In America, girls and women have proven beyond a doubt that they are equally capable as their male counterparts in academics and in the workforce. There are gifted female athletes who compete and excel in many sports. But they are different, and most people accept the “equal but different” status.
Because I have experience as a high school and college wrestler, the idea of a girl’s family getting a judge to grant an injunction in order to force an all-male wrestling team to accept her on the team makes me uncomfortable. Some boys will forfeit their winning season rather than wrestle a girl in a tournament.
Wrestling is an aggressive, body-on-body contact sport. If a girl really feels she wants to be a wrestler, can she not join a girls wrestling team? There are plenty of girls wrestling club programs. It seems that the only reason to pursue legal action is to make a point and get attention. Why can’t wrestling teams be separate for boys and girls, just like a majority of our teams in other sports, for example volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball, gymnastics, soccer, etc.
Let’s be reasonable. Let’s stop trying to pretend there is no difference between boys and girls. Let’s respect and love the differences. Let’s allow wrestling teams, boy and girl Scouting units, and other organizations to remain separate for boys and girls, where it makes sense.
Kendall Barrowes
Spanish Fork