Takedown Report

Girl’s Scholastic Wrestling Continues To Grow

By George Way, Scholastic Director
Current Status:
Let’s begin this article with where we are currently in the scholastic and collegiate girl’s wrestling worlds. In the past five years, girl’s wrestling has been and continues to be the fastest-growing sport in the country. During the 2018-19 season, over 23,000 girls were wrestling at the high school level. Currently, 21 state high school associations are sanctioning a girl’s state championship, and the number increases every year. Just this week, Montana sanctioned a state championship for the 2020-2021 season. Girl’s wrestling has grown by 100% in just the past five years across the United States. In the state of Missouri, it reached a 400% increase. Colleges continue to add a girl’s program at an accelerated pace each year. There are now over 70 varsity college women’s wrestling programs. They are affiliated with NCAA, NAIA, and Jr. College programs. At the Olympic games, women’s wrestling has been a part of the competition since 2004. The U.S. has climbed the ladder of success and is now one of the top powers in the world in women’s wrestling. Our team members have won gold, silver, and bronze medals at both the Olympic and World Championships. We should recognize the fact that we must continue to grow at the scholastic level to be able to support more significant numbers of participants at the collegiate and international levels. Recruitment and Retention continue to be one of our most focused goals.
Benefits of Girl’s Wrestling:
So, what are some benefits of girls wrestling? They are the same as for boys. I’m sure you’ve heard the many benefits espoused by coaches, but I have chosen to highlight just a few here. Wrestling instills in our youth the value of grit (a recognized indicator of success), tenacity, resilience, teamwork, and camaraderie, the foundation of any reliable leader. And let’s face it both the boy’s and girl’s who are wrestling today have the benefit of becoming tomorrow’s leaders. The growth accomplished by wrestlers is well documented and reflected in the resumes of many notable leaders across corporate America. Opening doors for girls to wrestle will also create opportunities for girls to wrestle girls. It is also a springboard for the development of skill sets that increase educational, social, and financial mobility throughout life. Last, girl’s wrestling provides greater opportunity for sports inclusion, development of life relevance, peer group identification, all while increasing the participation in our sport.
What can we do?
So, how do we keep this momentum rolling? Each state … Rest of the story at http://www.nwcaonline.com/january-scholastic-coaches-update/

January 23, 2020 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized