COLUMBUS, Ohio—This weekend marked the first ever state tournament for girls wrestling- something that’s been in the works for years and the first step to get the sport sanctioned in the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
- The Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association hosted the first ever state tournament for girls wrestling
- It's the first step in getting the sport sanctioned with the OHSAA
- over 250 girls participated in the tournament
A gym full of girls wrestling is something so many coaches in the state have wanted for years.
“I’ve been dreaming of this for 25 years," Badin High School Head Wrestling Coach Dexter Carpenter said. "I knew it would happen.”
Carpenter helped pave the way for many girls wrestlers in Southwest Ohio and brought two girls to this first ever tournament in his last season coaching at Badin High school.
“I’m so proud, Sam and Brooke are just off the hook," he said. "They come up here, I’ve been preparing them forever for this.”
And that preparation paid off as Sam moved on to the state final.
“I’m really proud that I got up to this point and I wasn’t really sure if I was going to because I know girls are just personally harder for me to wrestle," Sam Caballero a senior for Badin said.
Over 250 girls competed in the tournament hosted by the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches association- the first step to get it sanctioned within the OHSAA
“It’s something that’s been too long," Dominic Disabato the tournament director said. "It should have happened years ago. And we’ve talked about it and we’ve kind of put it on the back burner and then we realized it’s time, let’s get it done.”
For the tournament organizers, it’s been worth all the hard work to get to this point.
“It’s been awesome watching these girls and see the emotions and the excitement and how grateful they are for everybody, it’s beyond words, it’s unreal," Disabato said.
And for Coach Dexter to see it all come together after so many years of pushing for the sport, it’s something he says is difficult to put into words.
“Very emotional for me," Carpenter said. "I have to get Sam and them ready, but I’m glad for all the girls.”
Tournament organizers say there’s no official timetable for when girls wrestling will become an OHSAA sport, but do say they will meet with state athletic officials this spring to see where they’re at.