SPOKANE, Wash. – For the first time in the history of the Greater Spokane League, a girls double-dual wrestling match was held.
A double-dual, a meet in which four teams compete in two head-to-head matchups, has never been possible before now, but with girl’s wrestling rapidly growing, those times have changed.
This event, hosted by Rogers, welcomed in Cheney, Quincey and Eastmont.
“A lot has changed since I first started wrestling,” Cheney wrestler Jalisca Holmgren said. “I couldn’t even have imagined having a dual like this when I first started, so it’s just really cool to see that this is happening now.”
“I’m excited for the competition and the new faces I’m going to see out there and the different girl’s teams,” Rogers wrestler Jaelynn Luna said. “Because they’ve really grown a lot so there’s new girls out there, new competition, and just new skills I’m going to learn.”
Rogers and Cheney have only had wrestling programs for a few short seasons, but they see the growth as palpable and tremendous as ever.
“I think every year, they gain more confidence as a team, the teams grow bigger, it legitimizes the sport for them more,” Cheney head coach Jeremy McGee said. “And it just allows them to feel more like they’re a part of the community of wrestling.”
Tonight’s event saw girls of a wide range of weight classes wrestle, creating plenty opportunities for girls who want to join and compete.
Rogers head coach Whitney Bowerman tells us her pitch to continue the rapid recruitment.
“Wrestling is hard, but you guys can do hard things, and do hard things just like the boys can,” Bowerman said. “It’ll show you how strong you can be, not just physically but mentally as well.”
“I think it’s super cool that there’s more girls wrestling every year,” Cheney wrestler Jenny Tian said. “And the competition gets tougher and tougher and I think I know it makes me better.”
Rogers hosts another tournament tomorrow morning, hosting 32 boys teams and a 16-team girl’s bracket.
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