The girls wrestling team has officially kicked off their first season ever. The roster consists of 28 girls who are looking forward to a strong opening season. West is one of the few schools in WSFCS with an established girls wrestling team.
“Everyone was very supportive of getting the team started. The only issue was finding more coaches to work with the girls team,” head coach Racheal Roberts said.
The wrestling team has been an all-boys team by choice until this year, but the new girls team makes West sports more equal.
With this addition comes the debate of whether or not this is a safe thing to do. Since wrestling is a heavy contact sport, safety is always a concern. Separating the two genders makes participants feel safer.
“I think it’s cool we have a girl’s team, it makes it a lot safer and open for girls who want to wrestle,” junior Chloe Hoover said.
While they don’t compete together, the two teams practice alongside one another, and it’s a common ground where they can share knowledge.
“I really like that we are separate teams, because it means we’re going up against our strength, [but] I enjoy how we come together for practice, we act as if we are one team,” Hoover said.
The separation of the teams has provided these girls with better opportunities and a safer playing environment.
“I think it’s great that we have a male and female team, it brings more opportunities to the females and pushes all of us to be not only better athletes but better students as well,” sophomore Jenna Cagle said.
Roberts speaks to how proud she is of these girls, and how hard they work truly amazes her on a daily basis.
“These young ladies are pushing themselves and one another every day, going home exhausted and covered in bruises, [and] yet they keep coming back,” Roberts said.
Every athlete and every coach can have goals for a year, but these girls are entering a brand new sport. They don’t have any trophy-related goals to achieve. So much of their focus this season is on getting better within the sport and themselves.
“[A goal I have is] truly just feeling confident in myself, despite how many matches I win or lose,” junior Kendall Pridgen said.
Roberts shares her goals for the team and wants to have things to look forward to throughout the season, her positivity for the girls will only lead to a strong bonded team.
“The thing I look forward to most is watching the girls learn, gain confidence and surpass their own expectations of themselves.
This new team brings new interest to the sport, as many of these girls are wrestling for the first time. Sophomore Allison Davis shares how she is feeling going into her first time on a wrestling team ever.
“I’ve never been on a wrestling team before but I’ve always wanted to, I think it is going really well and I’m learning a lot from it,” Davis said.
Many of the girls share a common feeling going into the season. Excited for what’s to come, but ready for whatever they must overcome.
“I’m excited going into this season and I can’t wait to see where I get this year,” Cagle said.
With this season coming in hot, watch out for these fierce girls. Come out and support these girls while they have ultimate takedowns.