Being a newly sanctioned sport, a female sport that has an incredibly male-dominated history, and as an arguably lesser-followed sport in general, girls wrestling has encountered a plethora of obstacles from the start. Which only makes its success that much more exciting and impressive. But of course, the past few years presented unique challenges.
“It's been an uphill battle. It's kind of weird because I've been one of the girls that has been involved the longest. And I've seen it go through several phases as we've seen locations change and coaches change COVID and pre-COVID,” said junior Blythe Cayko. Often, the girls have to make do with what they have -- whether it is a lack of funding, a lack of practice space, or a lack of competition.
“When you don't have a lot of competition, the boys are the best bet because they've got a lot of a lot more variety,” said senior Savannah Smith. “Whether it's practice or an actual match, it's just determining if it's a good choice to wrestle boys or not.” Luckily, at Eaglecrest, there has been a conscious effort to ensure plentiful practice space, competition, and support. Part of that is because of the coaching staff.
“I personally want them to be the best version of themselves,” stated Coach Melissa Myers, who works with the girls along with Coach Adair. “That's my goal for these girls. It's really not about wins and losses. It's about them having the most success and improving based on their goals, what they want for themselves. And we established those goals early in the semester or in the season.” Because those goals are personalized, they can vary greatly. What Myers looks for is progress, explaining that if a wrestler is performing moves they just learned or trying new moves, it is a win for her.
“It's always effort, not outcome,” said Myers.
And for Smith, a notable achievement was merely having the upper hand in a specific match. “I've been getting beat by this girl since I was in seventh grade,” explained Smith. “I hit a sick move on her and it was called illegal because it could have been potentially dangerous, but it's the first time I've had the upper hand in a match against her.” Moments like that are what make the season memorable for wrestlers like Smith.
But of course, each season and each sport has their ups and downs. One factor that wrestlers -- unlike any other sport -- have to contend with is making weight. And it is often a tricky topic.
“Weight is a huge part of wrestling, so giving them as much education as possible so that they learn the best and the most about their body and they're self aware of what their body needs…that dynamic is really important,” said Myers. As a coach, she emphasizes that this is crucial to keep in mind and to ensure her wrestlers have a successful and positive experience without damaging their bodies.
“I grew up in a wrestling household, and I watched my brother cut weight every week. And it was really detrimental to his body,” said Myers. “So right away, I brought a nutritionist in to work with the girls to give them information so they could get to a weight that was appropriate for them and they would be at optimal performance. You know, cutting weight doesn't mean anything if you can't wrestle well because you don't feel good.” Healthy nutrition and healthy weight are crucial to any sport, but truly come under the microscope in wrestling. Particularly for girls wrestlers, nutrition can make a big difference.
“With the female anatomy, things are different. Our chemistry is different. So when we have to make weight, there's different things going on there as far as you know, our cycles, and water retention,” explained Myers. Physically, girls deal with different aspects and side effects of the sport. Even their muscle gain is different.
“It's insane because with girls… physically you can't tell we're strong but it’s just under all your skin and, it's just scary to see it face to face,” said Smith of competing.
The hidden strength Smith speaks of is an apt comparison to the very nature of girls wrestling itself. Perhaps new, perhaps smaller in number, and perhaps less visible, girls wrestling cultivates a nearly unrivaled strength of character, of body, and of mind.
“The things that I've noticed being a female competitor in a combat sport and training with males: my experience has been that from the athlete standpoint, when a coach tells [a wrestler] a move, a male will just perform it. A female wants to know how we got here, where we're going next, maybe why they did it to us, how I feel about it. But once we understand and conceptualize the move, we've got it. It makes us a different type of athlete,” said Myers. She says coaches new to the sport are learning to alter their coaching styles to accommodate this female dynamic. This is not always an easy process, however, and the girls are still facing rules and processes that do not always make sense or seem fair.
“For my larger-chested teammates, it's not really their fault if when they bend over you can see a little cleavage even wearing a sports bra,” noted Cayko. “But some refs taken issue with that. And they're trying to make them have to wear undershirts that cover up to the collarbone.” Cayko explains, however, that she doubts a rule like that would pass, especially considering how revealing the boys’ singlets can be in comparison. Regardless, the sport is thriving.
“I feel so fortunate to be part of this program to be able to be a female in the room to give that perspective,” said Myers.
“We've still done our job as coaches by helping develop the sport and helping young women that are interested and passionate about what they're doing and develop their skills,” continued Myers. Speaking with her, it is abundantly clear that she has a passion for the sport and an intense investment in each and every one of her girls.
“Every single girl that's part of our program is so tremendously talented, and has such tremendous integrity,” said Myers. “It's such an honor to work with them, it’s so much fun to work with them. I absolutely adore every single one of our girls.”
“They're just beyond talented that it's just inspiring,” said Myers. “They're inspiring.”
