the non-traditional sport and shrugged off encouragement from her sister to join the team.
“I didn’t join to start with but when I went to watch Trista wrestle I thought, ‘This isn’t as dumb as I thought’,” she said with a laugh.
Since initially joining the team in Grade 9, there haven’t been many opponents who can stand in her way. Tianna may only be 5’2” tall but she’s a powerhouse few competitors want to mess with. Her skill and drive as a wrestler have earned her countless accolades and the opportunity to travel to Germany, Austria, Brazil and China representing her country on the international stage.
Tianna is a two time High School Provincial Champion and two time National Bronze Medalist. She won gold to make the 2014 52kg Cadet National Team, placed second at the Pan Am Games in Brazil, won the Austrian Open Tournament, won first in the Canada Cup International Tournament and finished 6th in the Youth Olympics in China. Most recently she has been named as one of three finalists for the 2014 Youth Female Athlete of the Year by Sask Sport Inc., an honour that will be unveiled at the end of the month.
Not bad for an athlete who describes herself as “not very coordinated.”
“I’m 5’2”, I can’t make the volleyball team and I’m really not coordinated with a hockey stick or at bouncing a ball, but with wrestling I’m in total control,” she said. “It’s about balancing your own body.”
While a spectator would think the young athlete is under a lot of pressure, it’s something she thrives under.
“It’s not as much pressure when it’s an individual sport,” she said. “I don’t have to worry about letting my team down. In wrestling it’s just me.”
In a crowded gym with noise and excitement coming from several mats where competitions are ongoing, it would be hard for most people to focus on the task at hand but Tianna has found a system that works for her.
“You learn what you need before you go into the ring. Some people need to be serious, others get hyped up. I’ve got a game plan and when the whistle blows I just go by feel,” she said. Thru her experience she’s learned to keep a calm head and focus on what she’s doing, listen to her coaches and learn from her mistakes as she grows in the sport.
Tianna’s success has not come without effort. During the regular season she trains two hours a day, six days a week. Leading up to major competitions, that schedule is increased to three or four hours a day, six days a week. She spends a lot of time cross training, strengthening and conditioning and doing yoga outside of her time training on the mat.
Tianna has a lot of coaches in her corner who have helped get her to where she is today. In addition to her high school coach, Monte McNaughton, she works with coaches from the University of Regina a couple of times a month during the regular season or once a week prior to major competitions. Three time Olympic medalist Tonya Verbeek has also worked with Tianna as part of her European Tour and the Cadet National Team.
“To have an Olympic coach in my corner is something huge,” said Tianna.
Adding to quality coaches, Tianna has a big family supporting her as well. Her parents, Brian and Lorna Kennett, together with their other children and extended family, can be heard cheering from the side lines whenever Tianna is in the ring.
“Family is very important to me and I’m thankful for the support they’ve given me.”
Wrestling has provided numerous travel opportunities to the teen who has enjoyed travelling within Canada and places abroad.
“The international experience is totally different,” she said. “Everyone has a different angle on things and there is so much to learn.”
Tianna has attracted the attention of several universities and is currently being scouted by schools in Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary and Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. As she finishes her Grade 12 year she plans to attend university to work toward a career in psychiatric nursing.
“Mental health is one of my biggest interests,” she said. “I’m really interested in how people think.”
When she’s not wrestling, Tianna works at the Redvers Activity Centre where she cares for adults with cognitive disabilities.
“I really like where I work. The people there are really fun to hang out with and it reassures me that it’s what I want to do.”
However, her wrestling career is just beginning. With the peak age of a wrestler at 28 and the average age of the Olympic team being closer to 30, Tianna has a number of years on the mat ahead of her.
“University is just the start,” she said. “I’ll see where I stand at the end of four years and see if this is something I still want to do.”
As she excels in her sport and heads to bigger matches, the competitive nature of the athlete kicks in.
“My ultimate goal is definitely the Olympics. The higher level you go the more you want to work and that’s a big motivator. I’m hungry for more. I think of all the opportunities I’ve had in one year and it’s just a start,” she said. “I’m not done yet.”
