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Last fall, Eastern York athletic director Matt Fanelli saw an opportunity too good to pass up. A handful of students approached him with the idea of starting up a girls wrestling program.
Fanelli figured the interest warranted pushing for the establishment of a team, but the timeline was too short for their original plan of having it set up for the 2024-25 season. He only needed a few months to get plans in motion. Eastern York's school board voted unanimously in favor of establishing the team during its April 15 meeting.
"This is a process that's been in the works and really took off this year, but there's been some interest at the youth level among girls as the sport itself has taken off over the last few years," Fanelli said. "They actually wanted to do it this year, and I had to tell them unfortunately we can't make it that quick, but we can definitely look at what we can do this year and then start the process of getting a sport in and start those conversations."
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Girls wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Participation nationwide jumped 102 percent between the 2021-22 and 2023-24 years, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations. Just this winter, the PIAA hosted its second girls state wrestling tournament.
Eastern York is now one of the latest schools to join the growing trend. It will be the 11th school in the YAIAA and the 62nd in District 3 to sanction the sport. While some of the groundwork must be laid, such as hiring an official coach, Fanelli and the board anticipate the team kicking off their inaugural season next winter.
The prime benefit from the wait between fall and spring was that the school was able to gauge interest among students. The Golden Knights provided a space for girls wrestling alongside the boys through this latest winter season, but in a club capacity. While preparations were made during winter, a handful of girls wrestlers were able to practice in the middle school three days per week.
At any point, the Golden Knights would have anywhere between five to nine wrestlers in practice at a time, practicing on the mats and sparring with each other in an open mat setting.
"I give tons of credit to the girls that came in this year and did it on a club level, knowing that they didn't actually have a team in place," Fanelli said. "They've been doing it prior, but I think there are girls that are going to come out, and now that it's an established program they know that they're going to be with other girls."
Fanelli also believes the establishment of the girls team will spur further interest at the youth level. The school district already has a sizeable number of girls participating in youth wrestling, but a high school team will give them further reason to stick with the sport.
Aside from the PIAA's recent moves to promote girls wrestling throughout the state, Fanelli also believes the YAIAA's recent establishment of the league wrestling tournament will also further grow the sport in the district. The girls on the team will not only have an opportunity to compete for a league title, but also to reach for an appearance at states alongside a growing contingent of other girls wrestlers within the area.
"We had, from what I believe, 10 girls that were in our youth program this year," Fanelli said. "So, to give them something to look forward to and something to work towards, so that by the time they get to high school, they know that the opportunity is going to be there for them."
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Eastern York school board approves formation of girls wrestling team
Continue reading...
Fanelli figured the interest warranted pushing for the establishment of a team, but the timeline was too short for their original plan of having it set up for the 2024-25 season. He only needed a few months to get plans in motion. Eastern York's school board voted unanimously in favor of establishing the team during its April 15 meeting.
"This is a process that's been in the works and really took off this year, but there's been some interest at the youth level among girls as the sport itself has taken off over the last few years," Fanelli said. "They actually wanted to do it this year, and I had to tell them unfortunately we can't make it that quick, but we can definitely look at what we can do this year and then start the process of getting a sport in and start those conversations."
YAIAA Boys Tennis: Top seeds, pairings announced for YAIAA boys tennis tournament
YAIAA Softball: Division titles, District 3 spots up for grabs as YAIAA softball enters final weeks
Girls wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Participation nationwide jumped 102 percent between the 2021-22 and 2023-24 years, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations. Just this winter, the PIAA hosted its second girls state wrestling tournament.
Eastern York is now one of the latest schools to join the growing trend. It will be the 11th school in the YAIAA and the 62nd in District 3 to sanction the sport. While some of the groundwork must be laid, such as hiring an official coach, Fanelli and the board anticipate the team kicking off their inaugural season next winter.
The prime benefit from the wait between fall and spring was that the school was able to gauge interest among students. The Golden Knights provided a space for girls wrestling alongside the boys through this latest winter season, but in a club capacity. While preparations were made during winter, a handful of girls wrestlers were able to practice in the middle school three days per week.
At any point, the Golden Knights would have anywhere between five to nine wrestlers in practice at a time, practicing on the mats and sparring with each other in an open mat setting.
"I give tons of credit to the girls that came in this year and did it on a club level, knowing that they didn't actually have a team in place," Fanelli said. "They've been doing it prior, but I think there are girls that are going to come out, and now that it's an established program they know that they're going to be with other girls."
Fanelli also believes the establishment of the girls team will spur further interest at the youth level. The school district already has a sizeable number of girls participating in youth wrestling, but a high school team will give them further reason to stick with the sport.
Aside from the PIAA's recent moves to promote girls wrestling throughout the state, Fanelli also believes the YAIAA's recent establishment of the league wrestling tournament will also further grow the sport in the district. The girls on the team will not only have an opportunity to compete for a league title, but also to reach for an appearance at states alongside a growing contingent of other girls wrestlers within the area.
"We had, from what I believe, 10 girls that were in our youth program this year," Fanelli said. "So, to give them something to look forward to and something to work towards, so that by the time they get to high school, they know that the opportunity is going to be there for them."
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Eastern York school board approves formation of girls wrestling team
Continue reading...
