Wrestling: Go Girls!

Photo Courtesy of: Jacobi Gledhill

Having a support system and truly obtaining strength is the best payoff of a sport

The sport of Girls’ Wrestling is in the works of being sanctioned by the NIAA. Although the decision has not yet been made officially, the Girls’ Wrestling Team at the Ridge is still looking for anyone who is interested in joining the team. At the moment, girls are wrestling in the guys divisions if they choose to. With the NIAA finally separating the sport, girls finally have the opportunity to wrestle only girls in their weight class. 

Wrestling is a hand-to-hand sport that specializes in a plethora of techniques to try and get their opponent down. In that, there is a set of weight classes that must be filled. This means that all sizes are needed on a single team in order to compete at tournaments and so on. Joining the team means a lot of hard work, but so many rewards that go along with it.

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Like the saying goes, ‘Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy.’ It is a grueling sport, but there are great rewards for doing it.

— Coach Gledhill

Many girls who are on the wrestling team hope for newcomers to at least try the sport out. There is never any pressure to fully commit if one does not like it, but the girls are always encouraging others to try something new!

“Just try it!” Jacobi Gledhill, a girl on the wrestling team says. “Go to intramurals and try to get a feel for it. Yes, you will be sore for the first week (maybe). But [as long as you persevere through it]– it’s not that bad. If you don’t like it, it’s completely okay, but try! It’s so worth it in the end.”

To prepare for the team, conditioning is a huge part of staying in shape. Building up stamina is imperative to the season as practices will be tough at times. Even so, it is a team sport. All of these things aren’t done alone. When on the mat, it is an individual sport, but there is always the team cheering in the corner. 

“Before I joined wrestling, I have doubted myself a lot– especially being on a team with guys and girls,” Danielle Franco, another on the wrestling team, tells. “Despite the fact that you will mainly be wrestling girls, the guys will be there to encourage you and help you become stronger– same goes with the girls. That’s what helped me be more confident, rather than doubting myself so much.”

Along with team building and acquiring physical strength, wrestling is also an amazing addition to academic success. There are a multitude of scholarships available that open so many opportunities in college.

“Girls’ Wrestling is the fastest growing college sport at this time,” Coach Gledhill, the wrestling coach, explains. “I’m excited to see the sport grow.”

The practices for wrestling should start after Labor Day. Updates will be posted in the announcements for what may be going on in the team. Stay tuned!