Cheryl began wrestling in 1997 and started competing on the freestyle circuit in 2000. She qualified for two Olympic Team Trials by placing in the top 4 at 51kg at the US Nationals in 2004 and by winning a Regional Tournament in 2008. She qualified for several World Team Trials by placing in the top 8 at US Senior Freestyle Women's Nationals at 51kg.

Cheryl graduated from Boston University with a Master of Arts in Economics. She was invited to join that particular graduate program during her second year of undergraduate study while on academic scholarship. She currently works full time at Morgan Stanley.

She loves wrestling and thinks it’s a great sport for all people, but that it is especially important for girls. In light of cultural and media pressures that objectify women and encourage passivity, she feels it is important that girls are taught to recognize and build their own physical strength and will. Likewise, it is also important that boys and men see women and girls as peers and leaders in a sport that shows the ability of discipline and physical strength to transcend traditional gender roles.

Training as a woman in a male-dominated sport was not without its challenges. Cheryl experienced everything that can be difficult about being a woman in a male-dominated sport first-hand or witnessed those things happen to girls and women with whom she has trained and competed. If you are a female wrestler or a coach of one, and you need support, feel free to contact her at cwong@beat-the-streets.org.

To find out more about the Girls Wrestling Program at Beat the Streets, visit www.nycwomenswrestling.com.