Intrigued by the prospect of wrestling for the Justice High School team in Fairfax County, Virginia, Nicole Coimbra attended one of the scheduled tryout days last year. However, she quickly realized her aspirations would be short-lived.
During the 2023-24 school year, girls interested in joining the wrestling program had to be part of the boys鈥� team.
When her parents found out, they expressed their disapproval, discouraging her from joining the coed team, she said.
Junior Alae Houmane faced similar circumstances. Other coed teams don鈥檛 have many girls, so she was expecting to have to give up the sport, 鈥渂ecause I鈥檓 Muslim and we鈥檙e not allowed to touch the other gender.鈥�
But now, the two are members on one of Fairfax County鈥檚 newest sports offerings 鈥� a varsity girls鈥� wrestling team.
鈥淚t will encourage more people, because now we have our own space, so more girls will be encouraged to do the sport, try it out, see if they like it or not,鈥� Houmane said. 鈥淕uys have the opportunities, so should we.鈥�
Justice girls’ wrestling coach Benjamin Alvarado said the differences are minor. There鈥檚 only a slight change in uniform by a few inches in the neck area, he said, but the rules and times are largely the same. There are 12 weight classes, compared to the 14 boys鈥� weight classes.
At Justice High, Alvarado is expecting the team to have eight to 10 wrestlers. Some of those have been participating in the coed teams of the past.
鈥淭here are athletes in other sports that are finding it interesting now that it鈥檚 female only, now that they have the opportunity to compete with other females,鈥� Alvarado said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e anxious for that.鈥�
The team practices daily for two hours, starting with stretches before moving into a six-minute drill when they鈥檙e in stance. They focus on moves and strategy, and at the end of session, they do live wrestling.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really impressive that people are coming out,鈥� said senior Chloe Kowalczyk, who wrestled her brother during a recent practice. 鈥淚t provides more of a space for girls to come in.鈥�
Junior Dayana Meruvia, who was on the coed team, said the new opportunity is offering students the chance to learn and try a new sport.
鈥淣ow that we have girls to practice with, it definitely just provides a safer space for girls,鈥� she said.
The school division also added boys鈥� volleyball to its sports offerings this year. It鈥檚 part of an $800,000 expansion that includes funding for uniforms, equipment and facility upgrades, according to school board documents.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
漏 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
