Wrestling Coach Michael DeLaVergne is adamant that wrestling is taught as one sport, regardless of gender.

“I don’t teach girls wrestling, I teach wrestling,” he said.

Most people used to consider wrestling a boy’s sport, but in this day and age more and more girls have been giving it a try.

According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, the number of women who wrestle in high school has grown from 804 in 1994 to over 11,496 in 2015.

Our wrestling team has also seen an increase in female athletes, with six of them on the varsity team this year.

Since DeLaVergne coaches wrestling as one sport, the guys and girls practice together.

“It’s a lot of conditioning, it’s a lot of fast muscle twitch, and getting them mentally ready just as much as physically,” Coach DeLaVergne said.

Athletes said that practicing together gives them the opportunity to learn a lesson in teamwork.

“We help each other out to make sure we understand everything,” junior Anevay Chacchia said.

Wrestlers said that teamwork isn’t the only lesson that the sport teaches them.

“It’s helped me put a more positive focus on life and help me strive to do better in everything,” junior Caroline Wilson said.

While wrestling teaches its athletes valuable lessons, it also promotes overcoming challenges.

“Life is about overcoming adversity and overcoming obstacles, and I think wrestling teaches that,” Coach DeLaVergne said.

Our athletes said that gender equality within the sport of wrestling has made our school’s team become more of a family.

“We’re all a big family and we get treated just the same as everybody else,” Wilson said.