Young athletes seem to always have full schedules, no matter the time of year. Thirteen- year-old Saoirse Cichy, of Eagle River, had a much different schedule than most recently, competing and winning in both global and national combat sport competitions within a week of each other last month.

Cichy was a part of Team USA, which won the team gold at the Pankration World Cup in Lithuania in mid-June. She then traveled back to the states before leaving for South Carolina to compete in the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) Youth National tournament for a chance to be on Team USA for United World of Wrestling in Pankration (UWW) and compete in this year’s worlds event.

In Lithuania, Cichy brought home gold medals in grappling, grappling age up, kickboxing and pankration. She made Team USA by qualifying for it in Kansas back in March. It was a short celebration before continuing her busy journey to South Carolina for a youth MMA event, where she won a national championship qualifying belt to qualify for a global event with the UWW.

Home roots

This all wouldn’t be possible without all of the local support from her home gym, Groundwork Grappling in Rhinelander, and from the help of the Hodag boys’ middle school wrestling team and the high school girls’ team. Cichy spent the last two years on the Rhinelander middle school boys’ wrestling team and also trained and practiced with the high school girls as an eighth grader. Cichy’s mom, Lacy, said her daughter would not be competing at the highest level nationally and globally without them.

“Being from a small town, training with our small gym and schools, this is a huge accomplishment for her and also for our area.She travels around the country to train and compete, as it’s her dream to be a professional fighter,” she said.

Cichy will continue to train for the UWW Pankration Worlds later this year representing the USA in a country that has yet to be determined.