Read Part 1: https://chikinmelele.com/a-family-of-wrestlers-from-chuuk-making-waves-in-texas-part-1

Wrestling elsewhere on white sandy beaches on the islands is, usually, really fun; and also filled with laughter too. But to wrestle in the glow of an evening fire, set with a circle of friends and relatives poised for a night of pure entertainment is, sometimes, exotic! And it’s the kind of story that edged into memory and stayed with you long after you’re done with the sport… and forever!

However, our story now is definitely far from the islands’ tropics, but it’s definitely fun and giggly.  

And, more importantly, it’s one that is tucked away in the memory banks. It should be enough for each of them to retrieve it from memory, should the need arise… be it for when they are alone, for encouragement… or for whatever other reason.

Initially, though, during the interview, Irons was asked to focus on just one of her children. 

“They’re all good kids,” she said, hesitation evident in her voice. 

She had a hard time isolating her star athlete at the risk of sounding too partial. See, all four of her kids are very accomplished, and highly decorated wrestlers with a foot-long rack full of medals. Despite the fact that they have all been wrestling only a short time—three years ago! 

“Each of them has a rack of their own for their medals,” Irons said, smiling from ear to ear with pride.

Now, enter into our story, are our athletes. Already in here, is Rilan, the youngest; who is always – wrestling around with DJ (4th grade next year), any chance they got. It seems DJ wanted his brother, too, to become a top notch competitor.

So, Marreā is an 11-year-old. He is the first born and will be a sixth grader next year. He loves math.

He signed on the wrestling team with his brother DJ three years ago. 

“He wrestled the matches that are harder to win,” his mother said, “because his opponents know, more or less, the techniques already. Therefore, he is usually placed second or third.”

Malana Chaniel McKay is 10. She will be a sixth grader next year. And math is her favorite subject also. She started wrestling when she was seven years old.  

She has a mean take-downs on their mom’s Facebook page.

Kiraiah Kendrick brought up the rear for the scholar-athletes. A six-year-old last school year. Kiraiah also enjoyed Kinder and math. 

For their road trips for tournaments on weekends, the whole family tacked along. And that is when the bonding gets stronger, Railan liked those road trips very much.

It’s usually the ‘Kodak’ moment, or in today’s lingo, the ‘selfie’ moment—when the two youngsters would go at it non-stop, giggling.

Asked about the distractions, like smart phones and play stations, Irons simply said, “They are their play station.”

Their family had, in a short time, morphed into a very different type of family since they started wrestling.

Irons is from Fefan/Uthod but grew up in Iras, Weno (the center). She is the daughter of Leo “Kiroro” and Fermina Irons. 

“I’m the youngest of their 5 kids,” she said.

She and Kendrick senior met at work, and instantly fell for each other. 

And what came next, as they say, was history.