The SVVSD Girls Wrestling team was first offered to students for a competitive season during the 2020-2021 school year, initially starting with six members.

Since then, the team has doubled in size and the girls have grown closer than ever before. Through the trials of starting a brand new “green” wrestling team, the girls developed strong relationships with each other and their coaches.

Wrestler Jenna Joseph (‘22) attends Longmont High School. She said, “I know that [my teammates and coaches] will always have my back and I will always have theirs.”

Kirsten Davis (‘23), an athlete at Mead High School, agreed. “We’re all very close,” she added. She said that even outside of the meets and practices of wrestling, the girls are there for each other.

As with other athletics, the support fostered within the team has created an environment that Longmont wrestler Via Adams (‘25) described as a “second family”.

All the hard work put into every practice session led to the girls finishing 5-0 in their first tournament of the season. Adams (‘25) initially went into the tournament feeling “insanely nervous”. 

“I thought I was going to do horribly,” she said. “But my teammates and coaches really brought me out of that state of mind, and I ended up winning both of my matches that day.”

With such an incredible start to the season, “both the team and the coaches are really excited about where we’ll be able to go [this year]”, said Mead athlete Frances Hudson (‘23).

Last season, two wrestlers on the team ended up qualifying for state, and Joseph (‘22) placed second overall. The team has continued on their path of success; just this past weekend they placed fifth out of 40 total teams at the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament.

Along with proving to be successful in tournaments, which is especially impressive for such a young team, athletes shared that overcoming the many mental and physical challenges of wrestling have taught them lessons they believe they wouldn’t have learned from any other experience.

The girls have learned everything from how to “push through the tough times”, according to Joseph (‘22), to the importance of hard work and how to “approach challenges with tenacity”, according to Hudson (‘23).

The impact wrestling has had on many of the girls has been a positive one.

This continues to be the only Girls Wrestling team in the district. They are still taking any new members who are interested.

Members need to have competed in five matches before qualifying for regionals, but beyond that, Davis (‘23) said “it would be awesome to see even more new people next semester”. No previous experience is required.

In order to pay for athletic expenses such as new warmup equipment and team travel, the team will be hosting fundraisers at the Firestone Zoup! and Qdoba locations. The collective goal is to raise $3,000.

Zoup! Girls Wrestling Spirit Night is on Jan. 7 from 5-8 p.m. (11169 E. I-25 Frontage Road, Firestone).

Qdoba Girls Wrestling Spirit Night is on Jan. 10 from 5-8 p.m. (11169 E. I-25 Frontage Road, Firestone).

In order for a purchase to count towards the fundraiser, customers must mention the district Girls Wrestling team. Please come out and support these amazing young women. Donations may also be made by contacting head coach and MHS Athletic Secretary, Rachel Salaz at [email protected].