The women’s wrestling is making a name for itself this year, not only at Benton Central but all over the state. With it being the second year as a sanctioned sport, it has helped reassure girls that it will be taken seriously. Most worries with girls wanting to join are having to wrestle the opposite gender or not having fitting singlets, but those are two fewer things to worry about, especially at BC. Girls in the state are given the choice of wrestling boys or girls, and only compete against that gender all year. Along with that, BC now has new women’s fitting senglits for every girl this year to ensure the comfort for each girl. This has been one of the many reasons contributing to the growth of women’s wrestling at BC. From ending last year with 6 girls to the team almost tripling in size to 15 girls, this is their season with 4 freshmen, 2 sophomores, 4 juniors, and 5 seniors.
Since October 20th, the team has been working hard after school, learning new moves and practicing drills as they prepare for their first tournament this weekend at Highland High School, featuring a total of 27 teams. The girls ran through a mock meet the weekend before. They weighed in and did skin checks just as they would in a real meet, then began wrestling. Matching up with teammates and wrestling real matches with the other girls cheering and shouting encouragement from the side as their teammates wrestled. Each girl was able to get good mat time and helped newer girls get a feel of how the meets will run during the season. Not only is the team excited, but many others to see how the program will grow and perform this year. Whether it’s their first time stepping on the mat or their 100th, each girl brings the same determination to win.
