Find this two-page feature in the April 16, 2025 edition of the Star Valley Independent.

A year ago, Remington Aullman earned all-state status after advancing to the finals of the Wyoming State Wrestling tournament and finishing second. It was a trying season for the team and for Aullman as she battled intense pain in her hips. It was something she had dealt with her whole life.

“My hips had a defect when I was born called hip dysplasia,” she told SVI. “The sockets for where my hips are placed are shallow and it was very, very hard and there are days it was very painful and I didn’t want to wrestle.”

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Wrestling is a sport of intense physical contortion. Now try to imagine your hips coming out of socket or feeling like they are during a match. Or 30 matches. To solve the issue, Aullman underwent not one, but two major surgeries.

“They had to do one hip at a time due to how extensive the surgery was,” she explained. “They cut all three of the pelvis bones and shifted the hip socket back over my hip joint and screwed it together with four screws.”

Aullman had her first surgery last March, just after the 2024 wrestling season. The second one came in June.

Each time required Aullman to be in a wheelchair for six weeks and then for a stint on crutches after that, followed by what she described as “intense physical therapy.”

“I definitely wouldn’t be where I am without Chet Erickson’s help,” she noted. “It was not pleasant. I was stuck in bed all summer and I hated it so much. I had to relearn how to mobilize my hips and how they moved so we went through a lot o things to help build the strength and mobility. It was a lot.”

Then came this past season, although due to the seriousness of Aullman’s skeleton being pieced back together, it took longer than she wanted.

“I was cleared by Primary Children’s Hospital two weeks before the season started,” she said. “I was determined to get out there and kept asking them and that was really hard. I had to work ten times as much as you normally would just to get out there.”

Part of her motivation came from her earlier childhood.

“It’s always been a dream of mince since I was a little girl and wanted to prove something greater than myself,” she said. “I wanted to show that I was stronger than what people may see in me.”

Even with her repaired body, the season wasn’t easy and Aullman had to keep pushing her limits to meet the demand of the challenges of a taxing wrestling campaign where she built a 24-4 record and a 4A West Regional championship. At the state tournament, Aullman was dialed in, pinning her way to the title match with three straight falls where she met Rawlins senior, Abrianna Liard. Liard had won 41 matches during the season and was looking to cap off her high school career. Remington held the advantage for most of the championship match but Liard scored a late takedown to force overtime with the score tied 12-12. In the final moments of her junior season, Aullman gained the advantage and pinned Liard for the title. As she went to get up, the emotions of the moment took over.

“It felt like everything I’ve ever wanted,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. I was in shock and I didn’t know what to think. I sat there for a second and couldn’t believe it. It was a feeling I really couldn’t explain. I feel like I achieved all of my goals in that moment and it was one of the best days of my life. It was a great experience to be able to overcome all of that and win that championship.”

A Wrestling Family

To say that Remington Aullman comes from a wrestling family might be considered an understatement. Her dad, Nic, was a three-time state champ for Star Valley from 1995-97, one of just four three-timers in the storied program’s illustrious history.

“When I was little and would hear stories about my dad wrestling, I thought,  I want to be like him and show that I can do what boys can do,” Remington added. “He has all girls and I did peewee wrestling and he loved that. Once they started the high school team I said I want to do that and he ’s been very supportive and pushed me a lot and made me work on things that I need to work on for hours and hours. I’m very grateful for that.”

Remington will also have to decide if those screws in her hips will become permanent or if she wants them removed.

“I do have the screws still in my hips so we do have an appointment whether I want to have those taken out,” she said. “I’m still trying to make that decision to take them out or have them for the rest of my life.”

When asked what she’d like to see happen in the next year after such an eventful past 12 months, Aullman had a few answers.

“I’d like to see myself winning a second state title and pushing myself to be a way better wrestler than I was this year,” she said. “I want to keep progressing more and maybe, hopefully, signing to wrestle in college.”

And what would she tell the girl from two years ago?

“I’d tell her to keep pushing and don’t listen to people around you about what you can and can’t do,” she stated. “Ignore that, and go for what you want. I’ve learned that even though you have to wait for things a little bit and keep pushing for it, in the end it will always show you what you’ve really worked for and what you haven’t.”

Aullman also thanked her coaches for their work and patience.

“They have helped me so much this year and were very understanding with my circumstances because of my pain levels,” she remarked. “That meant a lot to me that they understood where I was coming from and what I was going through. I could not be more grateful for them this season.”