BEREA, Ohio — After the Ohio High School Athletic Association moved to make girls wrestling a state-sanctioned sport, schools around Ohio started putting together teams. At Berea-Midpark High School, a team of 10 girls have been pinned down and the interest is only growing.
If you ask the girls to describe the sport that is new to most of them, the answers will vary. Meredith Koons' response: Commitment. Mya Tucci: Accomplishing. Ally Williams: Empowering.
The words encompass what it means for the girls to have the opportunity to play the sport for themselves in a comfortable setting.
Senior Katerra Flakes knows how difficult it is because she's the one wrestler not new to the sport. Flakes competed on the boy's team until 10th grade when it grew more and more difficult being the only girl on the boy's team.
"I was wrestling 170-175 with the guys so it got hard," Flakes said. "It was honestly very rare to see a girl...I was kind of just like ‘Oh, I’m the only girl wrestler on the team, that’s how it is, it is what is is.'"
Flakes' experience is one shared by female wrestlers across the state for years, including Berea-Midpark's head coach Christina Schmidt.
"When I wrestled in high school, that was 2006-2009, I only saw one girl that I can remember at an Ohio tournament anywhere else that I was so it’s huge for them to have this opportunity," Schmidt said.
Once OSHAA moved to sanction the sport last year, things started to change. As it so happens—and to no one's real surprise—girls are interested in sports that have been deemed a "boys domain" for decades.
Flakes joined in the meeting about Berea-Midpark creating a team, excited to see if one would come to fruition at her school, and when there was notable interest decided to return to the sport. She was joined by eight other girls who play other sports as well. The girls on the team have backgrounds in softball, football, soccer and speed skating. Now, they're adding wrestling to their repertoire.
Girls like Tucci, who have found a new place to express themselves on the mats, are thrilled that the state created this opportunity for her and her teammates.
"Honestly it's like an outlet for me. Having this outlet, not only emotionally but physically, it's just amazing. It’s so nice to just have a place that you can be yourself and more," she said. 'Boys sports are always put first so to have this for our school is just amazing."
With their first season underway, Berea-Midpark already boasts two girls who are ranked in the state. Ally Williams, ranked No.18 at 140 and Deionna Borders ranked No. 12 at 235.
When the school began assembling a roster, Williams was unsure if the sport was really for her.
"I felt strong before but this unlocked a whole new part of me that I didn’t even know existed," Williams said. "I found my way up there [in the rankings] and I feel like I deserve it."
Borders, who plays center on the football team as well, was also on the fence about trying out the new sport but is happy she did now that she's competed.
"I didn’t think I would do this sport at first but then when I did it I realized I was good at it and it feels great," Borders said.
When Flakes wrestled with the boys squad, opportunities didn't seem great. But with a team of their own and a growing interest, she is hopeful that the sport that once seemed to have tightly sealed doors will have them opened for the next generation of female wrestlers.
"To see girls wrestling growing and to see different intensities of it, is very nice to see because people aren’t just talking about guys wrestling," Flakes said.
And for Coach Schmidt, she's focused on teaching the girls all about the sport that she's loved for years and shows how tight-knit their team can be.
"It's a lifestyle and it gives you your family," she said.
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