Photo of Emalie Olson of Missouri courtesy of MissouriWrestling.com

The Missouri State High School Activities Association, which oversees high school athletics in Missouri, has voted to make girls wrestling an official high school sport. The proposal is effective on July 1, which means the girls program will go into effect for the next Missouri high school wrestling season.

Missouri becomes the ninth state to officially add girls wrestling as a sport at the high school level.

The change was approved in Proposal 18 (Girls Wrestling), which passed with 202 voting in favor and 41 against.

PROPOSAL 18 – (Girls Wrestling) – (PASSED) – 202 FOR, 41 AGAINST
Amends By-Laws 5.1, 3.29.6, and 3.30.3.l to separate the currently co-educational sport of wrestling into sex-separated wrestling for both boys and girls.

The details of the implementation of girls wrestling in Missouri have not yet been announced.

Missouri becomes the third state this season to add high school girls wrestling, along with Georgia and Oregon. A number of other state associations are currently actively addressing girls high school for their state, with the possibility of more official announcements soon.

Hawaii, Texas, California, Washington, Tennessee and Alaska host the other state-sanctioned girls wrestling championships.

Colorado has approved pilot seasons for the next two years for girls wrestling, the initial step towards state sanctioning for girls wrestling, to begin in winter 2020-21.

USA Wrestling’s Girls High School Development Committee, led by Joan Fulp of California and Andrea Yamamoto of Washington, has been working closely with wrestling leaders across the nation, supporting their efforts in getting state recognition for girls wrestling. They also work with other organizations such as Wrestle Like Girl, Inc., the National Wrestling Coaches Association, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and others to help expand opportunity for girls to wrestle.