Olivia Satti is 10 years old, but she’s already well aware of what her last name means to wrestling in southeastern Connecticut.
“My dad always says I have to live up to the family name,” she said last week, beaming with more than an ounce of pride in her relatives and her sport.
You see, the Sattis are among the first families of wrestling in the area.
John Satti, Olivia’s father, was a state champion for St. Bernard High School in 1974.
Her uncle, Michael Satti, a member of the New London Sports Hall of Fame, won his own state championship in 1979 for the Saints despite the fact Olivia’s other uncle, former New London Mayor William Satti, an accomplished wrestler in his own right, once jested to this reporter that “[he’s] not even the best wrestler in the family.”
For now, that honor might fall to Olivia’s brother, Charles, or C.J., Satti, who last month won the 140-pound state title for local powerhouse Ledyard High School.
But don’t count out Olivia, who often could be found this winter yelling out moves and strategy from the stands at her brother’s matches.
“I was egging him on and supporting him,” she said.
With the high school wrestling season over, it’s now Olivia’s time to get on the mat.
The only female member of the Waterford Youth Wrestling Club, this weekend she will compete in the United States Girls Wrestling Association National Championships in Livonia, Mich.
In order to prepare, the Waterford Youth wrestlers held a joint practice with Ledyard Youth Wrestling in the “bomb shelter” in the basement at Ledyard High School. (And it really is a bomb shelter, built during the Cold War complete with an Emergency Management Center.)
These days, though, it looks more bombed out than anything, with drab lighting and several broken tiles on the ceiling. But from such homely rooms, champions are made, as Ledyard has had a proud wrestling tradition for nearly 50 years, and the kids seem to feed on the atmosphere.
John Satti pointed out the roster of champions listed in the room, and noted that the region is known for its wrestlers.
“The ECC is very strong,” he said. “The [high school] conference did the best in the state last year.”
Olivia’s competitive streak came out during the practice, as she trained her eyes on her opponents, including her close friend Emme Cronin.
“I don’t like wrestling my friends,” Olivia admitted.
Her father yelled out moves from the sideline: “the leg, the leg!”
Last year, as a third-grader, Olivia placed fifth in the nation in the 60-pound division and hopes to improve upon it this time around.
“I feel good about it,” she said, with a fifth state title won this year under her belt.
Olivia began wrestling with Waterford Youth Wrestling six years ago, as a 4-year-old, and tasted success almost immediately.
In her first year, 2003, she won a coed state title at 37 pounds. As a fifth-grader at St. Joseph’s School, she won another state title in 2004, besting seven male wrestlers along the way.
Despite a trickle of all-girl competitions in the area, female wrestlers are still something of an anomaly.
“It’s still a fairly new thing,” said John Satti, who is also an assistant coach at Waterford Youth Wrestling. “It’s a great sport for building self-esteem. And the beauty of it is that you don’t have to be tall or strong, you just have to have the ability to do your best.”
Also, unlike some sports, wrestling is inexpensive, as a helmet, shoes, and a singlet total less than $100.
Not surprisingly, Olivia’s role model is aspiring Olympic wrestler Stefanie Shaw, who wrestled for Waterford High School.
And of course, she has to explain to friends that she’s not a dancer, but a wrestler.
“‘A wrestler?’ they’ll say,” Olivia said with a laugh. “But I think my friends respect me. This is what I do, I play sports.”