Yes, you can

“I can’t”-- these two words, when strung together, are probably my least favorite in the entire English language. This morning it was my son, Nico, explaining why he couldn’t do his laundry. “I can’t do my laundry because Ethan’s is in the washer”. I quickly explained to him that he could do it, but he may have to do a couple of things first. He would have to do some things that may be inconvenient like help his brother move his laundry along. He may have to accomplish a couple other tasks before he can accomplish his goal of washing his laundry but “I can’t” was not a valid response and not an answer I’m willing to accept.

The same is true as we grow girls wrestling. I’ve heard “I can’t” from several coaches and administrators in various districts. The fact is you CAN add girls-only teams. You CAN provide equal space and opportunity. You just might have to accomplish a few other things before you can get to that part. If you don’t have enough coaches, you may need to recruit more. We all have rich traditions in our programs, reach out to alumni and get some of them involved. If you don’t have enough space, get creative and schedule different times or use different spaces. “I can’t” simply isn’t true.

“I can’t” is simply a way of making excuses for something we do not want to do. Growing girls wrestling is the right answer for wrestling.  Let’s stop with the excuses and figure out how we can increase participation in girls wrestling. Grow girls wrestling, NO EXCUSES!!!