The winter sports season is here, and there are many sports to choose from. While the average person might be tempted to pick basketball or swimming, girls’ wrestling is the fastest-growing sport in the country and is gaining recognition from many. Sophomore wrestler Gia Peters is one of the many who decided to add to the sport.
“I was originally going to do basketball, but I realized the sport wasn’t for me, so my dad encouraged me to wrestle,” Peters said.
The number of girls wrestling in the U.S has grown from about 800 to 50,000 since 1994. But girls wrestling isn’t just a way to stay active; it’s also one of the best ways to get a sports scholarship to college. Only 3.5 percent of girls who participate in high school wrestling currently compete at the collegiate level. However, scholarships are a lot easier to come by in a sport like wrestling than in a more common sport like soccer or softball. This is mainly because there are fewer people on the team. If there are fewer people, you are more likely to stand out to a college scout or recruiter.
“I’m going to try to wrestle in college,” Peters said. “I want to go to Iowa because it’s the best school for wrestling.”
Right now, women’s wrestling is not an NCAA-affiliated sport. However, it is on track to become one in 2026. Even without affiliation, there are still 146 college programs and 77 clubs available across the country.
A college scholarship isn’t the only thing you can gain from playing a sport.
“I didn’t have a lot of friends, being so shy and quiet, and wrestling helped me get out of my comfort zone and made me physically stronger and more confident,” said Peters.
The wrestling season started on Monday, Nov. 18. Competitions began in early December and will continue through the winter season.
Today women’s wrestling is well on its way to becoming a great sport for girls to get sports scholarships and to step outside their comfort zone. So next time you think about joining a sport or activity, women’s wrestling might just be the place for you.
