Green Canyon HS girls wrestling team prepares for new season
LOGAN, Utah — In the past several years, girls’ wrestling has become more prevalent throughout Northern Utah. Since the state of Utah decided to get it sanctioned as a sport, most high schools have started a team!
This is Green Canyon High School’s third year for girls’ wrestling. Head coach Mindy Blake is starting her second season with the girls and brought on assistant coach Sienna Stocking this year. Coach Blake has already seen her team double, with an initial seven girls increasing to seventeen this year.
Most people know wrestling as a body-centered sport, focusing on cutting weight and starving oneself, but that is not what Coach Blake teaches. “We wrestle healthy, so we don’t cut weight,” she explained, “We instead teach the girls how to eat healthily and to appreciate what their body can do for them.” Because teenage girls already can have body positivity issues, the coaches are highly aware of how they talk about their bodies. Coach Blake highlights that the girls can accomplish things they’ve never imagined before, and their body allows that.
Blake has seen the positive changes wrestling has brought for many girls. She explained that frequently, at the beginning of the season, girls will be wearing baggy clothing and hold themselves with insecurity. But as they learn how powerful they are, they gain confidence in the way they move and how they dress. “They find a pride in themselves that doesn’t have anything to do with losing weight,” Blake explained, “They are finding what their body can do for them, and they become proud of it!”
While the girls experience physical changes with growing strength and muscle, the coaches also prioritize developing mentally. “I believe that mental toughness and discipline are some of the most vital things to becoming successful athletes and individuals,” explained Coach Stocking. Coach Blake recounted one of her favorite stories last year that highlighted what these girls could accomplish: Before a tournament in Tooele, Blake had the girls do a lot of thought work. Sitting on the mats, they wrote down positive affirmations and zeroed in on the good they are as young women. They uplifted one another as they highlighted all the positives. At the tournament, every single one of the girls placed. “I fully believe it was because they were all in such a good mindset. It was an incredible moment to witness,” said Blake.
As with every season in this newly sanctioned sport, the girls will break records and reach new heights this year. “I just want people to know that wrestling isn’t just ‘cutting weight,’” said Blake, “It is so much more than that. There are girls all over this Valley who succeed and do things they never thought possible.” Coach Blake hopes that everyone in the Valley will be able to attend at least one girls’ wrestling dual this season and see history being made.
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