Sanctioned: Wrestling becomes Iowa's 11th girls sport

By Audrey Posten, Times-Register

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) Board of Directors has voted unanimously to sanction girls wrestling as the organization’s 11th sport. The vote was made at IGHSAU’s Jan. 12 board of directors meeting and announced prior to the championship round of the IWCOA Girls State Wrestling Tournament on Jan. 22. The first IGHSAU-sanctioned season will take place during the 2022-2023 school year.

“We think there’s a great foundation in place for the success of this sport and we intend to fully support these Iowa girls as they continue their pursuit of championships,” said IGHSAU Executive Director Jean Berger in a press release. “As the sanctioning process unfolded, the board was able to quickly approve this new opportunity for our girls and schools across the state. The increase in participation, the growth in youth wrestling and the willingness of our schools to commit to the sport all factored into this decision.”

The news was welcome at MFL MarMac and Central, who are among the 185 Iowa schools where girls are participating in high school wrestling.

Bulldog junior Kadence Pape was on the mat when the announcement was made.

“All the girls were going crazy,” she recalled. “It was awesome to be part of that moment. I’ll never forget it.”

“On the big screen, it said ‘girl power’ and pink lights were lit up all over,” added Central freshman Reese Berns. “There are no words to really describe how you felt.”

Central coach Joe Koehn called the news a relief.

“A lot of people throughout the entire state have been working their tails off to get to this point, and it has finally happened. It just goes to show what kind of passion the state of Iowa has for wrestling and what it is willing to do to make sure everybody gets a chance,” he said.

“I like to think of it as a labor of love,” shared MFL MarMac coach Brent Pape.

Wrestling is just the first sport sanctioned by the IGHSAU since bowling was added in 2007. MFL MarMac coach Travis Johnson attributed it to the state’s status as a wrestling powerhouse.

“That spring boarded the sport to get sanctioned faster than any other sport,” he commented. “The support and the love and the backing and the complete understanding that Iowa has for wrestling, that’s why it’s come to fruition so fast.”

Although he was initially frustrated the IGHSAU didn’t sanction the sport right away, Koehn admits delaying the inevitable was a good thing.

“It gave it time to grow,” he quipped.

The wrestlers themselves have experienced the sport’s growth. 

K. Pape has wrestled since middle school, when boys were the only competition, and watched the number of participants at the girls state tournament grow exponentially over three years.

“It was huge this year—seniors to freshmen, there were so many girls. My freshman year, it was definitely not that big. It just feels like everyone is like, ‘Go girl!’ They are there for it and pushing for girls sanctioned wrestling. They wanted to be heard,” she said. “It’s definitely different from my seventh grade year, wrestling with the boys. It feels like we have our own sport now and we’re not just hanging in there.”

Berns has wrestled for five years, and didn’t have the opportunity to compete against girls until the end of her second year, at AAU Girls State. Now, she’s able to participate in all-girls tournaments and meets.

“I really appreciate the coaches for taking us to all the girls meets because it helped a lot. It really showed us how big girls wrestling is becoming,” she said.

When she started wrestling two years ago as a freshman, Central’s Rebecca Suhr recalled seeing few girls on opposing teams.

“My freshman year, I think I wrestled two girls the whole season. Now, we will only wrestle girls,” she said.

She appreciated the learning experiences wrestling the guys provided, but feels the sport might be more appealing to women now.

“Some people don’t like wrestling guys,” she admitted.

The coaches said they’ve seen the level of competition rise with improved technique and training and more opportunities for females to wrestle other females.

At last year’s state tournament, Johnson noted all the pins and head locks. “This year, you got to the quarterfinal round and there were not very many falls. A lot of those girls who won a couple matches and started running into some tough competition, it was real. These girls weren’t slouches,” he said.

He could see the improvement from knowing just a couple moves and utilizing falls, to now wrestling full, six-minute matches and winning by narrow margins.

Koehn agreed. “Over the years, it has progressively moved on to more offensive shots like Sweeps, Hi-C’s, Doubles, Fireman’s Carry. It’s really nice to see,” he said. “I know that is what I have been having my girls work on, and they all have become very successful with it. Also, with the increased competition, our girls have gotten a lot better because of it.”

“The playing field is so level,” added B. Pape. “It’s amazing how equal the sport can be for everybody as you get those weight classes set.”

The IGHSAU intends to follow the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) wrestling rules and guidelines. The next steps in this process include meeting with an appointed IGHSAU wrestling advisory committee this winter to finalize details for the roll-out year, including format for the season, classification system, weight classes and postseason/tournament details.

At this early stage, B. Pape said it’s hard to know what a sanctioned season will look like.

“I do know, for us, our girls have done well in the high school wrestling room. The boys have accepted them, they’re giving them shout outs when they are at these tournaments. Our community has always been super supportive. I don’t see any of that changing. Hopefully just growing,” he said. “To me, getting some more friends around them would be great.”

Koehn stated combining with another district might seem attractive for a team and practice partner aspect, but Central plans to see what the state comes out with for regulations and guidelines. 

“I am very excited to see where things go. Changes will happen, but I like change. It means progress is being made and that this wrestling team is making strides. Being docile and stagnant is boring,” he said.

According to Johnson, the state waited patiently to look at the blueprint from Missouri and other states who have already sanctioned girls wrestling, to find out what works and doesn’t work. They didn’t want to sanction the sport too early. 

“I think it’s in good hands,” he said. “It gives these females another option to have a sport that’s recognized, especially when they go to a state tournament, they get recognized for their hard work and participation.”

For the wrestlers, being part of the inaugural, history-making season is an exciting prospect.

“I think it’s awesome it happened my junior year and not my senior year, so I get to see where it starts off,” said K. Pape.

“It’s pretty exciting to know we are the history of wrestling at MFL MarMac, that we’re starting it,” remarked freshman Mackenzie Bachman.

Berns feels the same at Central. 

“We are the first girls at our school to be a part of it, and I am really hoping more girls come out just to see if they like it. It’s a really fun and amazing sport,” she said.

Bachman and K. Pape hope to hold a small wrestling camp to stimulate interest at MFL MarMac.

“I hope to talk to the student body more once we know the details of girls sanctioned wrestling. Just put the idea in their minds: ‘Hey, we can do this. We don’t have to be in there with the boys,’” K. Pape said.

“I feel a lot of girls overlook wrestling and see it differently than how we feel,” Bachman added. “We’d like to explain how it is in our eyes.”

For the Central athletes, wrestling has become an important part of their lives. 

Senior Brandy Beatty called it the hardest sport she’s ever done, both mentally and physically. 

“Although I only wrestled for two years, I gained skills such as discipline, accountability and competitive spirit,” she said. “I think other girls should give this sport a try because it truly is for everyone no matter  body type, weight or height. Most importantly, wrestling is fun and the team becomes family.”

“This sport has really helped improve me for all the other sports I do,” added Berns. “It gets you in shape and also builds your strength.”

Suhr likes that she gets to wrestle for herself.

“When you are out on that mat, it’s you and your opponent, and you count on yourself and no one else,” she said. “It’s a very individual sport, but team sport at the same time, which is the part I love.”

“It pushes me mentally and physically, and I love the physical part of it because it relieves my stress. You have to use all the muscle in your body to break them down, hip toss them or pick them up,” she continued.

Freshman Kimberly Suhr, who credited her coaches for helping instill a love for the sport, said it’s her favorite.

“Wrestling next year will be very interesting and exciting for all of us. I think girls should definitely go out because you learn so much. And my team is always there for me on and off the mat,” she shared. “If girls are nervous and feeling like they wouldn’t fit with this sport, or are embarrassed, go out. You will not regret it.”