Jenna Burkert wasn’t sure of her next career step. 

The World bronze medalist retired from competitive wrestling last February, finished her contract with the Army, and word began circulating in the wrestling community shortly thereafter that she was looking to make her next move. 

“I didn’t want to be stead on ‘I have to do this or that,’” she said. “I really wanted to be moved to where I was going.” 

And that’s exactly what happened. 

An Oklahoma wrestling parent and an old Army colleague put Burkert on the Bixby High School radar and put Bixby on Burkert’s. 

Last February, Burkert found herself logging in to watch the Oklahoma girls' high school state tournament. She watched Bixby prevail by a half-point over Edmond North in a back-and-forth, down-to-the-wire team race that saw the top four teams separated by eight points in the final Class 6A standings.  

It sealed her decision. She was moving to Oklahoma to serve as the Bixby High School girls' associate head coach. 

Months later, Burkert keeps fielding the same question over and over. 

“Why the hell did you move to this small town of Bixby?” Burkert said. “That’s how my students talk to me, so I was cracking up over it.” 

Her answer is simple. 

“Well, I traveled the world young,” said Burkert, a New York native who made seven World Teams, including four at the Senior level, highlighted by a 2021 bronze medal performance in Oslo, “so I’m pretty content when there’s a town with a coffee shop.”

There’s no shortage of coffee options in and around Bixby, a city of 30,000 located on the outskirts of Tulsa. 

In addition to her coaching duties, Burkert is also teaching high school leadership. 

Burkert said she knew she wanted to start coaching at the developmental levels before perhaps one day transitioning to the college circuit. 

“That’s where everything started for me,” she said, referring to her early wrestling days under coach Shannyn Gillespie at the U.S. Olympic Education Center in Michigan. 

“I remember being 15, getting treated with world-level respect," she recalled. “It was the opposite of this, ‘I have to earn it to get it.’ He just gave away that respect and treated you like an adult while also nurturing us and understanding that I miss home and everything’s different. He had a good fatherly balance while the high schoolers were making such sacrifices to be there and leaving our families.”

Burkert knew if she could provide the same level of leadership and coaching to high school athletes, it would set them up for life success. 

“If I could do 20 percent of what Shannyn did for me, then I feel like I'm doing a really good job,” said Burkert, whose Bixby squad is currently ranked second nationally. 

Major Cosmetic Brand Enters Wrestling Space

January put a new mark on girls wrestling forever — or should we say gave it a touch-up? 

The sixth annual Wonder Women Wrestling Tournament — hosted on Jan. 3-4 by Battle High School in Columbia, Missouri — brought in more than 630 athletes from six states. It also brought in a new corporate sponsor.  

The Wonder Women was the first women’s wrestling tournament to be sponsored by a makeup brand — major player, e.l.f. Cosmetics.

e.l.f. Cosmetics, in its pioneering effort to “empower legendary females,” showed up to the tournament full glam.

The brand showcased its renowned Twitch streamer, Anna Bynum — known better online as @nobswithanna — livestreaming interviews with athletes and fans throughout the event and introducing the sport to a new audience on elfyou’s Twitch account.  

Olympic champion Helen Maroulis was also brought in as a major supporter of the tournament to help show the relevance of girls being girls in a male-dominated sport. 

In her Twitch interview with Bynum, Maroulis gave her insights and advice regarding being a woman in the sport and rewriting the narrative of what that means. 

“I thought that belonging and fitting in were the same thing,” Maroulis said. “It wasn’t until I started training with women that I realized, ‘I don't have to fit in to belong. I can be completely feminine and myself, and I have a space here.’”

In the wrestling world, it’s easy for girls to feel a need to mold themselves into a specific type of girl to be considered a “real wrestler.” This sponsorship, however, was a catalyst to breaking that archetype, allowing girls to be their genuine, girly selves while still being beasts on the mat. 

Additionally, e.l.f. set up a makeup activation where wrestlers and fans were free to get their makeup done, receive e.l.f. goodies and take pictures at the e.l.f. girly gym with prop weights. 

The brand’s sponsorship also consists of nine college scholarships for wrestlers in their senior year through an essay competition. 

The St. Louis-based Wonder Women Wrestling Foundation is an organization that aims to empower women through wrestling. 

According to its official website, the foundation strives for more than just hosting wrestling tournaments. There is a commitment to empowering women both on and off the mat by establishing community outreach programs, scholarships and coach education opportunities. 

Dynamic Sister Duo Doubles Up At Powerade

Violette Lasure and Juliet Alt seem to be making history through their win streaks at tournaments across the country.  

The Pennsylvania sisters have combined to rack up 11 Powerade titles after they took home championships last month — Lasure at 148 pounds and Alt at 155. 

Lasure, the oldest by a year, won her sixth Powerade title as a sophomore. Her younger sister, Alt, a freshman this year, secured her fifth. 

Lasure pinned her way through the tournament, decking Eliana Winfrey of Tyler Consolidated High School in the finals. 

Alt started the tournament with a tech fall and two pins to reach the finals, where she defeated Kate Prior of Delaware Valley by a 10-2 major decision. 

On the mat, the sisters share numerous similarities in terms of their style and success. Away from it, according to Alt, most people don’t know how different they really are. 

But a deeper dive into their relationship shows an unbreakable bond between two very different peas in a pod. 

“If you get to know us, then you’ll figure it out,” Alt said. “Violette’s quiet, I talk a lot. Violette likes to fish and I like to go shopping.”

Alt described Lasure as an exceptional practice partner. Meanwhile, Lasure said she has added to her arsenal thanks to her sister’s technical expertise. 

One thing with these two is certain — their memories and favorite moments together are marked by the sport they love. When asked about their best memories, both agreed that being in each other's corner for critical wins like the Fargo finals and Tulsa Nationals were top on their list. 

Up next for the dynamic duo: The quest for two district titles, two regional titles, two state titles and a World Team Trials that will potentially make their dream of being on the same World Team come true.