Watching her brother win three Mat Classic titles inspired Shelby Moore to wrestle - and become a 5-time national champion at White River

BUCKLEY, Wash. - For all the twisty arm bars, or grabby double underhooks wrestlers utilize in high-intensity matches, one other strategic move is equally effective.

The sibling stranglehold.

It can be life-altering. Take Shelby Moore, a junior at White River High School, for example. Even though she grew up around the tough-combatant sport, she opted to be a dancer, cheerleader, ride horses, play soccer and run track throughout elementary school.

Two nights in the Tacoma Dome re-routed her course and has put her on track to become one of the greatest wrestlers this state has ever seen.

In 2018, Moore was a seventh grader sitting in the grandstands on championship Saturday night at Mat Classic, the WIAA state wrestling championships in the Tacoma Dome. Her brother, Nate, was on his way to a second Class 2A title.

"It was after his first state championship that I started wrestling," Shelby Moore said. "I wanted to be like him pretty much in every sense."

A year later, Nate became the first White River wrestler to win three Mat Classic titles in a row. The small town in east Pierce County hailed him as a local hero.

And Shelby Moore was hooked from then on.

"As her brother got older - he is 4-5 years older - and was about to leave the house and go wrestle at Northern Colorado, to connect with him a little bit, she started getting into wrestling aggressively," said Jeff Moore, her father and a state finalist for Mount Baker High School at the first Mat Classic in 1989.

"She’s kind of been all in now. She doesn’t take any breaks at all."

As a ninth grader in 2020, Moore matched her brother’s program feat, helping lead the Hornets to their first Mat Classic girls team championship. She also placed third in the 115-pound weight class, losing a 6-4 semifinal showdown to eventual winner Molly Williams, of Redmond.

Then the pandemic hit. And that is when Moore took off - literally.

She began training in Colorado, then traveled all over the country to national tournaments for the past 18-20 months.

And then she began winning - a lot, especially in the biggest events.

Her memorable run started last March at the two-pronged USAW Girls Folkstyle National Championships and the inaugural High School National Recruiting Showcase in Coralville, Iowa.

On the first day, she wrestled as a pre-meet qualifier in the 122 bracket of the open division at the High School National Recruiting Showcase, competing against various state champions in a freestyle format.

Moore defeated Illinois state champion Berlin Brodie Kiddoo, 10-0, in the finals to win her first national championship.

The next day, she made history as a sophomore by winning two more national titles in the folkstyle tournaments, winning both the 16-and-under and 18U age-group brackets at 122. She was named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler.

Then in July, Moore competed in the Fargo (N.D.) freestyle national championships, again sweeping the 122 brackets in the 16U and 18U divisions, garnering All-American honors as well.

That was five national titles racked up during a 31/2-month span.

"It was a lot to take in, definitely," Moore said. "Just looking back at it, I know I worked really hard at it. I am proud of what I accomplished this summer."

Moore vaulted up to No. 1 in many national-ranking services (USA Wrestling, FloWrestlng) for her weight class (and she is SBLive WA's top-ranked overall wrestler in Washington) - and that sewed her up a spot at the high-profile "Who’s Number One" showcase last September in Dallas.

On the 10-bout card, Moore’s matchup with Cadet world champion Katie Gomez (117), of California, was promoted as the main event.

Gomez eked out an 11-10 decision - one that ended with Moore holding her opponent in a headlock after a late takedown.

"I did not expect her to hit that stage running that fast," Jeff Moore said.

Now, when her brother comes home from college, and the two get together and spar on the mat, the intensity is much, much different.

"He can go pretty hard at me," Shelby Moore said. "He gets surprised at my progress every time he comes home."

This winter, Moore is 22-0 in the girls 130 division. No opponent has gone the full six minutes against her.

"Her goal is to pin everybody," White River girls wrestling coach Jason Jackson said. "It is pure work ethic, second to none.She will try anything, do anything - and she is always drilling moves."

Moore admits she wants to bask in the same Mat Classic championship-night glow Saturday that her brother enjoyed three times.

But her ultimate goals in wrestling are more far-reaching.

"I want to be a world champion," she said.

(Featured photo courtesy of White River athletics)