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2016-2017 VA Girls High School Wrestling - End of Season Report

By Sara Bahoura, VAWA Women's Director, 02/07/17, 11:30AM EST

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The Virginia girls high school wrestling season experienced tremendous growth this year. While opportunities for girls to participate in the sport of wrestling continue to be through mixed gender teams and competitions, girls wrestling grew from a hydrated 165 in the 2015-2016 season, to 225 hydrated in this years’ 2016-2017 season. See appendix A. The first ever girls VHSL tournaments were also sanctioned this season. The first on the calendar was the Lady Devils tournament on Saturday Jan 14th, which was cancelled due to weather and referee conflicts. The event gathered attention from many schools and the host school had between 25-35 female wrestlers pre-confirmed for competition prior to the cancellation. Despite this setback, the larger event of the two, the First Annual Girls Championships, hosted by Skyline High School, attracted 52 girls who weighed in and wrestled their own gender. See Appendix B. Throughout the advertising and marketing process for these two events, we found that the biggest barrier to entry was the schools' competition calendar. If a school didn't plan to attend the girls VHSL tournament due to a coinciding boy's event, the female(s) on the team traveled to the boys event instead. This occurred with many of our nationally ranked females or girls who have competed at USA Wrestling sanctioned girls events in past seasons. The growth of girls high school wrestling in other states garnered a lot of attention this season. Colorado (CHSAA) appointed a wrestling subcommittee in November to study the growth of girls wrestling with the goal of moving toward sanctioning. Colorado currently has 174 girls from 100 schools registered on trackwrestling.com. That is an increase of more than 50 girls from last year. Their first tournament during the 2017 seasons had 80 girls compete from 45 schools. Their announcement can be found at the following two links:

http://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/high-school/wrestling/2017/01/14/high-schoolgirls-wrestling/96577724/

http://chsaanow.com/2016-12-09/girls-wrestling-will-get-trial-run-girls-tournamentsseason/

Additionally, Illinois, Indiana, Oregon, Kansas and Nebraska have grass roots organizations that are working to put on a female events for high school girls. The Illinois wrestling coaches and officials organization will run a championship for the girls in March along side their IWCOA freshman/sophomore championships for boys.


http://norfolkdailynews.com/sports/girls-only-wrestling-getting-a-statewidepush/article_f25a1ca0-e311-11e6-ada7-bbfcb4dd8e25.html

http://www.wthr.com/article/champions-crowned-at-inaugural-indiana-high-school-girlswrestling-state-finals

https://www.facebook.com/IllinoisGirlsWrestling/photos/p.10154791740031328/10154791740031328/?type=3&theater

http://takedownwrestle.com/uncategorized/if-your-state-does-not-sponsor-sanctionedwomens-high-school-wrestling-it-should/

 

Girls wrestling has been named year after year by the NHSSA as the fastest growing sport in the nation. Virginia, in comparison to the hydration numbers in states that do not have girls wrestling as a sanctioned official sport, is a leader in numbers and growth.

Next up for Virginia’s female wrestlers:
2nd Annual VAWA's Virginia Girls State Championships. This elementary, middle school, and high school state tournament for girls had 85 participants in 2016. Our goal for 2017 is between 100-120 female competitors. Click Here for more information on the 2nd Annual Virginia Girl's State Championships.

We look forward to working with VHSL and providing more opportunities for girls to wrestle girls in Virginia.

Sara fulp allen07 thumb

Sara Bahoura
VAWA Women’s Director

 

Appendix A
2016-2017 Females Hydrated
Team; Count of Hydrated Females
Alleghany, VA 1
B. T. Washington, VA 2
Bethel, VA 1
Bluestone High School, VA 1
Buffalo Gap, VA 1
Caroline, VA 1
Central (Wise), VA 1
Chantilly, VA 1
Charlottesville, VA 1
Chatham, VA 2
Chilhowie, VA 2
Churchland, VA 1
Clover Hill, VA 2
Colonial Forge, VA 1
Colonial Heights, VA 2
Cosby, VA 1
Courtland, VA 1
Culpeper County, VA 8
Dominion, VA 1
E. C. Glass, VA 1
East Rockingham, VA 1
Eastern View, VA 1
Fairfax, VA 1
Falls Church, VA 1
Floyd County, VA 1
Floyd E. Kellam, VA 1
Fort Defiance, VA 4
Franklin County, VA 2
Franklin, VA 1
Freedom (South Riding), VA 1
Freedom (Woodbridge), VA 1
George C. Marshall, VA 7
George Wythe (Wytheville), VA 2
Gloucester, VA 2
Grafton, VA 1
Grassfield, VA 1
Grayson County, VA 1
Halifax County, VA 2
Hampton, VA 2
Hayfield, VA 3
Hermitage, VA 3
Highland Springs, VA 2
Holston, VA 2
Honaker, VA 4
Hopewell, VA 1
James Madison, VA 3
James W. Robinson, VA 3
James Wood, VA 1
John Handley, VA 8
John I. Burton, VA 2
John Marshall, VA 2
John Randolph/ Tucker, VA 5
Kecoughtan, VA 1
King George, VA 1
Lake Braddock, VA 1
Lancaster, VA 2
Landstown, VA 3
Lee- Davis, VA 1
Lloyd C. Bird, VA 1
Loudoun County, VA 2
Loudoun Valley, VA 1
Manassas Park, VA 1
Manchester, VA 1
Mathews, VA 1
Maury, VA 1
Menchville, VA 2
Middlesex, VA 1
Mills E. Godwin, VA 1
Mountain View, VA 1
New Kent, VA 2
North Stafford, VA 2
Northumberland, VA 3
Northwood, VA 2
Norview, VA 1
Nottoway, VA 3
Oakton, VA 1
Ocean Lakes, VA 1
Osbourn Park, VA 2
Osbourn, VA 1
Oscar Smith, VA 4
Page County, VA 3
Park View (Sterling), VA 1
Patrick County, VA 3
Patrick Henry (Ashland), VA 2
Patrick Henry (Glade Spring), VA 1
Poquoson, VA 1
Prince George, VA 3
Princess Anne, VA 1
Riverside, VA 1
Robert E. Lee (Springfield), VA 1
Robert E. Lee (Staunton), VA 1
Rock Ridge, VA 2
Rockbridge County, VA 1
Rustburg, VA 1
Salem (Virginia Beach), VA 2
Sherando, VA 1
Skyline, VA 1
South County, VA 4
South Lakes, VA 2
Spotsylvania, VA 1
Stafford, VA 1
Stonewall Jackson (Manassas), VA 1
Stonewall Jackson (Quicksburg), VA 3
Stuarts Draft, VA 1
T. C. Williams, VA 5
Tabb, VA 4
Tazewell, VA 1
Thomas Edison, VA 1
Thomas Jefferson Science & Technology, VA 1
Tuscarora, VA 4
Union, VA 3
Warren County, VA 2
Warwick, VA 2
Washington & Lee (Montross), VA 1
West Potomac, VA 1
Westfield, VA 4
William Fleming, VA 1
William Monroe, VA 1
Windsor, VA 2
Woodgrove, VA 1
Woodside, VA 2
York, VA 1
Yorktown, VA 1
Grand Total 225


Appendix B
First Annual VHSL Girls Championships - Participants
School Participated; Count of Female Wrestlers
Chantilly 1
Culpeper County 5
Dominion 1
Falls Church 1
Fort Defiance 1
Freedom (South Riding) 1
George C. Marshall 7
George Wythe (Wytheville) 1
Gloucester 1
Hampton 1
Hayfield 2
Honaker 1
John Handley 5
Kellam 1
Landstown 1
Menchville 1
Mountain View 1
New Kent 2
North Stafford 1
Osbourn Park 2
Patrick Henry 1
Randolph Macon Academy 2
Riverside 1
Rock Ridge 2
Rustburg 1
Sherando 1
Skyline 1
South County 1
T. C. Williams 1
Tuscarora 2
Warren County 1
Woodside 1
Grand Total 52