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Last week we all heard repeatedly "Iowa is a leading wrestling state." The influx of wrestlers at one of the nation's largest state wrestling tournaments was touted. University of Iowa wrestlers top the nation. Wrestling in Iowa is alive and well for ALL ages. Iowa AAU Girls Wrestling Young ladies in Iowa, my home state and a huge wrestling state, are preparing for a big weekend. With projections of over 300 girls and growing, the State AAU Girls Wrestling meets will be happening in two different locations to accommodate wrestlers and fans. Girls in grades 3-12 will be competing in downtown Des Moines at Wells Fargo Arena. The Super PeeWee Girls State Wrestling Tournament (K-2) will be held in Waterloo at Young Arena on March 1. AAU Girls Wrestling is going strong and growing. IA Wrestle/TrackCast will broadcast live matches online. Status of IGHSAU Sanctioning Girls Wrestling What kind of a future is there for all these young female wrestlers? There is a movement to get the sport of girls wrestling sanctioned in the state of Iowa. Currently, 252 female wrestlers from 95 schools are registered in the weight management system for the 2019-2020 season. (All wrestling athletes must be registered in this system.) That is an increase from 204 in 2018-19, up drastically from the 36 reported five years ago. The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) has received 43 emails from school administrators requesting sanctioning and only 18 being counted toward wishing to support a team. All other letters/emails and replies fall short of committing to a separate girls wrestling team. In an article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette the head of the IGHSAU is quoted regarding the 15% of districts needed (about 50) committed to support a team. “The 43 I’ve gotten have just said, ‘we support it,’” Berger said. “I’ve called back (or emailed) back to superintendents to ask if that level of support meant they were going to sponsor a separate girls’ team for their district. Of those that have replied, it’s 18.” Berger said the athletic union wants to be sure any sanctioned sport is sustainable. Once girls’ wrestling comes under the purview of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, the teams would be allowed to compete only against other girls, she said. But they could practice with boys. About 90 schools in Iowa have fewer than five girls each who wrestle, Berger said, raising questions about how far those girls would need to travel to compete against other girls. “I know the goal is girls wrestling girls, but if you only have a few girls on your team, you have to practice against the boys,” she said. “There’s nobody else around you. If there’s nobody around you, how do you sustain that?” The growth of any new sport requires a minimum amount of participation in order for competition and post-season to be conducted in a meaningful, sustainable way. Careful thought and consideration must be given to geographic location of schools with girls participating, size of schools and the details of the sport, i.e. financial costs, playing rules, season of play, officiating, coaching, competition format, etc. This type of planning is necessary in order for the sport to sustain itself and continue to grow. Girls wrestling teams are hosted in Waverly-Shell Rock and Iowa City West. In the Gazette article, Waverly-Shell Rock's coach, Eric Whitcome echoed others' sentiments that creating girls wrestling teams is creating an opportunity to participate in a sport and to develop yourself as an individual and an athlete. Denying that opportunity to half of the population wasn't an advantage. Coach Whitcome started a girls’ wrestling team last school year at his northeast Iowa high school, which has hosted the girls’ state wrestling tournament. “Why wouldn’t you (sanction) if you’re trying to offer the best possible opportunities for females in the state of Iowa, and you see participation growing in a sport like this?” Whitcome asked. “And in a sport that’s been dominated by one gender for hundreds of years; it’s been dominated by men. “You have a sport that, all of a sudden, participation is doubling among females. Why wouldn’t you get behind that and say, this is no longer just a sport for men — but a sport for females as well?” Time to Step Up As I see my granddaughter love the sport, she is concerned at age 6, that when she gets older she will have to wrestle boys. Why should we allow her dreams, and those of obviously 300+ other young girls, to be snuffed out simply because we haven't kept up with the times. Twenty other states currently sanction girls wrestling teams. Isn't it time we allow young ladies the right to participate? In some schools where participation is limited in some sports (for example, swimming) schools share teams. Perhaps that is a feasible alternative. I would hate to see the momentum of young ladies crushed because of the intensity and strength of high school boys wrestling culture. In addition to the sport, I see the benefits to young ladies much as I see the benefits in young men who wrestle: confidence, ability to protect themselves, a stick-to-it mentality that is hard to find in the general public, a sense of accomplishment taught only in a completely individual sport. Would you not want those things for your daughter or granddaughter? Perhaps it is time to contact your local Activities Director or school administrators to see if your district supports girls wrestling. Change doesn't just happen unless individuals work harder. Isn't that one of wrestling's life lessons?

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