Olympic hopeful marks year-end celebration at Rock Hill school

Olympic wrestling hopeful Veronica Carlson joined students and staff at Richmond Drive Elementary School Friday for a year-end celebration at Fewell Park.

About 625 students played games, jumped and slid on inflatables, and doused each other with water during a field day celebration as Carlson chatted with them about her wrestling career.

Carlson, 25, moved to Rock Hill last fall and is working as a sales associate at the Manchester Village store of her corporate sponsor, Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Carlson, who grew up in Illinois, began competing in wrestling in the seventh grade. Her parents were initially against the notion of her competing against boys, and were worried she would get hurt.

But Carlson stuck with wrestling, and in eighth grade, she became a Women’s Junior National Champion. She was the only girl on her high school team, and when she suffered spinal fractures, she decided that it was time to start training with women.

She wrestled for one year at Missouri Baptist University, and then lived for five years at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, where she and other athletes trained and traveled to compete.

During that time, Carlson medaled at numerous international events, and in 2013, she represented Team USA at the World Championships.

In Rock Hill, Carlson has led wrestling clinics through Rhino Wrestling Club. She will lead another free wrestling clinic at the 103 Schoolside Drive club from 1 to 3 p.m. July 10, she said.

Carlson faces women’s wrestling qualifying events during the next month, in advance of the August 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Since moving to Rock Hill, Carlson has been commuting four times each week to Asheville, N.C., for training with other athletes.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Olympic hopeful marks year-end celebration at Rock Hill school."