Courtesy Photo | Airman 1st Class Socorro Rodriguez, 131st Bomb Wing services, helped secure a historic...... read more read more
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When an email calling for wrestlers reached Airman 1st Class Socorro Rodriguez, she was standing mat-side at a high school tournament, coaching.
Within hours, she was on the phone with an Air Force coach. Weeks later, she was representing the Department of the Air Force at the Armed Forces Wrestling Championship and helped secure a historic win for the Air Force women’s team.
“I was exactly what they were looking for,” Rodriguez said. “I have the experience and the background.”
Rodriguez, assigned to the 131st Bomb Wing’s services flight at Jefferson Barracks Air National Guard Station in St. Louis, was selected for the Air Force team after responding to a service-wide call for athletes through the Department of the Air Force Sports program. The opportunity led to approximately 20 days of orders, including a two-week training camp at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, followed by the competition at Fort Bliss, Texas.
The championship tournament brought together teams from across the armed services, including the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. On the women’s side, only the Air Force and Army fielded competitors, with Army’s roster featuring multiple wrestlers who compete at the highest echelons of international competition, including Olympic trials.
Despite the competition, the Air Force women secured the overall team title, the first in program history.
“With that, we’re the first women’s Air Force team to ever win it,” Rodriguez said. “ It was an honor to be a part of the team that made history.”
Rodriguez’s path to the championship was unconventional. After receiving the email, she quickly applied and interviewed, highlighting her wrestling background, including high school competition and coaching experience.
At training camp, athletes competed for roster spots within their weight classes. Rodriguez earned her place and advanced to the championship in Texas, where team scoring ultimately determined the outcome.
In her match, Rodriguez faced a highly skilled Army opponent. While she did not win the bout, she avoided a pin, a critical factor in the team’s overall victory.
“I told my coach, even if I lose, I’m not going to get pinned,” Rodriguez said.
Her performance helped secure enough points for the Air Force to clinch the championship title in a dual-style format, in which forfeits and match outcomes contribute to the team score.
“It was down to me at that point,” she said. “I said ‘I am going to win this for us.’”
Beyond competition, Rodriguez said the experience highlighted the scope of opportunities available through military service, particularly for Guard members.
“Being a Guard member, you do have a life outside of the service,” she said. “But there’s so many opportunities… I’ve had great leadership who let me achieve so much.”
Rodriguez enlisted in June 2024, initially motivated by education benefits to pursue a degree in physical therapy at the University of Missouri. Since joining, her perspective has broadened.
“It started as just paying for school,” she said. “But there’s so much more to it than that.”
Balancing full-time college coursework with training demands proved challenging, she said, especially while maintaining weight and recovering between practices.
“Honestly, balancing school and going to practice every day proved to be the toughest thing for me,” Rodriguez said. “But practice was really fun. I really enjoyed the experience and the opportunity to meet and connect with new people as well.”
She also emphasized the unique camaraderie of the event, which brought together service members from across the globe.
“We had people from Japan, the U.K., Italy,” she said. “It was really cool to meet everyone with varying backgrounds around the world.”
For Rodriguez, the championship marked not only a personal milestone, but a historic moment for Air Force wrestling. Her story is a reminder of what can happen when preparation meets opportunity.
“It's definitely something worth considering,” she said. “There’s so many opportunities out there, you just have to take them.”
| Date Taken: | 05.03.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2026 15:58 |
| Story ID: | 569759 |
| Location: | ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 10 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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