“OmiGosh, let’s put on our makeup and miniskirts and go to town to partay!”

You won’t be hearing any of that from the girls on our Dublin High wrestling team; especially throughout the season. We all know what partying does to our waistline, and that’s something we can’t afford.

As an actual member of the team, I can tell you from personal experience that the sport is tougher and more intense than what you may expect. Not everyone makes it.  Lots of people, notably females, won’t even try to dip their toes into such a male-dominated, aggressive sport. Some girls hate the idea of working out for fear that their body will be too muscular and others just think that it’s too much effort or time. A few girls simply don’t like the thought of physical contact, especially in the singlets we’re given to compete in. And there are always, of course, a few who don’t like missing out on their social lives. The most surprising reason I’ve heard a girl give  for not joining is that she didn’t want to ruin her nails. For me though, the most difficult part of being a wrestler is having to cut weight and missing out on your favorite foods. Yes, it’s true, this sport is high maintenance and sacrifice. To all the women wrestlers out there, let’s face it: We’re a rare breed. There are some upsides to this though. For one, we have a smaller crowd to compete with so our competitions would be smaller than if we competed with the boys. This means it’s easier for us to compete in a smaller circle. At least for now. Luckily our numbers are growing.

All this sacrifice is worth it in the end.

Xitlalli Zavala, a sophomore at Dublin High School who has some experience in the sport, told us, “I really enjoyed my time doing wrestling. I might want to do it again next year because it’s a great stress reliever.” She continued laughing, “It’s not everyday you get to tackle someone.”

“Wrestling was a great decision for me because I knew I wanted to become a stronger individual,” said DHS wrestler Julia Resultan. “Being on any wrestling team I guarantee you that you’ll run into great people. Originally wrestling was meant for my strength purposes, but I’ve learned my first season is that wrestling involves your teammates. In the end, we all root for each other because you quickly become a family. A family that never breaks and the type that always has your back.”

You can join our Dublin Wrestling team. Especially if you’re a girl, I strongly urge you. We need to grow in order to prove our point. We’re not as weak as people may frame us up to be. We can prove that girls

, too, are strong enough to wrestle.