18 | sports/ the standard / feb. 2020
Making History wrestling team welcomes first female wrestler
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Sophomore Hannah Glynn wraps her arms around her opponent trying to tackle her to the ground
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inning her opponent to the ground, sophomore Hannah Glynn waits for the referee’s whistle to blow making her the winner of the match. Glynn said she began her wrestling career back in seventh grade when she joined the middle school wrestling program at Aubry Bend. However, when high school rolled around she was unable to wrestle due to the program being all male. Head wrestling coach Cody Parks said he kept Glynn in the loop about the process of creating a girls program. Last year, the district approved a girls wrestling program to be implemented throughout the district. Glynn said she jumped at the opportunity. “I needed a break from competing in CrossFit,” Glynn said. “And this was the first year that they were doing girls wrestling. Everything just kind of lined up with the break I was taking from competing and [the] new program.” Glynn said her parents were at first hesitant of her wrestling because it was all boys and did not want her to get hurt. But, after the girls program was introduced, they were supportive of her decision. Glynn said she enjoys the practices after school and said the team was very welcoming, making her feel like a part of the team.
“It’s like anything, you look around and don’t see, you know, faces like yours,” Parks said. “It’s always tough … she doesn’t see a ton of girls around [and] that is a tough situation, but I think it’s more of... the guys work and she works to have those relationships. And so I see more of her relationships like individually with the people that are helping her.” Glynn said she was at first nervous to join the team and didn’t know what it would be like. She said she often talks to the team’s female managers and is more close with them. “[The boys are] of course stronger and it’s I guess a little awkward because they don’t know what they can and can’t do,” Glynn said. “And they don’t know whether to go easy on me or go hard on me.” One of Glynn’s teammates sophomore Andrew Farrell said having Glynn on the team has not reallychanged the dynamic. “I don’t work with her but, I have other friends on the team that do and, she’s just really strong and she can basically hang with all the guys and match their competitiveness and all that stuff.”
