So cool that everyone was on the same page with getting girls’ wrestling passed! Now on to the next phase...how are you going to run it? I have a couple of challenges and I’m looking for ideas and wondering how coaches are planning on doing it at their respective schools (so I can steal your ideas, of course).

Challenge #1: space

Our room is currently above capacity as is....our room holds two full mats, which can support roughly 60 kids, and we generally have around 70 come out every year. I don’t ever want to make cuts (to the boys’ or girls’ squads), so how are you all planning on implementing practices? If we are going to do this, I’m not going to half-a** it...we’ll recruit the hallways to no end. Based on expressed interest I would anticipate we will have 20-30 girls out, and I’m sure we won’t be the only school in this boat. Where the heck do we have everyone practice?

Challenge #2: coaches

Are your schools going to provide additional coaching salaries for the girls’ teams? Are your boys’ head coaches going to also coach the girls’ teams? Also, how the heck do we work out this schedule with 5 coaches, varsity and JV boys and girls teams all wrestling on the same weekend?

Challenge #3: budgets

Are your school districts going to provide a separate budget for the girls teams? For example, I know we’d have a lot more success recruiting young ladies if we could offer the two-piece instead of the singlet, but our boys have never been interested in that, so we don’t have any.

Challenge #4: my wife

She’s totally awesome and puts up with A LOT during wrestling season. I fear that if I take on running a second practice I may come home and find my stuff out on the lawn. How do I sell her on this?

I'm in the same boat and have the same questions and concerns:

Challenge #1: Space
We currently run 2 practices already to accommodate our team of 50 ish. I don't know how to do it in a better way that our kids have safe space to wrestle and still get time with coaches. Practices end currently between 6:30 and 7 already.

Possible solution: Separate practice space (mats in the cafeteria or other open space). See Challenge #2 for the issues this poses.

Challenge #2:
Coaches- I am blessed with great coaches- although only 2 of us are in the building, up from only me for the first 5 years so we are on the right track anyway... This makes it difficult to run practices when our Rule 10 coaches, coaches at other schools that get out later, etc can't be at practice at the beginning. Trying to run 2 sessions at the same time will only exacerbate this issue. We ran 2 separate practices years ago, and it wasn't successful because of our limitation in getting coaches to be able to be at practice on time.

Talking to my AD, he is thinking our district will/should address girls wrestling like they do cross country or track. Option of 1 HC for both programs and additional assistants for each program, or separate head coaches and assistant coaches for each program. I think it will be a building by building issue. I would find out how your track and cross country teams allocate coaches and push for equity in that regard.

Challenge #2a- Finding the additional coaches- whether it is Head or Assistant. Again, I'm really lucky to have the coaches I do, but finding quality coaches who have the flexibility in their work/home lives to coach is a challenge anytime I have an opening.

Challenge #3: Budget- Our current school budget doesn't even cover all of our current entry fees for our men's program. Everything else is done through fundraising. I hope they support the female program. The School should purchase uniforms and equipment if the school is going to field a team to get it up and running. If we go that route I'll push for at least 2 sets of 2 piece uniforms to start the program, warm-ups, headgear, etc. The school should step up and get the program going if they are going to offer it.

Challenge #4: Wifey- She's awesome, you'll be just fine. You also have a little one that could benefit from this in 8ish years. I'm sure she'll see the need to grow this, but some of this will be turning some things over to assistants... See #2 and #2a above.

Challenge #5: Building a female competition schedule. It would be great if current tournaments could accommodate a female division also, however most of our tournaments maximize mat space to include as much wrestling as possible as quickly as possible. I don't think my facilities would allow for us to run a girls division for the Johnson County Classic at the same time as the men's tournament. I'm concerned about building an adequate schedule that doesn't require traveling to all 4 corners to find competition.

Challenge 1: Since our numbers have grown in the last 3 years, we was already planning to run two practices co-currently next season. 1 with our beginner wrestlers and 1 with our experienced wrestlers. We will split our girls accordingly. The past couple seasons I have not had an issue with girls practicing with boys, so we will continue to do so unless we have the numbers to warrant or there becomes a dire need.

Challenge 2: At this time I will be over the whole program. We discussed adding another assistant coach who will attend the girls tournaments with our female wrestlers. In talking with our superintendent (a wrestling guy- who has two sons in 6th grade and 4th grade), he mentioned he anticipates hiring a girls head coach within the next two years if our numbers continue to increase (we already have 8 girls in our youth program- out of 30 wrestlers).

Challenge 3: I don't see the school district changing our budget. However, my superintendent does an excellent job if I need something he will find a way to get it for me. He mentioned they will be purchasing women's cut singlets for our girls this next year (we have 2 piece singlets we bought this year for our Jr. High wrestlers).

Challenge 4: You could call it a blessing (or a curse), but I don't have this problem since I am not married and don't have any kids.

Challenge 5: I have already started planning a women's schedule prior to the passing. However, our best girl, mentioned she still wants to compete against boys next year (she is a senior and enjoys the challenge and started having success last year at the varsity level against boys). I did explain that her options are now limited due to if a team has a girl in her weight class she must wrestle the girl.