To say that Zoe Furman is a force to be reckoned with on the girl’s wrestling scene would be an understatement. Thus far, the Montgomery junior has dominated and crushed every opponent she has faced this year, with all of her wins coming either by fall or technical fall.
For those of you who didn’t wrestle, this is highly rare and means that Zoe either pinned or mercy-ruled the opposition.
It is my opinion that Zoe will go far both in wrestling and in life, and her conduct in the face of adversity is a testimony of her grit and her upbringing from her parents. Oh, by the way, Zoe’s parents also happen to be her coaches. I reached out to Max, Jodi, and Zoe to see if there was something in the water or some other secret to their daughter’s success.
Dave: I was kind of amazed that both you and Jodi coached Zoe. Did you both have backgrounds in wrestling?
Max: Jodi grew up in a wrestling family. Both brothers and her father wrestled. I began wrestling in 8th grade. I wrestled two years of junior high and two years of varsity. I lost out on my junior year due to an ACL reconstruction.
We became involved in coaching when our oldest son, Trace, came home with a pamphlet for elementary wrestling. After Jodi took him to the first practice, she came home to let me know she signed me up as a coach. The next season, I was the head coach, and Jodi was the vice president of our program. Zoe began wrestling later that season. We had 27 kids in the program, and three of them were ours. By the time we turned the program over, as our kids moved into junior high, we had between 90-100 kids participating. Roughly 1 out of 7 kids in our elementary school were wrestling. Jodi also coached our tumbler room (kindergarten-1st graders who do not compete) for 3 years. Our program was also wrestling at a high level. We would routinely have Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling State Championship qualifiers and play winners.
As our kids moved up to junior high, I volunteered as an assistant for both JH and Varsity. In April of 2022, our school board elected to sponsor a girls’ program. We were the 37th school in the state to do so. Jodi and I volunteered to coach them in the 2023-24 season, which was the first official season. We had six wrestlers in our first year of varsity. This year, we have 11. We also established a JH girls’ program with five girls who participated throughout the entire season.
Dave: Zoe is thus far undefeated. Did anyone think that would happen coming off an injury last year?
Max: Zoe has had an incredible bounce-back season after sitting out last year. Although she couldn’t compete at all last year, she helped her mother and I coach the team. She used it to get mental reps. That experience allowed her to step back on the mat with almost no rust. She finished 4th in the state at the MyHouse Girls State Tournament her freshman year and had close matches with the most elite girls in the state. She also achieved All-American status at the National High School Coaches Association Individual Tournament by placing 5th. We wrestled a rigorous schedule and attempted to travel to different parts of the state to find the best competition for our girls. Zoe has wrestled several returning state-place winners and highly ranked girls. None of them earned even a point on her. The only point she has allowed was on a debatable interlocking call. Her dominance has been impressive, to say the least, but she still looks for opportunities to improve her craft every day in the mat room.
Dave: What’s it like doing so well as a junior?
Zoe: I’m just trying to stay focused and keep improving. There’s always more to achieve, but I’m grateful for where I am and excited for what’s ahead.
Dave: What were your biggest obstacles coming into the season?
Zoe: After dealing with shoulder surgery, my main focus is staying strong, both physically and mentally. I’ve learned a lot through the recovery process, and now it’s about trusting the work I’ve put in and competing at my best. I’m just grateful to be back and ready to go.
Dave: What would you say are your biggest strengths?
Zoe: My biggest strengths are my work ethic and resilience. No matter the situation, I’m always willing to push myself and find a way to improve. I also think my ability to adapt to different situations gives me an edge, and I try to use that to my advantage every time I compete.
Dave: Are there any competitors that you are particularly concerned about or look forward to facing?
Zoe: There are a lot of great competitors out there, and I respect all of them. But I do look forward to competing against the top athletes because those are the matchups that bring out the best in me.
Dave: At the time of this article you are undefeated, with all of your wins coming by fall or tech fall. Is that something you are growing to expect?
Zoe: I wouldn’t say I expect it, but I go into every match confident in my preparation and ability to score points. My goal is always to dominate and wrestle my best, and if that leads to falls or tech falls, then that’s a bonus. I hold myself to a high standard, so I step on the mat expecting to perform at my best every time. But I know every match is different, and I have to stay sharp and keep improving.
Max and Jodi: Women’s wrestling is the fastest-growing sport out there, and we want to be ambassadors of the sport. Currently, there are over two dozen girls’ teams in the area. This is an opportunity for girls. Zoe has done clinics and mentors other young female wrestlers. Parents will ask her to work with their kids. She even got referee certified when she was injured and has refereed matches.
As a team, we go to a lot of tournaments to get mat time, as a lot of schools either still do not have teams or do not have female wrestlers. Then, during the post season we have the district tournament and regionals. There are five districts in the Northcentral region, which is also the largest geographic region in the state. After regionals, the four top girls from four regions move on to states with a bracket of 16 wrestlers.
Dave: Is post-season training different than pre-season or in-season?
Max and Jodi-Post-season training is all about fine-tuning. Practices are short, focused, and efficient. We mostly run drills with almost no live wrestling. The work has already been done, now we want the kids fresh and to peak at the right time.
Dave: Is there a difference in mindset between in-season matches and the big post-season tournaments?
Max: The energy is pretty much the same. Go out there and execute to the best of their ability.
*At the time of writing this article, the Furmans were preparing to head to Hershey, where they intend to continue doing what they have been doing. Win!
