Girls And Wrestling: For Some, Opposites Do Attract

By Christy Flom on March 12, 2015

Growing up and playing contact sports, being physical against others was never an issue for me. From co-ed soccer teams in middle school to intermixed teams in gym class, contact was always just a part of the game.

However, while these games are physical and challenging, the contact is fairly minimal for both guys and girls in comparison to wrestling. Common sports like soccer, basketball, and football may have a more aggressive type of contact, like a blunt elbow to the face or a sly punch to the gut, but it is never full body contact for more than a couple of seconds like during a big tackle in football.

Watching athletes roll around on one another on a mat in tight jumpsuits and tiny helmets takes a second for many people to register and accept. Men’s wrestling has long been accepted as a “real” sport in the United States as there are more than 340 men’s wrestling teams at the collegiate level.

This competition of skill, precision and perseverance took a lot longer to gain traction with females, as it was only around 2004 that women’s wrestling officially became an Olympic event. With only 24 colleges that offer female wrestling, it is high time to commend these athletes for overcoming the bounds of obstacles in their way to continue participating in a sport they cherish.

To help female wrestlers stay within certain stereotypes, flashy and sexy outfits are often used in professional wrestling to take away from the masculinity of the sport. (Image via flickr.com.)

A major portion of these obstacles has to do with gender roles, stereotypes and social norms. Female wrestlers can be seen as masculine in a negative light compared to female body builders and even viewed as unattractive to the larger public.

To find the root of these stereotypes, we have to take a look at how young athletes perceive wrestling and how these perceptions might change as people mature.

I remember in middle school we had one lone female wrestler. We used to have school assemblies every Monday where announcements would be made and school teams would be introduced. When the girl stood up amongst a group of boys, saying she was a part of the team and competed and practiced with them I remember not knowing what to think.

As a girl who has never been interested in watching or participating in wrestling, I was shocked that another girl was interested in this sport, but then at the same time I was proud that this girl was brave enough to participate in a male dominated sport. It also made me wonder why she had to compete with the boys and why there were not more girl teammates for her to hang out with.

No matter what people say about gender equality, preteen kids are going to want some kids of their same gender to be friends with on a team, especially during a time period where a girl’s body is maturing differently than a boy’s.

As I went on to high school, there were no girl wrestlers and our men’s team consisted of about 5-10 players, and was rarely heard of except for at the end of their season depending on how well they did. The complete eradication of female wrestlers in my high school was never something I considered as no one I knew from any aspect of my life ever had a child or friend who was a female wrestler either.

The fact that there is not a huge following for guys or girls wrestling is another interesting aspect to take into consideration while examining the small number of collegiate players nowadays.

Wrestling garners less athletes, fans, and school funds than other popular sports and this can be detrimental to the growth of the sport in mainstream culture. Girls are stereotyped as caring about new trends and being with the in-group and wrestling is not in any of those categories.

Image via John Sachs on flickr.com

Going head-to-head against a girl or guy using specific and difficult maneuvers does not sound appealing and really the only time I like to roll around with someone would be when I fight with one of my siblings and even then, using the word “like” to describe that experience is very relative.

From these perspectives, I understand why there are only 24 college female wrestling teams, no Division 1 teams and seldom following of the sport on social media.

Having said that, if I had grown up interested in wrestling, wanting to be on a team and to learn the sport, I would want the best opportunity possible to play. I am not saying all colleges should suddenly pick up female wrestling as a varsity sport because frankly I do not think there are enough female wrestlers to allow all colleges to have a team; what I am saying is that more opportunities should be available to females who want to wrestle.

In an article from the National Wrestling Coaches Association website titled, “Why Women’s Wrestling,” USA Wrestling Women’s National Coach Terry Steiner refutes the many arguments used to dissuade females and even males and coaches from encouraging and participating in wrestling.

“Wrestling is a sport for all colors, sizes, shapes, sexuality, cultures and genders,” Steiner said in the article. “Wrestling is nothing more than an educational tool to teach kids the lessons of life while they are right in front of us, so when they fail we can teach them how to handle it and get back up and deal with it.”

Steiner’s point is clear that wrestling should not be discriminated against because of the manner of contact seen in the sport. Athletes willing to play the sport should have the means to do so.

There are much wider means available to athletes looking to start or support female wrestling, such as the Olympic Women’s Wrestling Facebook page and intermatwrestle.com. This website ranks the top male and female college wrestlers, with Emily Webster at Oklahoma City topping the female list.

Image via John Sachs on flickr.com

The growth of female wrestling at the collegiate level is a difficult trend to predict due to the many societal issues still creating blocks to the sport. Maybe in the near future more females in high school will raise funds for their own teams but as of now female wrestlers looking to play in college may have to settle for one of the 24 schools currently offering spots for them to continue competing on a school-funded team.

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