Girl’s Wrestling: A New Frontier in High School Sports
Junior Kailee Burkhardt and Senior Bailey Theel watch another match during their December 14th (2019) meet.
February 21, 2019
There is a new sports team at Platteview this 2018-2019 school year. The girl’s wrestling team is part of a new initiative across Nebraska. It was started this year at Platteview, and it’s made a big impact. The team comprises of Freshman Haley Haack, Riley Zybert-May, Jaedyn Morley, Kailee Burkhardt, and Avery Bagwell; sophomores Mackenzie Johnson, Giavonna Harrison, Kylee Burkhart, and Britney Nolte; and Senior Bailey Theel. All Wrestling Coaches involved this year include: Coach Michael Bos, Coach Dustin Foutch, Coach Rob Pilcher, Coach Adam Jensen, and Coach Mandi Jensen.
According to Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling, “Wrestling has been the one of the fastest growing sports for girls in high school for a number of years.” In 1990, there were only 110 high school girls participating in Wrestling. Since, it has grown tremendously. In the 2016-2017 school year, there were 14,587 girls in High School Wrestling. That is an increase of 132%!
In Nebraska, there has been a big push for girls’ wrestling made by the NSAA (Nebraska School Activity Association). According to Michael Carnes of the Norfolk Daily News, “The first ever girls only bracket were wrestled in January of 2017, and since it’s been booming in popularity across the state. Now, more than half of all high schools with wrestling in the state have at least one girl Wrestling.
The team had a great time starting a brand new sport. For the coaches, it was a blast to work with the team. According to Coach Pilcher, “Their dedication, work effort, and never-quit attitude made for a fun year of wrestling.” Every day their goal was to improve their technique on the wrestling mat. The girls participated in their first meet at the Westpoint Beemer, where each wrestler won at least one match.
The team participated in a girls only dual last week – the first of its kind in Nebraska. However, their season is now over. They had a very successful inaugural season and the team is looking forward to the future, and hopefully being able to take a state title next year.