Jacarra Winchester overcomes injury and embarks on a journey as the next Olympic hopeful

Jacarra Wincester at the 2015 U.S. Open. Photo by Anne Sachs, Tech-Fall.com

Jacarra Winchester picked up wrestling her junior year of high school after getting tired of running on the cross-country team. Within one year of being in the sport, she had become a girls California State Champion for Arroyo High School.
“After winning states my senior year, I asked what’s next? There had to be more. After all, I had just started. My high school coach pushed me toward the college wrestling scene,” Winchester said.
Winchester went on to wrestle at Missouri Valley College under head coach Carl Murphree. Although she was ineligible to compete her first two years for the Vikings, she won bronze at the UWW Junior Nationals in 2012 and placed third at University Nationals.
In 2013 Winchester competed at the WCWA Nationals for the first time. She placed second behind two-time champion and three-time finalist, Joey Miller from Oklahoma City.
“First year going to nationals I learned a lot,” Winchester said. “At the time, I relied a lot on the referees to call out either dirty calls, illegal moves or any hitting going on instead of just wrestling my match and getting in the necessary positons to defend it. I realized that waiting on the refs took away from my offense. I changed my mentality after that.”
In 2014 Winchester made the U.S. Women’s Senior National Team for the first time at 58 kg after placing third at the U.S. World Team Trials. She was also a University World bronze medalist and placed third at the U.S. Open.
“During my college career, I made an effort to get workouts on my own,” Winchester said. “Missouri Valleys men’s wrestling coach Mike Machholz saw potential in me and he let me practice with the men’s team all five years that I was there. I would actually just go to the men’s practice right after getting done with the women’s practice.”
After being ineligible to compete in 2014, Winchester came back more determined than ever. She went on to become the 2015 WCWA National Champion at 130 pounds for the Missouri Valley Vikings after getting a decision over King University’s Jessica Kee.
“I knew I could just walk through the competition. I felt like if I could beat a man in the NAIA, then I could beat any woman in college. I had doubled my work load so I could dominate.
This time I wasn’t leaving without a national title,” Winchester said.
Winchester made the decision to further her wrestling career in August of 2015 by moving out to Colorado Springs, Colo., to train at the United States Olympic Training Center.
“I had this strong desire to stand on the podium and it got to the point where I felt like those around me back home weren’t going to help me get there. I knew my next big move would be heading out to the USOTC,” Winchester recalled.
Unfortunately, only one week after arriving, she tore her ACL and meniscus while playing a friendly warm-up game of soccer in the wrestling room. Winchester underwent microscopic surgery and had many months of rehabilitation.
“It was so hard because I had just moved here,” Winchester said. “I gave up everything to come out to the OTC. I was having rehab twice a day. My doctors told me if I focused on therapy and mainly recovering, I would be ready for Olympic TriaIs in April. That became my only focus.”
In April of 2016, with the U.S. Olympic Trials just around the corner, Winchester received news she could not compete under her circumstances. She would be taking a risk.
“They told me It would be safer if I didn’t go. That crushed me. I worked so incredibly hard for nine months only to be told I can’t do it. It was physically and emotionally painful. My dream was to make the U.S. Olympic Team and it just didn’t happen. I didn’t even get a chance to try. I had to think back and reflect on myself,” Winchester said.
“I know it hurt her not being able to compete at the Olympic Trials but I also think it helped her get to the point where she’s at now,” National Women's Freestyle Head Coach Terry Steiner said. “She’s right on track, continuously fighting for a spot on our team. That injury helped her commit even more so. She may not view it like that but a lot of positive did come from it.”
One month after the U.S. Olympic Trials, Winchester won a bronze medal at the Non-Olympic Weight World Team Trials at 55 kg, beating past World Team Member Deanna Betterman for third place.
Since bouncing back from her injury, Winchester has become a bronze medalist at the 2017 Russia Cup and a bronze medalist at the 2017 Dave Schultz Memorial International. She also placed second at the 2017 U.S. Open behind 2012 Olympian Kelsey Campbell.
Despite being at a challenging weight class with Olympic Champion and two-time World Champion Helen Maroulis also in the field, Winchester continues to push forward.
“Whenever you try to make an Olympic team, it’s not going to be easy. Whenever you try to medal, it’s not going to be easy. You are going to have to go against people who have more credentials and sometimes success. You cannot let someone else’s success from the past derail you from your dreams,” Steiner said.
In 2017, Winchester made the U.S. National Team for a third time after winning bronze at the U.S. World Team Trials. Today she continues to train at the USOTC under coach Terry Steiner and assistant coaches Emma Randall and Clarissa Chun.
“I am so thankful for all my coaches at the OTC,” Winchester said. “Working with Terry, Emma, and Clarissa has been incredible. They each have different expertise and I have so much respect for them,” Winchester said. “Clarissa is such a good friend; she believes me. Several people down the line unfortunately didn’t.”
Winchester’s dreams and aspirations to be the greatest is what keeps this Olympic hopeful alive.
“I want to be the world’s best. I want to mentally and physically transform myself to be the very best I can be. My goal is to be an Olympic Champion,” Winchester said.