In past years, boys have predominantly made up the Conestoga wrestling team. While a handful of girls join the team each season, some students have set out to form their own team this year. With the help of Physical Education teacher James Moran, some girls who wrestled in previous years are trying to make a separate team.
While there is no minimum number of players required to create a team in Pennsylvania, the students hope to recruit about 10 wrestlers. Currently, the number of girls on the team is around five. The girls have put messages on the morning announcements and held meetings to advertise the new team.
Sophomore Kaelyn Cole has been wrestling for over two years, and joined the Conestoga team for the first time. She learned how to wrestle at Precision Jujitsu in King of Prussia, where she started doing martial arts. Cole was curious about the school team so she decided to focus more on wrestling, which is what made her want to join a girls’ wrestling team. While she is hoping to have more engagement, Cole believes there are reasons why many are hesitant.
“I think just the stigma around girls doing wrestling is still pretty prevalent,” Cole said. “But half of the struggle is just showing up. So once you join, it’s not as bad as it seems.”
Freshman Grace Stumpf played on the Valley Forge Middle School wrestling team when she was in eighth grade and now hopes for a girls team to form soon at Conestoga. Stumpf was one of the only girls on her previous wrestling team and is excited to be able to compete against other female players.
“It’s not as intimidating of a sport as you would think it is,” Stumpf said. “When you’re surrounded by the right people it’s a great experience.”
According to both Cole and Stumpf, this year’s team has a lot of potential with their strong team bond. Both players agree that the team values hardworking members, and with help from teammates, the Pioneers can get even better.
Cole believes that if you are willing to put in the effort then you will get the results you are hoping for. Cole finds that if s
omeone has an interest in a sport, they should try it out.
“I think everyone is super experienced, and there’s tons of great people we can learn from,” Cole said. “Even though it’s my first year doing school wrestling, I think that doesn’t mean you can’t join. It’s just how willing you are to commit to it, and I think if you put in the work, it will turn out good.”
Anvita Mohile can be reached at [email protected].
