North Shore Sun

Courtesy photo Jenna Burkert, who wrestled at Rocky Point and Longwood, will represent the United States at the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore next month.

The alarm sounds precisely at 4:07 a.m., leaving Jenna Burkert just enough time to rise from bed, brush her teeth and begin her day. She rarely has time to brush her hair, the first sacrifice in a day that will see countless more.

Outside, the temperature can sink to minus 40 during the winter, a temperature so cruel no hyperbole is needed to describe it. She awakes each morning in the city of Marquette, Mich., a town whose main attractions include a Wal-Mart and a movie theater.

She's come here, to Northern Michigan University, located 175 miles north of Green Bay, to live on a campus adjacent to Lake Superior, just south of the Canadian border. Only a junior in high school, she's left behind her family, friends and the comfort of home on Long Island for this desolate training ground.

At 5 a.m. she begins the first practice of her day. Here, she battles against some women seven years older than her, some women who have neared the pinnacle in their sport of wrestling. She arrives to practice each day with renewed enthusiasm and with a fire burning inside to compete, all in preparation for her ultimate goal: the Olympics.

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On a recent gorgeous Friday afternoon, Burkert was back where it all started in her Rocky Point home, mere minutes from the beaches adorning the Long Island Sound. It's during these brief breaks throughout the year that Burkert has the opportunity to sleep in, to relax throughout the day and live the normal teenager life.

Sitting at the dining room table, her mother, Rosanne, seated to her left, she begins to tell the story of how a girl from Long Island has grown to be one of the top young female wrestlers in the world.

Her most recent and greatest accomplishment to date came in May. In Monterrey, Mexico, she won first place at the Pan American Youth Olympic Games Qualifier to become the first and only American to advance in women's freestyle wrestling to the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore, which begin Aug. 14. The United States could send only one wrestler from the four weight classes contested. Burkert made the choice easy when she was the only girl to win her weight. But even had any Americans won the other weight classes, Burkert likely still would have gotten the nod based on her dominant performance.

She pinned all three opponents to win the 132-pound weight class. In the finals she defeated Miriam Elizabeth Flores, a hometown favorite from Mexico.

"Not that they'll cheat you out, but if it's a close call, Mexico's going to get the call," Burkert said. "That's what I was kind of worried about."

With the match scoreless, the wrestlers went into a "clinch position," something Burkert experienced for the first time in the opening match of the tournament.

"I have two clinches in my whole life at the same tournament," she said. "So it was interesting. The second period I took control and pinned her."

At the Youth Olympics, the 5-foot-1 Burkert will be a part of history. As many as 3,600 athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 from around the globe are expected to participate in a variety of sports from tennis to judo to weight lifting and sailing. Similar to the regular Olympics, a total of 26 sports will be contested, most of which are made up of multiple events.

The timing of the games worked out beautifully for Burkert, who turned 17 in May.

"It's nice because I get to be on the older end of the spectrum for once," she said. "Usually I'm the younger one wrestling girls who are, like, 23, 24."

She will compete against wrestlers from New Zealand, Bulgaria, India, Mongolia, Nigeria and Russia. It's a different mind-set, wrestling internationally, Burkert said.

"No one knows anyone and everyone's out to kill," she said. "So you're on there to get roasted. You want to be the big dog."

Before she travels to Singapore Burkert will focus on the Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D., a tournament that begins Sunday. She'll be looking to defend her 132-pound title. Last year she pinned Randi Beltz of Missouri to bring home the national title.

"Winning Fargo last year as a sophomore, and people never really hearing of me, was really big," Burkert said. "At that moment that was probably the biggest [accomplishment]."

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It began with a flier. While in her first-grade class, Burkert noticed a paper encouraging students to try wrestling. A classmate observed her looking at it, came over and told her it was only for boys. That wasn't going to stop her.

She went home and asked her mom if she could join.

"I said, 'Are you crazy? You'll be the only girl,'â" her mom recalled.

For as long as she can remember, Burkert has always been a competitor. She wanted to win at everything, still does. As a 6-year-old in wrestling, Burkert had no problem competing against boys. If anything, she had the advantage over them until puberty kicked in years later.

"I was just throwing headlocks," she said. "I didn't know what I was doing."

She grew up wrestling in Rocky Point until seventh grade. Sensing her growing dedication to the sport, Burkert's parents decided to move into the Longwood district, which was home to one of the top wrestling programs in New York. The family had a relative who owned a house in the Longwood district and mostly lived in Las Vegas. He offered them his house to move into. They figured once Burkert graduated they would move back to their house in Rocky Point.

At Longwood, where Rosanne works with special ed students, Burkert entered a wrestling room loaded with talented boys.

"It's a really intense room," she said. "Everyone wants to be a champion there. You're battling it out with the guys. They always made me stronger."

At both schools Burkert fit right in with the boys. She simply wanted to wrestle and play the sport she loved.

As a freshman in 2008 Burkert advanced to the finals of the Body Bar Women's National Championship against Helen Maroulis of Maryland. At the time, she had no idea about the rà sumà of her opponent, who was a member of the U.S. Women's World Team.

"I was wrestling first period and got my butt kicked," she said. "Then second period I came back and actually beat her. Then third period it was a really close match and I ended up losing by one point."

She fell 2-1 in the final period of the 114 1/2-pound weight class. Maroulis earned the right to advance with the Cadet World Team, which was going to travel to El Salvador. But having already earned a spot on the Junior World Team, a more prestigious honor, Maroulis passed on El Salvador, opening the door for Burkert to take her place.

It turned out to be the biggest break of her career.

Burkert won the Pan American Championship in El Salvador and caught the eye of Tony DeAnda, who was coaching the U.S. team. DeAnda happened to also be an assistant wrestling coach at the U.S. Olympic Education Center, a training ground for athletes across a variety of sports that's centered at Northern Michigan University. Women's wrestling first became an Olympic sport in 2004.

Burkert had just completed her freshman year of high school and DeAnda told her they would love to have her train with them, possibly in her junior or senior year. While excited, Burkert didn't give it too much thought at the time.

"By the middle of September I got a phone call that a spot opened up," Burkert said. "They wanted me. Spots are kind of hard to come by when you're in high school."

She knew if she passed on the opportunity, she'd regret it. So before her sophomore year at Longwood could reach full swing, Burkert packed her bags for Michigan and her third school in five years. It would mark the end of her competing with boys.

In Michigan she would join a team made up mostly of college women. They were bigger, stronger and more experienced and fighting to be the best in the world. Each practice would end with Burkert drenched in sweat, and left wondering if she really was any good at wrestling.

"I was so scared," she said. "The first months were really rough. I didn't have my family. I didn't know anyone."

She enrolled in Marquette High School, the destination for all the athletes at the training center who haven't entered college yet. Thrown into a new environment, she struggled to adjust to life outside the wrestling room.

"I guess I was a little stubborn when I first got there," she said. "I just thought New York was the best place to be. I was out there and I'm, like, man, these kids are weird."

With so much of her time dedicated to wrestling, she rarely mingled with anyone from her high school throughout her first year. After her sophomore season ended and she became more comfortable, Burkert began hanging out with more kids from outside wrestling. As her junior year evolved she found her other friends to be a welcome escape at times.

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During her breaks back home, which tend to mirror a typical college schedule, Jenna spends most her time with her brother, Joshua, whom she described as one of her best friends. They always shared a special relationship. Joshua, 22, suffers from autism and is unable to speak clearly. People would often question Jenna as to how she hangs out with her brother when he can't talk. To outsiders, Joshua's voice may sound mumbled or incoherent. To Jenna, she could always understand. He wouldn't even have to say anything. She understood.

Joshua would watch his younger sister compete during practices and tournaments as she grew up, always there for support.

Before Jenna could leave for Michigan, she faced the hardest decision. How could she leave her brother behind? What if he didn't understand?

"I was just so afraid of him thinking I left," she said. "I was so nervous."

Throughout the first year, Jenna would come home during breaks and update her brother with what she was doing. They set up a Web cam, as well, so he could see her on the computer.

"He could see I didn't just leave the family," she said.

The support she's received from her family over the years has been invaluable toward her success. Travel to tournaments often came with a hefty price tag. Her mom would raise money through various means -- selling homemade wine or raffles.

"If my parents didn't support me I don't think I'd get very far," she said.

This past week Jenna signed a sponsorship deal with the New York Athletic Club, which will pay for some expenses for certain tournaments.

Following high school Jenna will likely head out to Colorado Springs, the headquarters of the U.S. Olympic Training Center. She'll continue training while attending a local college. In that setup she won't compete in the typical NCAA circuit that most college athletes follow in other sports.

She'll be in Colorado Springs this summer to prepare for Singapore following the nationals in Fargo.

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On Wednesdays at the Olympic Education Center, where Burkert will begin her third year in the fall, the wrestlers have a lighter day. In the morning they get to play different sports, to clear their head, keep active and have some fun. In the afternoon they'll meet with coaches and often watch videos of Olympic wrestling.

"Set our eyes on the prize," Burkert said.

It's the dream of one day representing America on the world's grandest stage that drives Burkert every day, combined with a passion to prove any doubters wrong. For the 2012 London Games she'll still be only 19, a relative novice. The 2016 Games may be more realistic at this point, but that won't slow down her pursuit.

"I take a lot of pride in having faith," said Burkert, who finds motivation in passages from the Bible. "I always believe in myself that anything I want, I can get."

joew@northshoresun.com