In a sport traditionally dominated by boys, the presence of girls on high school wrestling teams has become increasingly common, though still rare. Across the country, female athletes are challenging long-standing gender norms and proving that strength and determination are not defined by gender. Yet, despite these shifts, many of these girls still face challenges, from skepticism to unfair treatment, as they look to mark their place in a sport that is normally seen as off-limits for them.
Amelia Guimond ’28 is not unfamiliar with this struggle. As one of the two girls on the Staples wrestling team this year, she reflects on the difficulty of making connections with her team, especially the boys.
“I felt a bit out of place, especially when the other girl wasn’t there. I didn’t really connect with [the boys] as fast,” Guimond said.
While the wrestling community at Staples is supportive, Guimond admits there were challenges along the way. At first her mother disapproved because of the potential injuries involved. Later, she noticed some subtle discrimination toward girls on other teams, although not from the boys on her own team.
“There was slight discrimination towards some of the girls that I noticed in a lot of the teams with girls,” Guimond said.
Despite the hurdles she has faced, she has stayed motivated. She admits to the physical challenge of practices, but pushes through it by continuing to be positive.
“If someone else can do it, I can too,” she said.
Along with keeping a good attitude, Guimond has also had help from people she can look up to. This support mainly comes from the other girl on the team, Angela Dellorusso ’26, who is a role model for Guimond.
“She’s super tough, and she’s who I go to when I have problems inside and outside of wrestling,” Guimond said.
In many male-dominated sports across the country, girls are starting to get more involved. According to FloWrestling, the number of girls participating in wrestling in U.S. high schools from the 2021-22 to 2022-23 school years increased by 16%. This trend has continued since then, with Guimond noticing this increase at Staples as well.
“There’s definitely more girls this year than there were last year, but I think some of the guys in the sport need to accept that there are going to be more girls wrestling,” Guimond said.
As a freshman and first-year wrestler, she regrets not being as big of a role model for younger girls to join more male-dominated sports. However, she strives to have a bigger impact on inspiring girls next year, and to get more girls to join the team.
“I’m definitely going to try [to influence more girls to join the team],” Guimond said. “I don’t know if I’m gonna be too successful, but it’s worth a shot.”
