Girls High School Wrestling

Has anyone started the conversation of getting Kansas on board with Girls wrestling in High School? Have the numbers got to the point it would be justified?

IMO...the numbers have not gotten near the point that it would be justified.

I would like to see Kansas Add 3-4 weight classes for females to the already 14. They would practice with the boys and compete in the same tournaments. Duals and Tournaments would last longer but I think most tournaments could absorb the extra time.

I agree that the numbers right now are low for this to happen, but I think if this was added numbers would increase quickly. Right now numbers are low simply because most girls don't compete at the same level as guys once they get to highschool, and therefore they tend to not wrestle at that level. If they were able to compete against other women I think the number of participants would be much higher. We have a pretty strong population of girls that wrestle in the kids division right now. I would think some if not many would stay with it through highschool if they competed with other women.

On a side note women's wrestling is a rapid growing sport at the college level as well, so this would give women a shot at a college scholarships.

I have 3 girls that wrestle and would love to see a HS division for them. I agree that if this was added, the number of females staying and/or joining the sport would increase. I believe that the states that have added it have seen the number of female participants greatly increase. As our colleges add more female programs it would be nice to supply them with quality wrestlers instead of having to go out of state!

... and within Kansas, there is an opportunity at Ottawa University to extend your wrestling career. I think that this will translate into more girls staying out into high school!!

The thought that women’s wrestling is a fad is far gone with the induction of women’s wrestling into the 2004 Olympics. Now with the hard fought win to keep wrestling in the Olympics the thought to continue to grow wrestling on both the male and female side is essential. A survey in 2014-2015 showed that there are about 9,900 females in the U.S. at the high school level that wrestle. The thought to wait to have the number will continue to keep the numbers at a low in Kansas. The states that have implemented women’s wrestling at the high school level have jumped in and started having tournaments and it started to grow. States like Texas have over 3,000 female wrestlers and growing. I think the idea to add in four weight classes that are named “female weight classes” like HSC said will increase the numbers. Not only will the need to put in the weight classes but the promotion as a male and female sport within the school will also help increase the numbers. Yes, the tournaments will take a bit longer but as the numbers increase so will the chances of having female only tournaments. Pros that come with females is the increase of people in the stands meaning more money for the school (program), giving females the chance to compete only with females, offering the same values such as dedication, grit, growth of wrestling, and determination to name a few. To this date California, Oregon, Guam, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Texas, Hawaii and Washington sponsor a state high school championship. There are 24 colleges that offer women’s wrestling at the college level with four adding it in the 2015-2016 season. We know as of right now that the numbers at the middle school and under for females in Kansas has a sustainable number. As females have to transition into high school they are starting to drop off due to the fact that boys start to excel in strength at a higher rate causing it to be more of a challenge to be successful on the mat. The olde saying "If you build it they will come" holds true and has been proven now in nine states. So lets build it!

Reference:
http://www.nwcaonline.com/nwcawebsite/womenswrestling/womensfacts.aspx

I like the support I see on here with this. My oldest daughter is one of the girls to quit wrestle as soon as her middle school years came to an end. She began to lose more than win and even though she may have been better she just was not strong enough to win the close ones. Not only that but ridicule from other girls....the same girls that would have participated if given the opportunity. Now my "bug", who is in the 6 under division is having a ton of success, I hate to see the same thing happen to her as well. How do we get the school's/state's attention that this is something that is needed for our young woman? With Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma having college programs, it only makes sense.

I would love to see this pushed to the next level and see if this is an option for Kansas highschool wrestling in the future. I have 2 nieces that currently wrestle and both of them have had success in the boys division as well as excelled in girls tournaments. The oldest is now in middle school and the boys have caught her in strength, and the wins are not coming as often. The youngest is still in 8U and continues to have success. I have a 1yr old daughter and I would hope that if she wants to wrestle she will have the opportunity to do so through her prep career.

The thing that keeps popping into my mind is a poem my oldest niece wrote about 3 yrs ago. The poem was about her dreams of becoming an Olympic wrestler someday. I am sure other girls have this dream as well, and it would be great to see them have the opportunity to continue to pursue those dreams through highschool.

This is one of the best ideas I have seen or talked about on the forum. I have a daughter that used to wrestle. She gave up competing due to getting out muscled. She is ten years old.

If this is going to happen. The four weight classed need to be spread out. One at light weight division, two at the middle weight divisions, and one at a heavier weight division.

Josh Parker

Honestly i would love to see more opportunities for girls to wrestle. We have all these weights and tournaments for boys but we expect the girls to just wrestle with them. I would love to see high schools have girl teams.

I agree with the high school girls division. My daughter is 12 and after recently attending a high school dual says she wants to wrestle in high school. We shall see.

I've had one daughter that wrestled all through High School and then into college. I have another about to start high school. The younger one will most likely not wrestle in high school but would continue on if there was a girls only division option. Time and Time again we see at the College level some of the most successful women come from the areas that have women only wrestling. I also coach middle school and have had some great young women come through my program. Most of them were finished with the sport by the time they were freshmen or sophomores. I think they would have stuck with it if there was a women's only division. It is a little bit of a leap of faith but I do believe if you build it they will come.

The support here is where it should be. Girls should be able to compete with girls when they do get to a certain age because of the increased strength gains teenage boys get. Hard to wrestle talented strong wrestlers on technique alone. Plus keeping the girls on the team and in practice with the boys may help those who have never practiced around or wrestled a girl find that new kind of respect for the actual athlete inside of that girl. At kids tournaments I've heard boys raz and laugh at each other that they had to wrestle a girl only to get on the mat and get the best that girl had to give. It would be a shame for all the hard work the young girls do to go away because they couldn't compete due to strength.

I support woman wrestling