Christine Bruno, 8, a petite 51 pounds dressed in pink leggings and a Britney Spears T-shirt, looked out of place on the wrestling mat with the rough and tumble boys. That is, until, with a flip of her waist-long blond ponytail and a blur of pink, she pinned her opponent.

When sign-ups for the Elizabeth Forward Wrestling team were announced at school, this Elizabeth Township resident decided to write in her name after the boys in her class said girls couldn't wrestle.

"I wanted to prove them wrong," she said. "I showed them girls could wrestle, too."

As the only girl on the 40-member youth community wrestling team, Christine has attended four meets and won eight matches. She is the only girl to finish the season in many years, said her mother, Tina Bruno.

Twice a week, the team meets at Elizabeth Forward Middle School, where they learn new wrestling moves for weekend meets and tournaments.

Her favorite new move is "The Sprawl," which involves stiffening the legs to keep from being flipped and pinned.

Christine's parents said their daughter had learned much at the weekly practices. They are happy with the progress and fun she has had this season.

"I think it is great she is involved in this sport. I just want her to go as far as she can with it," said her father, Joe Bruno.

Wrestling coach Mike Belardia said it's not common to see girls in wrestling, but it's not uncommon, either.

"At the tournaments and matches, you may see a girl here and there. In our group, we haven't had many girls that have stuck with it the last several years. Many times, the girls who participated were the coaches' daughters."

Christine isn't a stranger to sports. She and her sister, Lauren, 10, have black belts in karate. Their father is a lead instructor at C.S. Kim's Karate in Bethel Park.

"I think the karate has helped her in wrestling," he said. "She has competed in karate and I think that has given her the confidence to tackle something different and not be afraid."

Christine has nicknamed herself "The Shark" when she wrestles, not because of her technique but because of the fin on the blue swim cap she wears to protect herself and opponents from her long hair.

The cap was a last minute addition to her uniform the night before a match.

Her mother wanted to turn the cap inside out to hide the fin, but Christine wouldn't have it. "I like the fin. I can be 'The Shark,' " she said.

Coach Mike Fournier said Christine was the only wrestler he had who, when he revs up his team to warm up, starts to dance.

"She is usually dancing or doing cartwheels before a match. I think that throws her opponents off. They see this girl dancing and they think they are going to beat her. But when she hits the mat, she becomes a ferocious wrestler," her mother said.

By winning all of her matches, Christine has qualified for the Keystone Wrestling Tournament.

The tournament will be held later this month at Yough High School.