Girls Wrestling is the Most Empowering Force for Girls, and Boys

Finding Strength Through Sport

Five years ago, I started coaching an all-girls high school wrestling team, and time and time again, I am amazed at the incredible impact the sport has had on the girls I coach and their families. In a time of contradiction, when people preach about empowering women but practice the opposite, wrestling stands out as a path for young women to find the necessary strength to find their places in the world. People talk about empowering women, but whether it’s feigning support by offering unearned advantages or the constant appeal to appearance, people deliver the same message that holds young women down.

Equal Rules, Equal Respect

This is not going to be an argument for why wrestling is the greatest sport. Even though I argue that wrestling is, my stance is that perspective matters, and any sport can be the greatest if an athlete trains like it is.

However, other than soccer, swimming, and wrestling, I am not familiar with any sport with a set of rules and conditions that are exactly the same for males and females. Not only does wrestling have the same set of rules for males and females, but the conditions are the same. Middle school and high school wrestlers across the nation must pass a hydration test, get certified at a lowest weight, and follow a weight lose management plan in order to participate on a school’s team. All wrestlers must weigh in before a competition, and each must wear the same gear. The wrestling mat is not smaller or bigger for girls than for guys, and the gear is not designed any differently with the exception of a higher collar for the girls.

Empowerment Without Compromise

More importantly, what I find that separates girls wrestling from any other sport in way being the most empowering activity is the reality that girls compete in a sport that is more male-dominated than any other sport. Training and competing in wrestling places young women in the middle of a male-dominated world, and contrary to stigmas that are quickly disappearing, these young women do not have to relinquish their femininity. One of the forerunners in developing women’s wrestling and encouraging girls to embrace their femininity is Rudy’s with its Pink campaign. Some of the biggest names in wrestling are attached to Rudy’s, and the spotlight is as much on the women as it is on the men. Another encouraging aspect is that there is no sexual appeal to the national campaign to advance women’s wrestling.

Life Lessons on the Mat

Wrestling is the greatest manifestation of life, and like many childhood games and sports, it teaches one to take risks, collaborate with or challenge others, and learn from failure. The difference with wrestling is that the high risk “games” that boys are allowed to play do not allow most girls to participate. Wrestling does. Wrestlers learn how to take risks that empower them, accept extraordinary challenges that reveal their strengths, create unbreakable bonds with teammates and competitors, learn decision making skills in a way that nothing else teaches so well, develop healthy lifestyle choices, and gain a perspective that builds body positivity.

Confidence That Carries Into Adulthood

These experiences will make competing for jobs, buying homes, and participating communities and churches feel like common ground. These are areas of life where women have to learn to stand tall when they are in their twenties or later, and many never do because they never learned that they have a place on those battle grounds when they were young. I even consider one’s expectation for family and marriage. Girls who wrestle learn what it looks like to have boys their age and older men cheer for them and help them succeed in a selfless manner. They will take that with them in the adult world and know that they are strong enough to not need someone to depend on for anything other than true companionship and only accept people who want what’s best for them.

Empowering Boys Through Girls Wrestling

Beyond empowering girls, the increase in girls participating in wrestling empowers boys as well. Training with girls and watching them participate in wrestling provides boys opportunities to encourage, cheer for, and respect young women. I have not experienced this as much in any other arena.

The Fastest Growing Sport in the World

This is not to say that every girl should wrestle. I don’t think that every boy should wrestle for that matter. However, seeing girls wrestle inspires and empowers people.

Other than my marriage and raising my family, nothing has brought me more joy and encouragement than coaching my girls wrestling team. It’s the fastest growing sport in the world, and women all over the world, even in countries with dark histories and practices that oppress women in the most heinous ways, are becoming stronger and making their mark on history.