Join Tela O’Donnell Bacher as she shares stories, photos, and her experience from her State Department Sanctioned Sports Diplomacy mission in Pakistan. Representing the national non-profit, Wrestle Like A Girl, Tela participated in a cultural exchange exploring how sport is used as a tool to address the topic of Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Tela is a Homer-grown Olympic wrestler. She started wrestling at Homer Middle School after winning a fight against the local school board. Tela went on to place at the Alaskan High School Wrestling State Championships, and at that time, was only the 2nd female in Alaskan history to do so. She is a 2004 Olympian, 2003 U.S. National Champion, and a 3x Team USA National Team Member. Tela lives in Homer, Alaska with her husband and their 3 children.
Wrestle Like a Girl was founded in 2016 by Sally Roberts, a two time world bronze medalist in women’s wrestling. The mission of Wrestle Like a Girl is to empower girls and women through the sport of wrestling to become leaders in life. They are currently working on planning their 2020 camps, including a possible camp in Saudi Arabia.
