Katharina Buczek
It is no secret that track and field, soccer, volleyball, and softball are some of the most popular sports in the United States for young female athletes. But you might be shocked to learn that over the last decade, women’s participation in wrestling has actually skyrocketed.
The modern high school wrestling matches that we know today began back in the mid-1960s. And at that time, virtually no young women competed.
Since the early 2000s, though, an increasing number of young female wrestlers have been pinning their own fair share of opponents against the mat.
In 2010, nearly two hundred and seventy-four thousand boys competed on their high school wrestling teams. That same year, just over seven thousand and three hundred girls participated.
As of 2022, though, the amount of female high school wrestlers has more than quadrupled. Now, over thirty-one thousand and six hundred women proudly sport their singlets and compete against the boys.
And according to the non-profit organization Wrestle Like A Girl, this move is massive. Female wrestlers are exposed to a myriad of benefits, including increased confidence, self-esteem, mental toughness, and discipline.
“Wrestling also encourages physical fitness, teaches basic self-defense, and provides a family of wrestlers,” the organization added.
Like many athletes, though, wrestlers often get their start way before high school while they are still tiny tots in elementary school.
TikTok; pictured above is Markee on the mat
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