photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence's Goldy Stephens grabs for leverage in a wrestling dual at Shawnee Mission West High School on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Overland Park.

Since Carl Springer took over as the head coach of the Lawrence girls wrestling program, mental health has been a consistent point of focus for the team.

This year, each day, the team carves time out of practice to journal, and wrestlers on the team make time to talk about their mental health.

“I feel like that’s made a big difference in the room with the girls,” Springer said. “Handling losses and getting ready for matches is easier now when they realize it’s just wrestling. Wrestling ends and life starts.”

That has helped the team build a noticeable bond, which is what Springer is most excited about early into the wrestling season. Springer said matches feel like they’re taking place at the state tournament with how excited everyone on the team is for each other.

“The family atmosphere is really important this year,” Springer said. “Watching each other hype each other up and hug each other before and after each match is important — I think that’s going to go a long way.”

Wrestling is hard. Springer says the wrestling mat can feel like the loneliest place on Earth when a wrestler is losing. It takes a while for wrestlers who are new to the sport to start winning, and it can be a challenge to mentally stick with the sport through the losses.

Being mentally sharp is as important as being physically sharp, and the older wrestlers on the team can share their experience and knowledge on the mental side of things in the same way they can share techniques.

“It brings us closer and makes us feel like we’re in a safe environment with our teammates and coaches,” junior Ivy Ford said. “It makes you feel secure in your sport. It helps.”

While the team takes a few minutes each day for mental health, Ford said the team has an open environment where anyone can talk with anyone at any time.

Senior Goldy Stephens is the final member of Lawrence’s initial girls wrestling team under Springer. She’s seen the team grow large enough to compete in tournaments and win duals. Despite the team’s increase in the roster size, keeping a family dynamic among the wrestlers has been important for her to uphold.

Ford is another longtime Lion, and Springer said she’s turned a corner as a wrestler this year. Ford went 3-2 in the Leavenworth Challenger on Saturday. She’s gone through what others have early in their careers, and so her word carries weight when she talks about staying mentally tough through the start of a wrestling career.

After journaling, the team members discuss what they wrote about. Having open communication with each other allows the wrestlers to offer support.

“We know how to assist them and help them,” Stephens said. “We have a really good team bond, and a lot of the younger girls are willing to try new things and experience new things.”

What’s helped the veteran wrestlers on the team to foster the environment is the willingness of the new wrestlers. The team is ready and eager to learn, even if it doesn’t translate into instant success.

“We do our best to keep a bonded team attitude, but really the new girls have been awesome to try new things and work,” Stephens said. “So really shoutout to them.”

Part of keeping people excited and happy to keep wrestling is to show that. Stephens is always smiling, sometimes even in the middle of a match. Making sure she’s having fun while wrestling is important, and it permeates the team when one of its leaders and top wrestlers is always smiling and having fun.

“I’ve had moments where I’m getting nervous and it’s getting serious, and I just have to remember to smile,” Stephens said. “It helps to have teammates around who are really positive, and they’re always smiling. Everyone smiling always keeps a positive environment.”

With a number of new wrestlers on the team, Springer said it’ll take time before the team sees more results on the mat. But the mental makeup of the team can help those results come faster, and Springer loves what he’s seen from his team in that regard.