Girls Wrestling - The Next Generation
We all have been blessed to witness the booming growth of girls wrestling in the state of Iowa. Seven years ago, there were less than 100 girls on the roster of their high school wrestling teams. In 2024, 1602 ladies hit the mat in the now sanctioned sport. How do we keep those numbers growing? For starters, we need to do more than recruit and encourage girls to lace up a pair of wrestling shoes and compete. We need to recruit and encourage young women to be in these athletes’ corners and to officiate their matches. We need to support the next generation of leaders. Not too long ago, I found a post on Facebook that was written by a concerned wrestling mom. The picture she posted was of two women in their early twenties coaching their high school team. The message was beyond disappointing. She spoke about how the two of them had been belittled by male coaches, dismissed by officials and disrespected by parents. What these individuals are unaware of is the amount of experience these tw