The roar of the crowd grows louder as  two female wrestlers lock each other in fearsome pins on a sweat-tainted mat, showing their courage and strength. But beyond the  pins and brutal grapples, women’s wrestling is redefining limits beyond the spotlight–inspiring new generations of wrestlers, breaking current gender norms, and proving that the sport is more than just about winning–it’s about empowerment.

Women’s wrestling is currently the fastest growing high-school sport in the nation. Previously being a sidelined spectacle with only 804 members in 1994, the sport has now risen to over 50,000 wrestlers, establishing the female wrestlers as fierce competitors in the high school athletic world. The sport has continued to grow in importance, with its introduction in the 2004 Olympics, exponentially increasing its popularity within female athletes, challenging any biased stereotypes and highlighting the talents and skills of these athletes.

In addition to breaking gender norms, female wrestling serves as a means to empower and inspire a new generation of female athletes. Junior Keira Bacas believes that wrestling is great for self-positivity. “Wrestling helps a lot with your self-confidence and empowerment,” Bacas said. “[It also] promotes body positivity and self-empowerment, encouraging women to embrace their strength and abilities.” Bacas’ ideology is definitely shared, with freshman Sophia Kievernagel having similar views. “The importance of female wrestling is to show that girls can be stronger than boys and that not everything is a boys’ [sport].”

A common theme in joining the team shared among many of the female wrestlers is the desire to learn self-defense and prove others wrong. Sophomore Peyton Anthony expressed how one of the main motives for joining the team was to explore a new version of herself.  “To be honest, I used to be picked on so I just joined wrestling as a way to find something new in myself,” Anthony said. “I wanted to explore a sport that’s not really normalized in the female population, where people say it’s something we can’t do, and kind of proving them wrong.” Sophomore Betsy Polanco also shares similar views, wanting to change society’s general view on what women can do and their “limits.” “It’s important to let everyone know that the female gender can compete in rough sports, especially in such a popular up-and-coming sport,” Polanco said.

The next big goal for the Phoenix female wrestling team is to get more members as the years progress. Sophomore Layla Saib is dedicated to growing the team before she graduates. “We are a very dedicated team and we are at practices for all five days of the week,” Saib said. “I know some girls might be intimidated as wrestling can be seen as a male-dominated sport, but I really hope that Rock Ridge is able to attract more female wrestlers. This year, there were only around five of us, and I feel like more people should at least come and try the sport as they don’t know how impactful it can be for them.” Saib also expresses that, even though the commitment might be large, the experiences you gain and the lessons you learn is something that you will take for the rest of your life.  

Female wrestling is a rapidly growing sport across the nation, and for good reason. It empowers women to prove societal stereotypes wrong and excel. Even when the final whistle blows and the wrestlers shake hands, the match is never truly over for the female wrestlers. It continues with every barrier they break, young girls they inspire, and stereotypes they shatter.