At the Florida Girls State Championship, Tara Bone is congratulated by Bill Perry, her wrestling coach last year at Palm Harbor University High School. Perry is a heavyweight wrestler at 6 feet, 5 inches and 300 pounds, while Tara stands 4 feet, 11 inches and weighs 110 pounds.
INDIAN ROCKS BEACH – It’s fair to say Tara Bone of Indian Rocks Beach isn’t like all the other girls. In fact, when it comes to athletics, her wrestling teammates at Palm Harbor University High School think of Tara as just one of the guys.
Tara has been wrestling for three years on the Palm Harbor University boys wrestling team. Not only is she the only girl varsity wrestler in the county, she more than holds her own against the boys.
“She’s a tough girl and strong,” said Tara’s proud father, Jim Bone. “Her record is 10-12 against the boys this year ... she has pinned four boys and only been pinned once,” he added.
But she also wrestles girls competitively. Last weekend, Tara won the 112-pound weight class at the Florida Girls State Wrestling Championship in Kissimmee. Twelve girls from all over the state competed in her weight class and 131 in the tournament, overall. During the competition, Tara won a pin in both the quarterfinals and semifinals and a major decision (8-0) in the final against the No. 1 seed.
Wrestling is not the only less-than-conventional sports success the independent-minded, 4 foot, 11 inch, 110 pound, 16-year-old junior has achieved. In 2004, she tried out for the junior varsity football team at PHU and made it, playing defensive back.
Football eventually took a backseat to wrestling. Tara opted for competition with a more level playing field, where, unlike football, she competes against guys her same weight.
“She works extremely hard,” said her dad. “She gets no special treatment on the mat.”
So, what’s it like to have a wrestling daughter?
“It’s great when she wins,” Jim said, “but its tough when she’s down, getting beaten by a boy and you’re the dad watching ...”
A straight-A student in the medical magnet program, Tara wants to attend college at the University of Florida, or possibly the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. She hopes to be an orthopedic surgeon or a Navy pilot, someday.
In her spare time when she isn’t practicing, Tara cleans boats at Clearwater Yacht Club. The Bone family enjoys boating.
As for being thought of as just one of the guys, Tara’s dad mentioned a notable exception.
“When she is all dolled up for the wrestling banquet, the guys notice that she is a girl, after all,” he said.
It’s a safe bet that whatever Tara Bone attempts, she will nail it.
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