They grew up watching their older brothers, Jalen Forgie and Oak Chisholm, taking people down on the mat and it was not long before the girls were hooked and pulling on the singlets themselves.
Forgie, 17, and Chisholm, 15, quickly joined their siblings at the Taieri Amateur Wrestling Club and found themselves right at home training and moving through the grades as they progressed.
Years of hard work all came together earlier this year when the duo represented New Zealand for the first time at the Oceania championships in American Samoa.
They were successful, too — Forgie won gold in the under-17 61kg grade and Chisholm claimed silver in the same division.
While it might have been the first time the great mates met on the mat internationally, it was not the first time they had come up against one another.
"We’re training partners. It’s very hard because we know each other’s moves," Forgie said.
Both loved the opportunity to represent their country and test themselves internationally.
"It was a good experience to be able to go over there and do that," Forgie said.
Chisholm said it was a "really great" trip.
"I just really enjoyed meeting all the new people there," Chisholm said.
They also tasted more success when the national championships were held in Dunedin recently.
Forgie, who attends Taieri College, won the under-20 62kg and under-17 61kg grades and was rapt with her performances.
"The first day was really good. I felt like I did new moves that I don’t usually do and it was a good time," Forgie said.
Chisholm, who attends Columba College, won the under-20 58kg grade and came second in the under-17 57kg grade.
"I had some pretty tough matches but I thought I did quite well," Chisholm said.
Taieri wrestler Riley Stitchman also won bronze in the under-15 62kg grade and several other young Taieri wrestlers made their mark on the national stage.
Forgie and Chisholm’s results booked their spot at the Oceania championships in Samoa, in March. Otago Boys’ wrester Jacob Parkinson has also qualified.
Training under Taieri coach Andrew Anglemyer and Caleb Steven, at Combat Sports, helped them hone their craft.
But wrestling is about so much more for the duo. They loved the physical side of the sport, learning new moves and the social side of meeting different people through the sport.
