By Madi Speed

Every day during wrestling season is a busy one for Mount Vernon Wrestling manager Reagan Light. Cleaning the mats after practice, recording meets, and tweeting out results are only a few jobs Light has to accomplish throughout the season.

The head wrestling coach at Mount Vernon is Light’s dad, Vance Light. “My dad has me do a little bit more since I’m his daughter, but that’s a given,” Light said with a chuckle. The sport of wrestling has been with her family for generations. Her dad won the state title twice and got elected into the Hall of Fame in 2016, and her older brother, Justin, was a state wrestler.

Light has been helping out the wrestling program since seventh grade. Her favorite part about being a manager is watching meets since she’s passionate about the sport of wrestling. Light gets to spend all day or all weekend with other managers and the wrestlers. The greatest thing about meets to Light is seeing all the guys happy after putting in their hard work.

This past season, the wrestling program suffered a major loss and a major voice. Light’s mom, Marsha, died of a long battle with cancer in November of 2018. The wrestling team, as well as the community of Mount Vernon, came together to support the Light family. “It’s really cliche to say, but we’re actually like a family,” Light said regarding the wrestling program. The senior boys came to visit Marsha during her last few weeks of life. At the funeral, the whole team walked in together to honor Marsha. This season, Marsha’s cheers were missing from the stands, but she was not absent in their hearts.

Light recommends others becoming wrestling managers if their hearts are in the sport and if they know the rules. “Every match that a guy wins is pretty satisfying,” Light said. Light believes being a manager overall is rewarding.

Would Light ever wrestle if she had the chance? “If I would’ve started when I was younger, I would. But if I started now, I wouldn’t.”