Parents and students urge Mount Pleasant Area SD to create girls wrestling team; board notes athletic committee review
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Summary
A parent and a student spoke during public comment asking the Mount Pleasant Area School District to develop a girls wrestling program, citing participation growth, safety concerns and college opportunities. A board member said the athletic committee has discussed the topic and will continue to do so.
Don Amott, who identified himself as the father of four daughters, urged the Mount Pleasant Area School District Board of Directors during public comment to establish a girls wrestling program.
"Girls wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in America today," Don Amott said, and he described collegiate and local programs he said have expanded opportunities for female wrestlers. He said he would volunteer as a coach and recommended district outreach — such as a newsletter or an assembly — to measure student interest.
Student Sunny James told the board she and multiple girls at the district currently compete on boys' wrestling teams and said that creates safety and competitive concerns. "Girls, especially in junior high and high school, are at major disadvantage wrestling boys," Sunny James said, and she said a teammate broke a collarbone while wrestling a boy.
A board member who spoke from the dais acknowledged the subject was under consideration: "This has been a discussion in the athletic committee," the board member said, and noted the committee continues to decide and discuss such items.
No formal motion or vote on a girls wrestling program occurred during the meeting. Board members and the athletic committee were identified in the meeting as the bodies handling further review; the public record shows community members requested the district explore the option and report back to the board through the committee process.