Finals fashion

Many know Katie Rowles for her killer instinct on the mat.

There's also a creative side to the Jay County High School junior.

On the state’s biggest stage for her sport, she’ll show off her combination of athleticism and artistry.

Rowles designed new singlets that the Jay County High School girls wrestling team will debut today at the first IHSAA-sanctioned state finals at Corteva Coliseum at Indiana State Fairgrounds.

“I’ve always loved drawing. When I did cheer, I designed a lot of those uniforms but didn’t do anything with them,” Rowles said. “So I thought, ‘I can design a singlet.’ And this is where it got me. I showed (coach Eric) Myers my design and asked him if he could make it happen. He’s a pretty great guy and a caring coach, so he did.”

The process of designing the singlet wasn’t a one-time mock up that she proposed to Myers, but rather, she had been drawing different singlets throughout the year and showing them to him. At that point, Rowles hadn’t gotten a solid answer from him, but continued to design the theoretical singlet anyway.

After punching her ticket to the state finals on Jan. 10, Rowles made one more design on card stock and gave it to her coach. That final touch was what sealed the deal, and Myers had the singlets made for the five wrestlers who will be competing in Indianapolis today. (Joining Rowles are Tatianna Willis, Brenna Ruble, Lina Lingo and Mallory Winner.)

“Two traits that I would say Katie is well known for are her enthusiasm and her persistence,” Myers said. “Those are the two things that got through to me. She will keep asking and asking with a smile. So I thought, ‘Well, if she’s got a design and we like it, let’s go for it.’

“I haven’t always done that. We have a state singlet that we use but I thought it would be good to try something different for the girls.”

Rowles modeled the uniform after D.C. Comics’ Wonder Woman. She was initially drawn to the super heroine because of her first pair of wrestling shoes that she received from her older brother Cody Rowles.

A teammate pointed out that the shoes — they feature a red base with blue and white accents and golden laces — resembled Wonder Woman’s outfit. Since that comment, Rowles has fallen in love with the shoes and wanted a singlet to match.

The design of the singlets features a red top with a golden JC logo that resembles the double W on the animated version of Wonder Woman.

Rowles then took inspiration from Wonder Woman’s headband and made that to be the “belt” of the singlet, with a pointed top and a red star in the middle. It’s her favorite part of the design.

The bottom half of the singlet is royal blue with some light blue stars (a touch that Myers added) and “Patriots” written across the bottom right leg.

The girls got their first look at the singlets on Tuesday during practice and will get to wear them today when they look to advance and medal in the state series.

“I am so excited,” Rowles said. “I have been looking forward to this for so long. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. A lot of girls are excited about these singlets. It’s just going to add a little bit more of an excitement and fun factor to a tournament we’ve already been anticipating.”