When 17-year-old Casey Silkwood travels to Austria next week she’ll be receiving the training experience of a lifetime in her young wrestling career.

Silkwood, who wrestles for Bradford High School’s boy’s junior varsity team and is a 2009 United States Girls’ Wrestling Association state champion, will be learning from top women freestyle wrestlers at an 11-day camp in Gotzis, Austria, designed to train Olympic-caliber athletes.

The camp runs from Dec. 11-22. Silkwood also expects to travel to Prague, Czech Republic with team members.

In fact, the world’s best amateur women wrestlers from the U.S., Sweden, Denmark, Norway and four other countries will be in attendance and she will be sparring with them, hoping to bring home tips and tricks she can apply to the mat at local competitions.

“I’m very excited. Basically I’ll be among all female wrestlers and we’ll be wrestling and drilling during the camps,” she said between practice drills. “One of my biggest goals would be to get a college scholarship to any program and wrestle. Right now, it’s fun for me.”

Silkwood isn’t new to the local wrestling scene, however, having participated in Bradford coach Jerril Grover’s Kenosha Drug Free Wrestling Club since the second grade. It wasn’t until this summer that Silkwood began raising eyebrows when she learned freestyle wrestling at a two-day camp at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

At most school meets and tournaments wrestlers compete using “folkstyle” techniques, according to Silkwood. At the Olympic level, however, competition matches are in Greco-Roman or freestyle categories. Women’s wrestling has steadily gained popularity since 2004, when women’s freestyle wrestling became the only new sport added to the lineup at the Olympic Games that year.

Less than a month after learning freestyle wrestling, Silkwood competed at the Junior National Women’s Championship in Fargo, N.D., where she placed sixth. Because she placed in the top eight at the championship, she earned All-American status and caught the attention of scouts. As an All-American, she received an invitation to apply to train at a handful of international wrestling camps, including the one she will be attending next week. The other training sites are in Cuba, Japan and Spain.

“I applied as soon as possible when I got the letter,” she said, knowing there would be no guarantees. She’s only one of four high school students who will train with the international teams.

When Silkwood first started wrestling, Grover, her coach, noted the sport was “awkward” for her. “But she was just willing to go out there and learn.”

When she wrestles against boys, she competes in the 160-pound weight division and will be adjusting her weight to compete in the 155-pound class for girls. Silkwood trains at least twice as hard as anyone else, Grover said.

“There are no tryouts for the wrestling team here, so no one is cut. If anything the guys quit if they can’t take it,” he said. “Casey’s stood the test of time.”

Silkwood said she knows wrestling isn’t something most girls consider as a sport, but she’s from a family of athletes — her sister was on the volleyball team — and her parents have always been supportive of all her activities. At Washington Middle School she played linebacker for the football team. She’s also played softball and volleyball at Bradford.

“Why wrestling? A friend of mine talked me into it when I was in second grade and I thought it sounded cool. Coach Grover is an amazing coach, and he’s been my mentor,” she said.

She admits in the beginning wrestling was difficult for her. As her skills improved, as well as her strength, the wins and pins came.

“I stuck with it because it’s a sport where you had to enjoy (the progress). Every inch is an effort,” she said.