3 minute read
Girls join
from February 2020
Sophomore Camila del Cid, freshman Scarlette Maier and freshman Saba Fajors practice Jan. 29. They competed in their own division for the first time this year. “Since I was new, I really had no idea what to expect,” del Cid said. “I walked in for the first time to wrestling for open gyms before the season started. Then, one of the seniors taught me the basics.” (Photo by Ginger Schulte)
GIRLS JOIN LADUE WRESTLING TEAM
Advertisement
New MSHSAA rule introduces individual girls wrestling league
27 LADUEPUBLICATIONS.COM SPORTS KIRAN VARADACHARI staff writer T he whistle rings throughout the wrestling room, and sophomore wrestler Camila del Cid is off. She immediately scans her male opponent and looks for a way to attack. Her feet quickly dance around the mat; she knows there is no room for her to look weak in the eyes of her opponent. While her approach to the match remains the same, there is one difference from last year: she – along with her teammates freshmen Scarlette Maier and Saba Fajors – is competing in the first-ever season of girls wrestling for Ladue.
Girls wrestling, a sport that became sanctioned by the Missouri State High School Activities Association before the start of the 2018–19 school year, made its way to Ladue through the additions of del Cid, Maier and Fajors. Together, these rising athletes look to grow the sport for future generations of fellow female wrestlers.
“I think it’s important for the development of girls sports because wrestling is seen as more of a guys sport,” del Cid said. “It’s really rough, which is why it gets that reputation. Showing girls that they can put themselves out there is one of the biggest improvements. It allows girls to show that they can do things that boys can do.”
Although this is the first time that female wrestlers at Ladue have had their own division to compete in, the Ladue wrestling program has had girls participate in the past. “Females [have] had the opportunity to wrestle with us all the time,” varsity wrestling head coach Kevin Clawson said. “This year, we were able to start the program. Those girls that previously participated gave our current female wrestlers the opportunity. Hopefully, the three girls that wrestle now can do the same for incoming female wrestlers on a much wider scale.”
While girls compete in a separate division than boys on match day, a typical practice at Ladue contains all peoples, regardless of gender. These athletes strive to train with each other, play against each other and ultimately better each other. “The coed team has worked really well,” Maier said. “It seems different from some other schools because they have separate teams. Trying to work with the guys definitely helps. I feel like it makes me a better wrestler, and I’ve made a lot of friends.”
Working with the opposite gender may seem difficult in the realm of sports. For the female wrestlers on this team, though, this was normal.
“The fact that it was a guys sport predominantly didn’t bother me because I grew up playing with guys,” Maier said. “I played football.” The culmination of backgrounds and determination allows these girls to compete in wrestling and also in the outside world.
“It’s a very tough sport, but having grit and toughness helps,” Clawson said. “It’s a mixture of mental [strength], physical [strength] and techniques. They have what it takes to be great wrestlers. I couldn’t ask for a better core of people to grow this sport, not only for themselves, but also for all female athletes around the world.”
the cost of fast fashion the cost of fast fashion
