They deserve it.” That was Coach Parker’s response to the question of why it is so important to him to get a girls’ wrestling team at IHS. Girls deserve the same opportunities that their male counterparts are given. Ithaca and ICSD pride themselves on creating equal opportunities and an equitable environment for all of their students. However, when it comes to girls’ wrestling, opportunities have not been offered or been as available as they are for male wrestlers. Many of the schools in our section have created their own girls’ wrestling teams in recent years. Girls’ wrestling is one the fastest growing high school sports in the United States, having thirty-seven states sanction it, many of which did so recently. With flag football and girls’ wrestling becoming popular, Coach Parker is excited about opportunities for young women in sports. He would hate to see an opportunity pass by to get students into wrestling, especially girls. Parker is the head coach for the boys’ wrestling team, and this year for the girls as well. Not too long ago, if a female wanted to wrestle, chances are, she would have to compete against boys. This was true for the sole female wrestler who competed in 2009 for Ithaca High School. In the 2022-2023 wrestling season I only ever competed against girls. And Coach Parker made sure I had every opportunity to do so, from going to all-girls tournaments to bringing the boys to tournaments he knew would have a girls’ section. It wasn’t easy for Coach to get us to wrestle. Because of our gender we had to be approved and certified to be able to practice with the guys. We had to be cleared by the school doctor to compete, something that incurred a lot of delays. Lyn Reitenbach, our school social worker, an advocate for young women in sports, and an athlete herself successfully pushed for us to be certified just in time for our first tournament.
A high school wrestling match is normally six minutes, broken into three equal parts, unless you get pinned or pin your opponent. For those two minutes, not getting pinned and gaining the superior position is all that matters.
I didn’t wrestle for that long. I didn’t know it was an option until my senior year. But even just that one winter taught me so much. I learned to trust my body and know that I will have the strength to get back up when I am inevitably knocked down. I became disciplined by showing up even when I didn’t want to. I put in the effort and was able to see my progression. I could feel it become easier to withstand a six-minute match and I knew I was getting stronger. I became more resilient than I thought I ever could be.
Showing up will get you far, I am proof of that. Coach Parker brought me to so many tournaments and I won just enough matches to qualify for the STAC championship, where I came in fourth, and Sectionals, where I came in sixth. I am proud of what I accomplished this year, and I can say for certain that every time I stepped onto that mat, I gave it my all. Win or lose, I put up a fight and gave girls way more experienced than me a run for their money. I would have liked the opportunity to wrestle on a girls’ team for longer than just one season during my high school career.
Mira Cohen with Coach Parker on Senior Night.
Ava Thomas Photography