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Inside the growing sport of girls wrestling: 'Don't care what other people think.'


Muda69

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https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/01/18/girls-wrestling-growing-indiana-soon-could-ihsaa-sanctioned-high-school-sport-ihsgw-state-finals/6422847001/

(Note: story is behind a paywall)

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KOKOMO — Kiersten O'Neill grew up in the wrestling room. The daughter of Warren Central wrestling coach Jake O'Neill, Kiersten spent hours accompanying her father and older brother to wrestling tournaments, soaking up knowledge and developing an appreciation for the sport. She played soccer, tried basketball for a year and was a standout travel softball player but a passion for wrestling burned within her. 

She decided to give the sport a try in seventh grade and fell in love with it. The younger O'Neill entered Friday's Indiana High School Girls Wrestling state finals as a two-time state champion. 

"I'm actually kind of mad at my dad that he didn't force me to do it sooner, because I really do love it," O'Neill said. "It was never like 'I'm gonna be a state champ,' it just kind of happened." 

riday's sixth-annual IHSGW State Finals was a day-long exhibit of strength, competitive fire, inclusion and sportsmanship. And it's growing.

Girls wrestling has experienced a rapid increase in participation. In six years, the state finals jumped from about 60 wrestlers to more than 160 at Kokomo Memorial Gymnasium on Friday. Girls wrestling is currently deemed an exploratory sport by the Indiana High School Athletic Association, but its status may change to a full IHSAA sport sometime this year. Last week in Ohio, the OSHAA Board of Directors voted unanimously to add girls wrestling and boys volleyball starting with the 2022-23 school year, leading some to think the IHSAA could follow suit. 

....

So what happens when the male identifying as a women (aka transgender)  starts wrestling and dominates a weight class, then snatches up a college scholarship?  Should be an interesting time for the IHSAA.

 

Edited by Muda69
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9 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/01/18/girls-wrestling-growing-indiana-soon-could-ihsaa-sanctioned-high-school-sport-ihsgw-state-finals/6422847001/

(Note: story is behind a paywall)

So what happens when the male identifying as a women (aka transgender)  starts wrestling and dominates a weight class, then snatches up a college scholarship?  Should be an interesting time for the IHSAA.

 

Get ahead of the curve (no pun intended), like South Dakota Governor, Kristi Noem?

And, I think you will see schools offer women's wrestling and men's volleyball very soon.

 

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We had 3 girls at Kokomo; 2 freshmen and 1 sophomore. They finished 3rd in the team scoring. We had a 5th, 6th, and a State Champion. The State Champion is also ranked 7th in the US and won gold for the U15 team at the Pan Am Games this past Summer in Mexico. 

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3 hours ago, Irishman said:

We had 3 girls at Kokomo; 2 freshmen and 1 sophomore. They finished 3rd in the team scoring. We had a 5th, 6th, and a State Champion. The State Champion is also ranked 7th in the US and won gold for the U15 team at the Pan Am Games this past Summer in Mexico. 

I thought you taught at New Haven?

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