The Wexler Siblings

When the Wexler siblings of Poolesville High aren’t in school or wrestling, they’re working on the farm owned by their father, Aaron.

Shimma is a 165-pound senior, his twin-brothers, Asa and Zoya, are sophomores who compete at 144 and 175 pounds, and their sister, Yael, is a 147-pound eighth-grader.

“Generally, Shimma takes care of the birds—a dozen or so chickens, turkeys and emu. Asa, Zoya and Yael care for the horses,” said Aaron Wexler, whose farm animals include more than 40 sheep and 15 chickens. “We mainly sell high-quality sheep, naturally raised meat and hay. Everyone takes part in caring for the dogs and sheep. All the kids have varying skill-levels operating machinery such as the agricultural tractor, skid steer, dump truck, zero turn, etc.”

As a result, the Wexlers appear to be “farm boy” and “farm girl” strong, as defined by “a type of physical strength developed through performing demanding, often irregular, farm chores, characterized by a high level of grip strength.”

“As an athlete, I was taught that doing tough things makes you tough. The boys and their sister have always had chores to do on the farm. A lot of those chores involve organizing and stacking things like hay, firewood, bricks, stones,” Aaron Wexler said. “There is no end to shoveling, lifting, pushing, cutting, walking and doing different things on a farm. The joke in our house is that the farm, and farm work, is the best substitute for going to the gym. While some may lift heavy weights, the kids lift heavy hay bales and stack concrete rubble and stones on the farm.”

The siblings’ further characteristics, by definition, include, “endurance, and the ability to handle awkward or unstable objects for extended periods, rather than just lifting heavy weights in a controlled gym setting; essentially, a practical, all-purpose strength built from real-world farm tasks.”

“Living on a farm provides a balanced lifestyle for our teenagers. Mentally, it offers a peaceful environment, reducing stress and improving focus. Physically, farm chores and outdoor activities enhance strength, endurance, and overall fitness,” Ngozi Wexler said. “Spiritually, the connection with animals and nature fosters mindfulness, gratitude, and a sense of purpose. This holistic lifestyle supports both their academic and athletic pursuits, promoting their overall well-being. I knew that us living on a farm would give me an opportunity to condition my kids to be tough, an opportunity that is not easy to access in our modern families and world.”

Zoya agrees that the farmwork is a catalyst to his having a record of 28-3 with 21 falls.

“Working with animals has taught me patience and calmness; most of the time the animals are stubborn and don’t want to interact with us,” Zoya Wexler said. “But with more time and slower body movements they open up to be taught about what they need to do. I relate this to wrestling as it teaches me not to rush during my matches and be calm and ready for what’s next.”

Shimma's current record is 26-2 with 18 pins and four technical falls, including runner-up finishes at the Battle of The Boro at Boonsboro and the Falcon Invitational at Winters Mill.

“Working on the farm with the animals has benefited me with being able to do farm tasks, staying in shape and becoming stronger,” Shimma said. “I don’t have the luxury of going to the gym in town. Instead, the farm and farm work are my gym activities.”

Asa has a record of 27-8 with 22 pins this year at 144 and 150 pounds, which Aaron Wexler attributes to his work with the horses.

“Growing up for Asa in a more natural and wilder environment with our farm being next to a lot of woods and brambles meant that Asa was forced to navigate a somewhat hostile environment for someone who is blind,” Aaron Wexler said. “Not getting caught in brambles, poked in the face, falling were a constant challenge for Asa at home. It created an effect of making him more agile and spatially aware. Asa needed extra stress in a caring environment to make sure that once he left the farm, things would be easier.”

Asa agrees.

“It teaches me responsibility,” Asa said, “and that when you put effort into something, good things come out of it.”

The trio was in action during Thursday night’s 45-33 loss by the sixth-seeded Falcons (9-6) to 26th-ranked Glenelg (20-8) in the Class 2A West Regional Dual Meet Tournament.

Asa led his 144-pound bout, 3-0, before decking his rival in the first period. Shimma bumped to 175 pounds, where he scored a third-period fall after building a lead of 16-3. Zoya rose into the 190-pound weight class, where he registered a 19-3 technical fall.

Aaron Wexler, 46, met Ngozi, 46, in the library at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., where each was an undergraduate majoring in Biology.

Ngozi continued her studies at George Washington, earning her Master’s Degree in public health in addition to her Medical Degree at the Medical School at G.W. Ngozi currently works as a physician of medical affairs at a hospital in Montgomery County. Aaron earned his Master’s Degree in Entomology, later attending Texas A&M for graduate school.

The athleticism of their children comes naturally from their parents.

Ngozi was a high school track and field star, making it to states for the 100- and 200-meter dash as well as the shot put. Aaron has a martial arts foundation, having engaged in Karate and Judo throughout high school, college and graduate school. Aaron also participated in Crew for a year in college.

Ngozi was born in Philadelphia, Pa., but grew up in Nigeria with her family, also spending time in Lexington, Massachusetts. Aaron was born in Belgium, is of Jewish, Dutch and Danish descent, and grew up in Rahway, New Jersey.

Although wrestling was the siblings’ initial sports activity, they have also engaged in baseball, cross country, martial arts, soccer and volleyball in addition to ballet and piano, Aaron said.

“The boys and their sister wrestled for one year during elementary school with Bulldogs Wrestling Club while we lived in Anne Arundel County, but they did not continue because we moved from Anne Arundel to Montgomery County. They transitioned into taking ballet for four years and continued playing the piano, which they also started at age four and continued through high school,” Ngozi Wexler said. “The twins rediscovered wrestling in the eighth grade and have been wrestling since then. Asa also participates in cross country and takes karate classes and is currently working on getting his yellow belt. Zoya also plays baseball and soccer. Shimma also participates in cross country and track and field while Yael (their sister) participates in soft ball, volleyball and soccer.”

Shimma, 17, “was named after his paternal late uncle,” Ngozi said.

“Aaron’s older brother, who was an amazing multi-sport, award-winning athlete, passed away when he was 15. In Jewish tradition, it is an honor to be named after a loved one who has passed. Shimma is Yiddish for Shimon, or ‘Simon,’ which is derived from the Hebrew root, ‘shama,’ meaning ‘to hear’ or ‘to listen,’” Ngozi said. “The name Shimon, or Simeon, means ‘he has heard,’ or ‘God has heard.’ It is used as a personal name in the Hebrew Bible and is associated with several key figures, most notably one of the twelve sons of Jacob, who became the progenitor of the tribe of Simeon.”

“Zoya is named after the first friend that Aaron made on his first trip to East Africa as a teenager. Aaron has spent a lot of time in Africa, especially Tanzania, a place and a people who are close to Aaron’s heart,” Ngozi said. “Mr. Zoya, Zoya’s namesake, is of the ‘Gogo’ tribe, and Zoya is a common name which refers to the dramatic display of plumage that a male Ostrich demonstrates during battle and courtship.”

Asa’s namesake is a supreme ruler.

“Asa is a Hebrew name. He is named after the third king of the Kingdom of Judah and the fifth king of the House of David. As the third king of Judah, Asa was known as a king who focused on doing the right thing,” Aaron said. “He is encouraging appropriate worship and behavior. King Asa also recognized the value of preparation and education. I picked Asa’s name to bestow some of the qualities of the third king to our third son.”

Yael, 13, is named after a woman of courage.

“Yael is the Hebrew word for the Ibex that is native to Israel. Its qualities are grace and strength, especially so in an unforgiving environment.” Ngozi said. “Yael is also a biblical name and belongs to the heroine who saved the nation from Canaanites by killing the king Sisera at the cost of possibly being raped and losing her own life.”

The Wexlers have the right coach in Chris Tao, a 46-year-old who is the eldest of four brothers who are products of a Chinese father, Freeman, and a Caucasian mother, Manette.

Tao’s father was named, “Free man,” because he was the first in his family to be born in the U.S., with the rest being from China.

All four Tao siblings became coaches after wrestling at Wheaton for the late and legendary Dave Moquin, a Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee.

Chris placed fourth at regionals at 160 before graduating in 1996, and Matt, 43, was a 160-pound state runner-up as a senior in ’99. Matt is the lone Tao to win county and regional titles, doing so in his final high school season.

A.J., 39, coaches at Magruder, and Tim, 42, at Oakdale. A 2003 graduate, A.J. was twice a county runner-up, qualifying for states three times while wrestling 103-to-125.

Competing from 103 to 130 before graduating in 2000, Tim placed as high as second at counties and regionals and fourth at states.

“Having grown up with three brothers, I know about sibling rivalry. I see it in the practice room every day, especially if they are practice partners together. Usually, it is Shimma and Zoya who will partner together, as they are 15-20 pounds bigger than Asa. I try not to turn things into too much of a competition at practice because they will get into arguments,” Chris Tao said. “I don’t need that added layer of difficulty to our practices. They do a great job of supporting each other during matches and tournaments, coaching each other and encouraging each other. Asa is the family videographer, even though he is the one who is sight impaired, which I find very ironic. Their younger sister, Yael, is an eighth grader who also wrestles. She likes to get matside at tournaments and encourage her older brothers.”

Zoya is ranked 15th at 175 pounds, Shimma is ranked 20th at 165 pounds, and Asa is as of yet unranked.

"All three of the boys wrestle slightly differently, but they also have similarities. All three of them have fantastic hips, which has helped them out on numerous occasions,” Tao said. “Sometimes it has hurt them, as they sometimes rely on their natural abilities to pull them through in a tough spot. It doesn’t always work out in their favor, but each one has gotten better and better every day and every year.”

As the eldest sibling, Shimma embraces the position of being a role model.

“I like having my siblings on the team because it’s inspiring to watch them and have them watch me as well. Plus, I can practice with someone who has a similar passion to me. “My sister and my two brothers are members of Capital Wrestling Club with me,” Shimma Wexler said. “It’s great to be a partner with my siblings since we live together. Because of that, we can work well together in practice and critique each other’s wrestling matches right after matches to improve. It teaches me responsibility and that when you put effort into something, good things come out of it.”

Shimma went 7-1 as a freshman on the junior varsity. As a 152-pound sophomore, Shimma’s record was 22-8 with 16 pins. Shimma pinned 27 opponents as a 165-pound junior, when his 34-6 record included being third at counties and fourth at regions.

“My wrestling style is fast paced and coordinated. What makes me a successful wrestler is my drive and passion for the sport. Staying true to my values and making good and healthy choices on and off the mat also helps me to be successful,” Shimma Wexler said. “I stay focused in my studies and in my athletic career, not wavering in the face of hardship and embracing it to become a better wrestler and student. My goal this season is to make it to the states again and this time be on the podium.”

Zoya transferred from the Charles E Smith Jewish Day School and has placed second at the Battle in the Boro and Falcon Invitational.

“I went to Charles E Smith Jewish Day School. I wrestled with the wrestling team and participated in JV States where I won 2nd place. I was also on the varsity soccer team. My style is wrestling against an opponent with the knowledge as well as the intent that when I walk off the mat, that my opponent never wants to face me again,” Zoya said. “What makes me successful is the fact that I have my coaches, team members and family supporting me, counting on me and pushing me to do better. I strive for success because I don’t want to let myself or others down and I want to win states at 175. Having my brothers on the team is great but knowing that three members of the varsity line up who happen to be brothers that the coaches and teammates can rely on to win for the team – that really makes me feel a sense of immense pride.”

Asa earned pins in the eight of the 10 matches he won as a freshman and has improved despite being born with a visual impairment.

Asa was born with a visual impairment– an autosomal recessive condition called “achromatopsia.” It is a rare inherited eye disorder that affects color vision, according to Ngozi Wexler.

“Asa was born with it. Achromatopsia is a rare, inherited vision disorder where individuals can't see colors, perceiving the world in black, white, and shades of gray. Additionally, peripheral vision is poor, and vision is also blurry. Recognizing people can be challenging. As a student-athlete wrestler with Achromatopsia, you rely heavily on tactile and auditory cues to navigate the mat and opponents. Bright lights cause pain and eye strain, as they wash out your vision, making it almost impossible to see,” Ngozi Wexler said. “While tinted goggles might help outside of the ring, you cannot use goggles or glasses during matches, which makes it quite challenging. Even though Asa is visually impaired, he is incredibly gifted in the arts and loves playing the piano which he has done since age four, including drawing, painting and photography. A lot of his subject matter for photography is related to the sun. He also loves making complex figures out of twisty ties and loves building machines. He aspires to be an engineer one day.”

Asa has utilized special visually impaired accommodations at Poolesville, where he is an honors student, according to Ngozi Wexler.

“Asa uses his iPad and his iPhone to magnify words or objects to aid his vision. He has a dome magnifier that he sometimes uses to enlarge school materials,” Ngozi Wexler said. “He typically needs 24 size fonts to be able to read. He takes mostly honors and AP classes and is also in ‘The Project Lead the Way’ engineering program at school. Asa is our Ninja, always taking the harder path while playing. Asa loves adrenaline-pumping outdoor activities.”

Asa has become aware of another visually impaired wrestler in South River’s Jameson Gerrity who has been featured by Legacy Wrestling.

Gerrity is “totally blind,” in his right eye as a result of “Coloboma,” a condition that occurs when tissue in the eye is missing or doesn't develop properly during pregnancy, according to his father, Kevin Gerrity.

There is cataract which is the clouding of the eye lens that can lead to vision loss, and Jameson Gerrity has a severed optic nerve. Jameson Gerrity also has coloboma in his left eye and astigmatism that resulted in very limited vision in that eye as well and no peripheral or downward vision.

Like Jameson Gerrity, Asa and his opponents must begin a match by touching palms, according to Bruce Malinowski, a veteran referee for 33 years who has been Maryland wrestling’s state rules interpreter for the past 20.

“Contact must be maintained throughout the match,” said Malinowski, a 1979 graduate of Kenwood where he was a two-time state champion. “If contact isn’t maintained, the referee has to blow the whistle and stop the action in order to get the wrestlers back into contact.”

Jameson Gerrity found the contact rule to be neither an advantage nor a disadvantage, particularly from the neutral position.

“If I’m winning, there’s no opportunity to break contact because I can’t stall. I can’t cut someone to try and take them down again because as soon as I cut them, we have to start back touching. I can’t back away as other people can do if they’re in a match,” said Jameson Gerrity. “So, cutting a person from the standing position can’t be part of my strategy. On the other hand, my opponent has to maintain contact with me. So, if I’m down by one, two or even three points, I can still come back because neither of us can back away, so, stalling is almost non-existent. I don’t see the touch rule as an advantage either way.”

Jameson Gerrity managed time by relying on his coaches’ direction since he can’t see the clock during matches. Jameson Gerrity’s season ended prematurely in December due to an injury to his left leg.

“I just keep on wrestling until the referee taps me on my shoulder and says, ‘clock’s over,’ or I’ll hear my coach say, ‘10 seconds left,’ or otherwise give me the short-time information,” Jameson Gerrity said. “He won’t tell me if there’s a minute left, because a full minute is too long for me to keep track of. When there’s a shorter amount of time, I can count that off in my head. Otherwise, I just keep grinding, wrestling and pushing the other guy. I can’t see the scoreboard either, so I keep track of that in my head and listen to my coach.”

Asa concurs with Jameson Gerrity.

“I agree with Jameson Gerrity's experiences and observations. I feel like the longer you wrestle with blind rules, the more it becomes like a second language to you. If I want to get a four-point move with an escape and a take down, I cannot because as soon as I break away from my opponent for the take down, the ref resets the match. It’s hard to keep in contact when you escape,” Asa Wexler said.

“I must always think of alternative moves that I can do without breaking contact from an escape that will score me more points. This is very different from what a person with full vision would have to do. One of the things I do is if I’m on bottom and I stand up, I can turn around without stepping away from my opponent and do a heel lock which gets my opponent to their back without me having to get an escape followed by a take down. I use my arms a lot to help with wrestling with blind rules. Since I can’t break contact, you must always figure out the right position for your hands and arms.”

Asa has become more adjusted to using the contact rule this season, according to Tao.

"Asa had never used the blind rules in the past during his youth wrestling experience with Poolesville Wrestling Club (PWC), but when I found out he was legally blind, I let the family know that was the direction we would head in --to use the blind rules. Asa's still getting used to operating under the blind rules,” Tao said. “Asa wasn’t sure about them last year. I actually had to encourage him, and his dad, to use them. Asa just wasn’t able to react to anyone attacking from space. I saw wrestlers in practice taking him down in single- and double-legs. These were wrestlers who never had taken anyone down in actual matches.”

This year, Asa has placed third at The Battle Of The Boro Tournament and fourth at the Falcon Invitational.

“Asa has the 'Wexler hips,' which saves him a lot, but which can also get him into trouble. He has developed a good understanding of his balance and body positioning now as a sophomore,” Tao said. “Asa’s able to swivel those hips around to get himself off his back or to finish off a move. He and his brothers did a lot of work at Capital Wrestling Club over the summer, so I’m sure learning freestyle and Greco has helped a lot in his development. Asa’s a very naturally strong wrestler. Watching Asa wrestle is always an adventure.”

Asa’s “Wexler hips” often lends itself to an unorthodox approach.

“My wrestling style is I always try to set the pace when I wrestle, and I always try to find ways to outmaneuver my opponent. I try to keep a fast pace, and I try to wrestle technically instead of using brute force. I have to be more technical because I have to follow blind rules. I rely heavily on my sense of touch to feel my opponent's movements and react accordingly. My wrestling style is all about maintaining constant contact and using that to my advantage. I focus on technique rather than brute strength, using leverage and body mechanics to gain control,” Asa Wexler said.

“Because I must always keep in contact, I’ve developed a heightened awareness of my opponent's position and balance. I use this to execute precise takedowns and transitions. My goal is to stay connected and anticipate their next move, allowing me to counter effectively by feeling and touching since I can’t see his anticipated move. I can only feel the anticipated move. Training in wrestling involves a lot of drilling on specific holds, escapes, and reversals that help me with blind rules, ensuring that my movements are instinctive and fluid. I love being able to outmaneuver opponents with skill and strategy rather than sheer power.”

One of Asa’s more dramatic bouts occurred against Quince Orchard senior Julian Pollard, against whom he scored his 20th pin of the season. Down 4-0, entering the second period against Pollard, Asa’s rallied to tie the score at 6-6 entering the third. There, Asa’s takedown drove Pollard directly to his back for the fall at 5:09.

“Right after my matches, I try to review the videos with my coaches and talk to them immediately after the matches to figure out what I did wrong and what I can improve on. I talk to my coaches about moves that work better for someone who uses blind rules. I try to stay consistent at practice with the moves that I drill so that I can remember them when I am in my match,” Asa Wexler said.

“I also go to Capital Wrestling Club, which is challenging for me because the wrestling room is quite bright which hurts my eyes, but I do my best to endure as much as I can so I can get more practice outside of my school team practices. I also wrestle during the offseason with Capital Wrestling Club and participate in as many offseason tournaments as I can. My goal for the season is to place at counties and hopefully do well in regionals in order to be able to make it to states.”