U.S. Congressional Wrestling Caucus Champions Women’s Wrestling
Washington, D.C. – – Wrestling builds leaders, and it was women’s wrestling being celebrated and discussed at the Rayburn House Office Building on Wednesday morning.
The Wrestle Like A Girl organization and USA Wrestling planned an ‘Empowering Girls to Lead Through Sport’ breakfast in cooperation with Congressman Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and the Bi-Partisan Congressional Wrestling Caucus. Dialogue centered on characteristics learned in wrestling applied to life, leadership, leveraging sport as a vehicle for socioeconomic mobility, and the need for legislative support in the efforts toward sanctioning girls wrestling in the 32 states without a championship.
The bi-partisan wrestling caucus was established in March 2019 through the stewardship of Captain Adam Chamie. Collectively, the caucus has pledged to support issues within the wrestling community.
Special guests from the wrestling community included 2019 women’s freestyle wrestling world champions, Jacarra Winchester, Tamyra Mensah-Stock and Adeline Gray. 2004 Olympian Tela O’Donnell Bacher and 2008 Olympian and U.S. National Women’s Freestyle Assistant Coach Clarissa Chun joined them.
Wrestling Builds Leaders
Congressman and Caucus Chair Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) sketched deep parallels between wrestling and success in life.
“. . . In wrestling you’re going to lose some matches, and you may lose them right in the middle of a tournament . . . you suck it up and get back on the mat because someone else is going to kick you if you don’t,” said Mullin. “You gotta get over your failures fast, learn from your mistakes and move on. That is life, and that is the same thing that wrestling teaches you. In your successes, celebrate them and go back to work the next day because you’ve got someone else coming after you; that is life. Life is tough—you’re going to have successes, and you’re going to have failures, and if you can learn to be successful in a competitive wrestling room you will learn to be successful in life, too.”
A study conducted by Ernst & Young consultants revealed that 94% of female c-suite executives have played a sport. Wrestle Like A Girl’s Founder and Executive Director, Sally Roberts, stated, “Wrestling teaches girls how to own their voice, their space and their bodies.”
Additionally, wrestling is creating opportunities for girls that are finding a home in the sport. “We’ve built a pathway for educational, financial and social mobility for girls that were previously invisible,” said Sally. “They’re going to have opportunities that have never been available to them before, and, I assure you that we don’t know all their names but we’re going to be learning them because they will be coming forward front and center in leadership positions.”
Those leaders coming forward will be diverse. USA Wrestling membership data shows the demographic makeup of women wrestlers is currently 44.2% non-white/Caucasian—24.3% Hispanic, 4.9% Pacific Islander/Hawaiian, 4.8% Asian, 4.1% Black/African American, 3.7% Native American and 2.4% Mixed Race (WLAG NCAA ESS One-Pager).
The topic of sanctioning girls wrestling is personal for Oklahoma’s congressman. His three daughters wrestle, and Oklahoma has not yet sanctioned the sport. Charged with an understanding of the ongoings in a wrestling room, and learning the adversity filled stories of Sally Roberts and Adeline Gray, Mullin is empathetic with a drive for action. “You see the struggles that they [girls] are going through and there’s really no outlet in most high schools,” said Mullin. “They’re going to be wrestling in men’s wrestling rooms. I grew up in those, I didn’t want my girls to go through that, I wanted them to have other girls around them.”
75,000 girls—that’s the projected growth of girl wrestlers over the next three years, said Sally. That’s a 240% increase, up from the 22,000 on the mats in high school right now. In the last two years alone, 12 states have sanctioned girls wrestling at the interscholastic level, leaving 32 states in need of championship.
“It’s the opportunity that creates the interest,” said Sally, noting the increase in participation that accompanied New Jersey’s decision to sanction earlier this year. “If you build it they will come, and I’m telling you they’re already here, and they’re knocking on the door, and they’re waiting to be let in.”
Wrestling is for EveryBODY
2016 Olympian and five-time World Champion Adeline Gray spoke from an angle of inclusion, highlighting that wrestling is for everyBODY.
Adeline competes in the heaviest weight class for senior level women wrestlers, 76kg/175lbs. She said recruiting ‘big women’ is important to her, and that her involvement with camps coordinated by Wrestle Like A Girl and Beat the Streets opened her eyes to the potential for wrestling as a place where heavyset women could be included on a team. “At these events I see strong, heavyset, women staying in the sport,” said Gray. “And, most of these girls in the inner cities of Los Angeles, New York, and different cities are women of color, and it’s been really cool to see them be a part of something.”
2012 Olympian and U.S. National Women’s Freestyle Assistant Coach Clarissa Chun shared her story of wrestling through opportunity and stressed how different her life would be without the sport that taught her confidence. Clarissa said she may have never left Hawaii. “Let’s take the initiative to get these 32 states on board, and get young females the opportunities to stand tall, be strong and lead.”
The Congressional Wrestling Caucus and Wrestle Like A Girl organization have brought forth a unified call to action: men in power positions need to continue opening the doors for women, champions need to stand with the cause, and women need to continue echoing the sentiments and need for equality they share so passionately.
The message was widely received, and later solidified by speakers at Wrestle Like A Girl’s 4th annual ‘Art of Wrestling’ Gala. The CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation, David Grevemberg, the Director of Global Initiatives of the Human Rights Watch, Minky Worden, and Captain Adam Chamie all spoke eloquently and passionately about the impact of equal opportunity for women to grow as leaders through sport.
“We’ve had members of congress here this morning [Wednesday] from both sides of the aisle,” said Chamie. “People that might not ordinarily talk, or sit next to each other, that were here smiling and talking about wrestling. That’s the power of the sport.” The ‘Empowering Girls to Lead Through Sport’ breakfast was the first event for the wrestling caucus. Chamie said, “It’s an honor to recognize Wrestle Like A Girl. I can’t think of a better way to start than to promote and advance the sport of wrestling for girls.”
There are currently eleven members of the bi-partisan wrestling caucus, and more are expected to join after the October 30th events.
Congressman Markwayne Mullin closed the breakfast with gratitude, and a deep appreciation for the work of the Wrestle Like A Girl Organization. “Thank you, ladies, for blazing the trail for girls, for my girls.”
Quotable
“32 states need opportunities for girls to be able to wrestle other girls, and through all of that our nation will get stronger, and we, together, will be building leaders.” – Sally Roberts
“Let’s take the initiative to get these 32 states on board, and get young females the opportunities to stand tall, be strong and lead.” – Clarissa Chun
“I think for all the reasons we talked about tonight that there is no reason that all 50 states shouldn’t sanction it [girls wrestling], and we’ll get there in the next several years.” – Captain Adam Chamie
“[In wrestling] What you’ll see when you look around is when you get knocked down regardless of how badly it hurts you have a team around you clapping and supporting, and, if you are a girl or a woman and you look around and it’s both men and women it is a completely uplifting feeling. And, if you are a guy or a boy and you look around and it’s men and women clapping and cheering you on you realize that the team is the team, and they’re your team, and they’re your family, and they’re your brothers, and your sisters, and just like the military they will always go to battle for you when times get incredibly hard, and that is why America needs wrestling, and that is why wrestling is part of the fabric of America, and that is why I need each and every one of you to stand alongside me and my colleagues and champion the cause.” – Sally Roberts
“We’re building a sisterhood. Women are getting along with women. We’re able to have conversations. we’re able to problem solve, and we’re able to be fearless defenders and advocates of each other.” – Sally Roberts
“Life is tough—you’re going to have successes, and you’re going to have failures, and if you can learn to be successful in a competitive wrestling room you will learn to be successful in life, too.” – Congressman Markwayne Mullin
“Thank you, ladies, for blazing the trail for girls, for my girls.” – Congressman Markwayne Mullin
“A lot of tears were shed, not all of them were mine.” – Clarissa Chun
First time here? Transition Wrestling is an independent women’s wrestling news publication.
