Published: Tuesday, February 3, 2009
No holds barred
More and more girls are taking to the wrestling mat every year
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Elizabeth Armstrong / The Herald
Ninety girls participated in Jackson High School's second annual girls wrestling tournament Saturday. Kayla Blanchard of Rogers (top) controls Justine Palabrica of Everett in the 103-pound semifinal match.
By any measure, adding girls wrestling to Washington's prep lineup has been a big success -- for the sport and the athletes.
"We have 620 girls wrestling, in 144 different high schools," said Jim Meyerhoff, assistant executive director for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. "The numbers have jumped about 25 percent each year. … It's been one of the best things for wrestling in general."
That's a sentiment echoed by Jackson High School head coach Gustavo Anaya, who started coaching wrestling in Nebraska in 1997.
"There are wrestling programs that have 20-30 girls wrestling … that's more than some programs have boys," Anaya said. "I personally didn't think it would grow as fast as it had, but I'm happy."
Some girls wrestle for the challenge of succeeding in a male-dominated sport, Anaya said, while "for others it's a personal thing, they want to see if they can do it."
"Most of the girls I see out there are out to prove that girls can be wrestlers and wrestlers can be girls," he added.
Many of the girls are already athletes who have off-seasons during the winter, like swimmers, runners and softball players, and they see wrestling as a way to maintain conditioning, foot speed and balance.
For 18-year-old Nelly Aramburo of Jackson, the decision to try wrestling for the first time in her senior year was personal.
"I've always wanted to do it but never actually had the guts to go out for it," Aramburo said. "Finally I said 'What the heck, it's my senior year, I might as well go all out and do something I've never done before.'"
Aramburo finished second overall in the 275-pound category at last Saturday's Lady Wolfpack Invite. Eighteen teams and 90 girls -- mostly from Western Washington -- took part in the tournament hosted by Jackson High School.
The state had girls wrestling in middle schools for some time, said Meyerhoff, but about six years ago the WIAA began to get calls asking if something could be done at the high school level.
At the same time, a few girls wrestling on boys teams began to qualify for the state tournament.
Although wrestling is a physical sport, proper technique is more important than strength or size.
"The selling point for me," Anaya said, "is you can be the tallest, smallest, strongest or weakest, and you can find some level of success in the sport of wrestling. Wrestling works for every kid who's willing to give it a try."
After a three-year period as an invitational part of the boys state wrestling tournament -- 58 girls showed up to the first one in 2004 -- the WIAA established a separate competitive girls wrestling category at the state tournament in 2007.
Washington is just one of four states -- Oregon, Texas and Hawaii are the others -- to have sanctioned competitions for girls.
That first tournament saw 72 girls wrestling in nine weight classes. This season two additional weight classes were added, and after advancing through sub-region and regional qualifying, 176 girls will compete to be crowned state champions.
"We knew that once we offered something like the invitational, where the girls could get to state, that our participation numbers would increase significantly," Meyerhoff said. "And they did."
The numbers haven't grown equally -- there are far more girls wrestling in Western Washington than the other side of the state -- so girls in smaller programs have to wrestle on the boys team to complete the four matches needed to qualify for the postseason.
Once they reach the sub-regional or regional tournaments, girls only wrestle girls.
As more try the sport, girls weight classes will be added to match the 14 the boys wrestle, added Meyerhoff, who said the "next step is for Class 3A or 4A schools to break off on their own" at the state tournament.
Girls can continue to wrestle after high school as well. Several colleges -- including NCAA Division I Stanford, Division III Pacific University and Yakima Valley Community College -- offer women's wrestling, and the U.S. Olympic Committee oversees the selection of national teams for Olympic and world competition.
"Nationally, schools are offering girls programs, even some that don't have boys programs," Anaya said. "Some schools … to keep the men's program they've added women. I honestly think women's wrestling is going to save men's wrestling."
Asked whether she intended on wrestling after high school, Aramburo laughed.
"Honestly, my parents ask me the same question. I really enjoy doing the sport, a lot," she said. "If I happen to get a scholarship, I'd take it. If I don't, I'd see it as a hobby."
"We have 620 girls wrestling, in 144 different high schools," said Jim Meyerhoff, assistant executive director for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. "The numbers have jumped about 25 percent each year. … It's been one of the best things for wrestling in general."
That's a sentiment echoed by Jackson High School head coach Gustavo Anaya, who started coaching wrestling in Nebraska in 1997.
"There are wrestling programs that have 20-30 girls wrestling … that's more than some programs have boys," Anaya said. "I personally didn't think it would grow as fast as it had, but I'm happy."
Some girls wrestle for the challenge of succeeding in a male-dominated sport, Anaya said, while "for others it's a personal thing, they want to see if they can do it."
"Most of the girls I see out there are out to prove that girls can be wrestlers and wrestlers can be girls," he added.
Many of the girls are already athletes who have off-seasons during the winter, like swimmers, runners and softball players, and they see wrestling as a way to maintain conditioning, foot speed and balance.
For 18-year-old Nelly Aramburo of Jackson, the decision to try wrestling for the first time in her senior year was personal.
"I've always wanted to do it but never actually had the guts to go out for it," Aramburo said. "Finally I said 'What the heck, it's my senior year, I might as well go all out and do something I've never done before.'"
Aramburo finished second overall in the 275-pound category at last Saturday's Lady Wolfpack Invite. Eighteen teams and 90 girls -- mostly from Western Washington -- took part in the tournament hosted by Jackson High School.
The state had girls wrestling in middle schools for some time, said Meyerhoff, but about six years ago the WIAA began to get calls asking if something could be done at the high school level.
At the same time, a few girls wrestling on boys teams began to qualify for the state tournament.
Although wrestling is a physical sport, proper technique is more important than strength or size.
"The selling point for me," Anaya said, "is you can be the tallest, smallest, strongest or weakest, and you can find some level of success in the sport of wrestling. Wrestling works for every kid who's willing to give it a try."
After a three-year period as an invitational part of the boys state wrestling tournament -- 58 girls showed up to the first one in 2004 -- the WIAA established a separate competitive girls wrestling category at the state tournament in 2007.
Washington is just one of four states -- Oregon, Texas and Hawaii are the others -- to have sanctioned competitions for girls.
That first tournament saw 72 girls wrestling in nine weight classes. This season two additional weight classes were added, and after advancing through sub-region and regional qualifying, 176 girls will compete to be crowned state champions.
"We knew that once we offered something like the invitational, where the girls could get to state, that our participation numbers would increase significantly," Meyerhoff said. "And they did."
The numbers haven't grown equally -- there are far more girls wrestling in Western Washington than the other side of the state -- so girls in smaller programs have to wrestle on the boys team to complete the four matches needed to qualify for the postseason.
Once they reach the sub-regional or regional tournaments, girls only wrestle girls.
As more try the sport, girls weight classes will be added to match the 14 the boys wrestle, added Meyerhoff, who said the "next step is for Class 3A or 4A schools to break off on their own" at the state tournament.
Girls can continue to wrestle after high school as well. Several colleges -- including NCAA Division I Stanford, Division III Pacific University and Yakima Valley Community College -- offer women's wrestling, and the U.S. Olympic Committee oversees the selection of national teams for Olympic and world competition.
"Nationally, schools are offering girls programs, even some that don't have boys programs," Anaya said. "Some schools … to keep the men's program they've added women. I honestly think women's wrestling is going to save men's wrestling."
Asked whether she intended on wrestling after high school, Aramburo laughed.
"Honestly, my parents ask me the same question. I really enjoy doing the sport, a lot," she said. "If I happen to get a scholarship, I'd take it. If I don't, I'd see it as a hobby."
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