Congratulations are in order to the Vashon High School wrestling team, which made quite a splash last weekend at the Mat Classic state tournament.

Ten athletes, plus three alternates, qualified for the event, bringing home several impressive finishes — including, of course, a championship victory for wrestler Lena Puz.

It’s heartening to see the growth and talent of the girls program. A year ago, for the first time since 2002, the island’s Rock Wrestling Tournament included a dedicated day of competition for girl wrestlers.

Those intentional investments in girls competition, and hard work from the team and coaches, have paid off: The girls wrestling team put on a dominating performance this year, particularly at the Mat Classic.

International Women’s Day is next week, and we’ll have more to say about the contributions of women and girls on Vashon at that time. So for now we’ll just say it again: Well done, Pirates.

We’re not shy about highlighting the successes of our students. That’s because the long-term value of playing sports, joining the speech team or participating in other clubs is not in augmenting one’s college application, but in the character and skill building that comes from hard work and performance.

Stronger, wiser people, in turn, build a stronger, wiser community.

When the time comes for tight budgets and tough decisions about what to keep in our schools, we hope these moments are a reminder of why these extracurriculars are important. Many adults will never again experience the level of athletic camaraderie, competition and (healthy) pressure to improve that they get as kids and young adults in school.

Those lessons help mold our youth into resilient, tough, good-natured young adults — the kind who, as members of the wrestling team described it this week, take challenges on the chin and ask themselves: What do I need to do about this?

That attitude will serve us well in solving the challenges that Vashon faces.

This week’s paper also details the open seat on the Vashon Health Care District board, an important community role which should be filled by an islander who cares deeply about improving Vashon’s healthcare.

We would love to see this nomination process turn into its own kind of competition. There are bright, sharp minds on the island who could serve their community well in this role. And a deliberative process for the board would foster a public conversation about both what the district is doing right and what it should be doing better. Those who aren’t selected will still have had an opportunity to take their thoughts and concerns to the people in charge.

That’s a sign of healthy functioning for any government entity. And don’t worry — it won’t require applicants to don a wrestling suit and grapple each other to the floor.

Competition — not just for the sake of winning, but out of a love for activity at hand — forces us to sharpen our understanding and our technique. It tells the community that this work is much more than just a long board meeting — and the work is so much more than that. We believe that attitude will improve the functioning of any public taxing district.

Take it from wrestler Alara Demir, who in an interview this week described a lightbulb moment that followed a stern talking-to after she lost a match earlier this year.

“Hearing that … almost opened up that section of my brain,” she said. “Why am I complaining about this? I should be moving on to my next match, and worrying about my next thing, and not just [thinking] ‘I should have done this, I should have done this.’”

Incidentally, Demir took fifth place in her division at state this year. Clearly, she knows what she’s talking about.

With her attitude, we could all move mountains.