By Zoe Robinson
Like any high school, there are certain stereotypes you come to expect from Lovett students.
Some people are theater kids, many are hardcore athletes, and plenty of people are academic weapons. Senior Elle Kaufmann, however, happily breaks many of these stereotypes in her daily life. As a strong scholar, wrestling champion, and talented bassist for the Ellington Jazz ensemble, Elle does it all.
As a wrestler, Elle not only stands out as one of the best in the state, but also as the only girl on the team for the past 4 years. While many people look at her role on the team and wonder what it’s like, Elle’s answer is fairly simple: “I’ve always just felt like one of the guys.”
The team’s camaraderie, alongside the hard work they’ve put in, has bonded them, but it’s always made it easy to be distracted from the labels put on her as the only girl. While the differences between them are there, when they’re working together, all they have to do is push each other. “They’ve always treated me really great, and I’ve always felt good about being with them when we’re together,” she said.
As a Lovett wrestler, Elle has also had an extraordinary career. “I’ve lost one match in my freshman year at the high school level [these past 4 years],” she told me as she recounted her successes. That incredible record required a lot of hard work, and after winning many titles, she is ending her high school career as a 4-time state champion in her weight class. “It doesn’t feel super amazing or weird because I’ve been winning… it just feels like I worked hard, you know?” she explained.
She also added an extra challenge for herself this year, deciding to move up a weight class despite being a shoo-in for state champion in her original weight class. “A friend of mine texted me and said she wanted to move up a weight class and asked if I was going to, and I said yes… but, funny story, she ended up staying at the class that I was already in so we would’ve been against each other anyway,” Elle recounted.
Wanting to give her friend a chance in her own league, Elle nobly decided to move up another 10 pounds to her final class, 155 pounds, because “she deserved a chance to win her own title,” she explained.
While the move was a big change for her, it all worked out in the end for both of them, earning the last titles of their high school careers without having to compete against each other. Alongside the title, Elle also solidified her 4timer reputation, closing out her Lovett career.
She’s also developed quite a reputation as a Lovett bassist in Honors Ellington Jazz – something quite different than the main activity she’s known for. “Everybody thinks of me as the girl who wrestles… I’ve just always loved to play guitar too,” she said.
For Elle, while wrestling pushes her and is what she’s driven by, music, especially the band, is just pure fun. “Music is probably the one thing that I love more than sports,” she explained. While being in Ellington certainly requires a time commitment, she enjoys it enough to stay engaged.
Speaking of time, most people wonder how Elle has enough time to be as locked in as she is to both of these pursuits and have a life. “You know how Hermione in Harry Potter has that time rewinder thing?” she joked, “that’s how I do it.” Realistically, according to Elle, there is no specific answer or method; all she has to do is just make it work.
Despite this impressive list of accomplishments, Elle doesn’t see any of what she does as particularly special – just what happens when you lock in. Despite being the only female wrestler on the Lovett team and one of their strongest, she wants her accomplishments to speak to her work ethic, not what she’s overcome.
“I just like to wrestle, and when people label it as ‘girl power’ and stuff, I feel like it takes away from what you enjoy doing,” she explained to me.
Coming from a family that loves wrestling and having a brother who was a champion wrestler himself, Elle has always enjoyed wrestling for the competition of it, and believes that others should feel the same. To her, the core reason to do something you love is that you love it, and any boundaries you break or trails you blaze are a secondary benefit. “You’re not a female athlete, you’re just an athlete, you feel me?” she said.
In short, while Elle Kaufmann wears many hats, she’s happy to just be known as someone who pursues what she loves rather than just one thing, and hopes that after graduation, everyone will remember her that way.
