Girls wrestling head coach Jerry Clinch recently took his recruiting pitch straight to the source, visiting all the freshmen girls physical education classes.
“I just wanted to put it in front of them so they know what it is and know it’s something they could always try,” Clinch said. “Trying to start a new sport here at Pius for girls is a huge thing because it’s a winter sport and girls can come and just have fun, with no obligation.”
Targeting freshmen isn’t just about getting more members, it is a long-term plan. Because girls wrestling is an up-and-coming program, getting athletes involved early makes a massive difference.
“The freshmen girls have four years to get better at the sport, and it takes a long time to learn wrestling,” Clinch said. “So having freshman girls on our team could be a huge advantage to us.”
It’s not just the coaching staff pushing for new recruits, either. Current wrestlers are all in on spreading the word and growing the team this season.
“I think promoting girls wrestling will bring more awareness that girls wrestling is happening this year,” senior wrestler Katerina Todd said. “We really want to get more people on the team.”
With the whole program teaming up to get the word out, they are hoping this will help build a strong foundation for years to come.
While some students still aren’t planning to join the team, the presentation gave them a fresh perspective on the sport.
“I wouldn’t want to join wrestling, but it was nice learning that wrestling could build your confidence,” freshman Faith Atem Yung said.
