“I love wrestling. My son wrestled, and as a law enforcement officer, I worked most of the games,” says Sergeant Lisa Ellington of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.
It was this passion for the sport that inspired Ellington to serve as a coach for the Girl’s Wrestling team, which was first introduced here at CHS this school year. “I don’t know much about wrestling,” Ellington admits, “but I’m learning with the girls.”
According to Principal Eddy, there have always been Carrollton girls that have taken part in wrestling, but it was only just this past spring that the Ohio High School Athletic Association made it an official state sport. “Before that, there was Girl’s Wrestling, but the Coaches Association ran it, and they had their own state tournament, but it wasn’t an official state sport,” Eddy says. “So now that it is, we just wanted to see how many girls would want to do it.”
The team, as of now, consists of only 10 girls, according to Ellington. But despite low numbers, Principal Eddy remains positive and supportive of the program, even expressing hopes that a junior high team will be established sometime in the near future. “Hopefully, [the girls] all come back, and maybe some junior high girls will see what they’re doing and will want to do it.”
But regardless of the future or even the success of Girl’s Wrestling here at CHS, it is clear that finally having their own official team means a lot to the girls participating. For Junior Raygen Speelman, it means being able to be a part of a sport she’s always felt a strong connection to. It also means being able to show others that girls can do anything boys can do. “If boys can wrestle, so can girls,” she says.
For Freshman Cara Foster, wrestling is, in her words, “an outlet.” Additionally, she feels that wrestling “helps girls that have nothing to do after school or have bad home situations.” Senior Austin Hoobler says, “It toughens you up…It makes you stronger as a person in general.”
Still, wrestling has not come without its challenges. Speelman identified “the things people say” about girls participating in the sport as one of her biggest struggles. She asserts that “a lot of people have rude comments about Girls Wrestling.” Isabella Nuzzolillo, a Freshman and team captain, has said that one of her greatest challenges has been going up against girls who are a lot bigger than her. Ellington also affirms that competing with individuals outside of your weight class can be very difficult. “It’s the toughest sport out there in high school,” she adds.
But despite facing various setbacks, it is clear that these girls find the sport incredibly rewarding. “I have good relationships with all my teammates, and I guess they all think I’m a very good leader to them,” Nuzzolillo states. Senior Penelope Menarcheck says that the team can “not only help women broaden their horizons with sports but also open up the eyes of other schools as well to maybe get them into it.”
Overall, the Girl’s Wrestling team has been a wonderful addition to the school, providing young women with opportunities they were once denied access to. As a school, we look forward to seeing all that the team accomplishes, as well as how it will continue to expand in the future.