Story by Madison Bryant
The Issue
As of recent, girls’ wrestling has been gaining traction among adolescents, causing it to shy away from the stigma that wrestling is only for boys.
According to a recent study, female high school wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. Participation in girls' wrestling has increased for 30 consecutive years along with a parallel rise in female-only competitive tournaments.
High school wrestling differs from collegiate wrestling because of minor rule modifications. Within the community, wrestling at the high school level is often referred to as scholastic wrestling.
Before the formation of girls’ wrestling teams, girls who were interested in the sport had to compete with boys. As a result, there has been a large amount of resistance from male wrestlers.
Male competitors would rather forfeit a match than compete against females. Most are uncomfortable with wrestling girls because they do not want to injure them or risk the embarrassment of losing to them.
Due to the up-close body encounters, the sport of wrestling at large has long been sexualized by outside observers. This is an additional reason why females especially have been denied equal opportunity to wrestle against male competitors.
Some people feel that providing equal opportunities for female wrestlers could benefit them mentally and physically. Bryan Cooper, the head wrestling coach at Alexander High School in Ohio, said wrestling provided an increase in confidence to a girl on his team.
“So it really builds self esteem in boys,” Cooper said. “But it really helps the girls as well with self esteem and knowing that they can battle in that way.”
Additionally, wrestling for females can also instill mental toughness, self-reliance, and discipline. Wrestling can encourage physical fitness and teaches women basic self-defense.
Caption above: Two girls at the Athena Nationals Tournament grapple with one another on the mat on November 5, 2022. The Athena Nationals was created in 2017 as a grassroots tournament; now, the event is sponsored by Barbarian Apparel, a wrestling sports apparel company.
Wrestling has long been considered a masculine sport, because of its warrior-like combat style. As a result, girls who choose to participate in this sport must endure the negative stereotypes associated with female wrestling.
Caption above: Two girls at the Athena Nationals Tournament wrestle each other on November 5, 2022. Fellow teammates and parents cheer them on in the background.
Sanctioned
Despite the recent growth of the sport, there are still 16 states that do not recognize female wrestling as an official high school sport.
In January 2022, girls’ wrestling was sanctioned in the state of Ohio. For the past five years, there has been a 100% growth of girls on high school boys' teams in Ohio.
“When girls’ wrestling got sanctioned, I was kind of against it,” Joceylnn Malone, a sophomore on Alexander High School’s new girls wrestling team, said. “Now so many other girls are gonna be in here. Now I have to work so much harder.”
When girls' wrestling got sanctioned, I was kind of against it.
Joceylnn’s team was created in response when the OHSAA or the Ohio High School Athletic Association unanimously voted to include girls’ wrestling as a sanctioned sport in the state of Ohio.
Last year, Malone placed third in the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association or OHSWCA. This season, Malone said she hopes to win the OHSAA state title for girls’ wrestling.
Joceylnn
Growing up in Albany, Ohio, Joceylnn wasn’t afraid to step outside the box. As a child, she participated in football, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, and judo mixed martial arts. The sport that spoke to her, however, was wrestling.
Joceylnn’s interest in wrestling began when her older brother, Jace, wrestled when she was in elementary school. During her brother’s wrestling matches, she would wrestle other boys in behind the gym stands.
Around five years old, Joceylnn’s parents placed her on the Alexander Spartan Youth Wrestling team. When Jocelynn reached high school, she wanted to try out for the all-boys Alexander Wrestling Team.
“My parents always supported me no matter what I was doing,” Malone said.
However, some of Joceylnn’s other family members do not share the same support for her passion for wrestling. Joceylnn’s grandmother is opposed to her wrestling against other girls and boys.
“She won't come to my wrestling [matches],” Joceylnn said. “She didn't go to football, because she didn't want to watch me get hurt and because I'm a woman.”
Caption above: Joceylnn Malone, a sophomore at Alexander High School, holds down her opponent from Trimble High School, during a meet against Nelsonville, Alexander, and Trimble local schools. Joceylnn lost the match on December 7, 2022.
Ending the Stigma
Joceylnn said one of the keys to ending the stigmas surrounding female wrestling is growing the sport:
The Future for Girls
As female wrestling continues to grow, Cooper said the stigmas attached to wrestling will fade.
“I really just think these stigmas in the female sport era is really getting broken now and I just don't know how much longer they're gonna be there,” Cooper said. “Because every sport women start doing, women dominate.”
In December 2022, Joceylnn competed against a male wrestler from Athens High School. Following the match, Tristian Haas, a junior at Athens, said he appreciates girls in this sport.
In December 2022, Joceylnn competed against a male wrestler from Athens High School. Following the match, Tristian Haas, a junior at Athens, said he appreciates girls in this sport.
“I felt good wrestling against her, I have practiced with her,” Haas said. “It's a good experience to wrestle against girls rather than guys, because they're a lot more flexible than we are, it's a lot more of a challenge.”
In the future, Joceylnn said she hopes to continue wrestling in college. She said she is interested in pursuing degrees in Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement at Ohio State University.
As of now, Ohio State University does not have a women’s wrestling team. However, Joceylnn said she is excited and hopeful for not only herself but also other female wrestlers.
Credits:
Madison Bryant