On September 26, girls’ Wrestling got approved by the school board or sanctioned, here in Hamburg. To be deemed a state sport, 100 schools or teams need to be sanctioned. Hamburg’s team was number 67 in Pennsylvania. Now that HAHS has an official team, they can now compete in formal PIAA events. Once girls’ Wrestling becomes an official state sport, it will open up many more opportunities to wrestle. Isabelle Wilkes said, “It is my favorite sport to play at school and a good sport to make new connections at other schools.”

     New college female wrestling teams can be tied to the rise in scholarships as this is a relatively new sport. To get a scholarship a female wrestler must reach out to specific colleges, nonetheless, there are a lot of chances to wrestle post-high school.

     Last season there were only three female wrestlers, one of which was Shannon Govern. She will also return this year and said she is “very excited for the upcoming season. We have about 18 girls signed up so far, four of which are middle schoolers. This is a huge increase from the three we had last year, and the zero we had the year prior.” She also mentioned that the wrestling team has begun open mats, of which she has seen much athleticism and talent among the new girl and hopes to “claim a few trophies at tournaments throughout the season.” Mr. Haegele, a wrestling coach, adds that the “first ever annual girls tournament will be held around February or March,” and he hopes to see people there. 

     The season officially starts on November 18 and the team will be hosting girls-only practices on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 5-6:30 pm. Coach Haegele reveals he is feeling “really well” about the upcoming season and is happy about the number of participants. “Go Hawks” exclaimed Mr. Haegele.