Four members of the Lincoln High School “Hornets” have qualified to compete in this year’s World Sumo Championships: Jaheim Galeana, Miley Law, Malik Benmoussa and Melody Brodowski.
Coach Christina Griffin-Jones said this is the first time the U.S. junior women’s team has enough young girls eligible to compete.
This is an exciting start for the Sumo Club, which launched this year.
There’s just one obstacle: The championships will be held in Poland in September, and they need to raise just over $10,000 to send all of the qualified wrestlers, along with their coaches and chaperones, to compete.
Griffin-Jones said competitive sport isn’t just about skill, it’s also about access to resources.
A 2020 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found wide disparities in youth sports, with lower participation rates for children from racial minorities, those whose parents have lower levels of education and income, and those who live in vulnerable areas.
When these kids did participate, they were more likely to play in sports commonly offered in public schools, such as football or basketball.
Griffin-Jones grew up in a neighborhood near Lincoln High School, and by the time he was 18, his family had moved within the county more than 10 times because of rising rent costs.
There were no sumo clubs at that time.
“To be able to bring this gift to our community is the best thing, because I know that if this had happened at my high school, I definitely would have been a champion,” she said.
She and her husband help run a foundation that makes martial arts accessible to people from marginalized communities.
She is the first African-American woman to win a medal in international sumo.
“And I’m really happy that I’m not the last,” she said.
She hopes the club will pave the way for more diversity in the world of sumo, and she described Lincoln’s team as courageous.
They were able to participate in it as Lincoln High School hosted the US National Championships.
Jaheim Galeana won his division and said he was “just really happy.”
“I didn’t expect it,” he said, “but I went out there, gave it my all and came away with the win.”
Freshman Maylee Law, another national champion, was shocked.
“At first I thought it was a joke, because they were like, ‘Oh, you’re going to Poland,’ and I was like, ‘What?'” she said, laughing.
Law’s brother, Rex Ron Law, helps train her in wrestling.
She said her brother wasn’t able to excel in high school sports due to financial issues, so she said it’s an honor to have the opportunity to compete at such a high level.
She hopes to raise enough money to bring him to Poland.
“Obviously my parents don’t want me to go alone,” Lo says, “so it’s really important for me to raise the money so my brother can go with me.”
The money will cover expenses and travel for wrestlers, coaches and chaperones in need.
So far, less than $1,400 has been raised, Griffin-Jones said.
A fundraising gala will be held at the Skyline Hills Branch Library on August 24th at 3pm.
Griffin Jones is optimistic, and not just this year.
“I have a feeling this won’t be the last time we see the Lincoln Hornets compete on the world stage in sumo,” she said.
