Wrestling isn’t just for boys anymore. The girls on the Scotts Valley High School wrestling team are quickly becoming rising stars in a male-dominated sport.
The SVHS team, comprised of 16 boys and 6 girls, ended its 2011-12 season at the end of February. And the girls on the team weren’t just there to compete, they were there to win.
During the regular Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League season they faced both male and female competition and did exceptionally well. At the Central Coast Section finals tournament, the girls’ team placed fourth out of 47 women-only teams.
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Three girls represented SVHS this year at the California Interscholastic Federation State Girls Wrestling Championships in Lemoore, Calif. on Saturday Feb. 25.
At 114 pounds, freshman Dominique Parrish won one match and lost two. Teammates Alicia Pitts (108 lbs) and Shelby Baker (126 lbs), both juniors, showed well but each went 0-2 on the mat. The girls walked away from the state meet with a great learning experience and look forward to returning for next year’s elite competition.
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Wrestling is a sport that takes everything you have—strength, speed, skill and mental strength. The success of this team comes from the fact that they push each other all the time to get better.
They have developed friendships with team bonding activities to create a dynamic team atmosphere. The wrestlers feel they have something special and want to attract more girls to wrestle next season.
“It’s nice to have girls to relate to after each match,” Shelby said.
The sport is a growing trend for girls at the high school and college level.
Wrestling is a great form of cross training for soccer players, softball players, cross country runners and swimmers. If you are interested in expanding your physical fitness, wrestling is the sport to experience.
Coach Ken Kannegaard has plans to continue building this unique wrestling team.
“We could use some heavier girls for more depth in our program,” Kannegaard said.
Senior Kendra Kannegaard has been the teams wrestling manager for the past three years. During the SCCAL final meet she was awarded the Ed Farrell Most Inspirational Award. This award is not always given to the best wrestler, but the team member that shows determination, courage and strength. Even though Kendra does not wrestle with the girls, she supports the team by keeping track of individual and team statistics, match records and keeping the team motivated. Kendra says she was honored to receive this prestigious award and enjoys supporting this great group of wrestlers.
“The girls wrestling team is a close family,” Kendra said. “They live for this sport.”