I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I’ve never quit anything in my life.”

Savanna Hoffmann grappler on Rivals girls wrestling team

For a long time, wrestling was a sport exclusively for the boys. But in 2021, girls wrestling has now become one of the fastest growing sports in the United States.

The East Jefferson wrestling program is breaking barriers this year with its first-ever girls wresting team in Chimacum and Port Townsend high schools’ history. With eight girls on the team, the Rivals wrestling program has met the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s seven grappler minimum to compete as an independent team.

To see the girls team officially recognized, it feels “better, way better,” said senior grappler Savanna Hoffmann.

She’s glad to be “leaving an impact on the school and a lasting impact on the sport.”

During the wrestling teams’ practice Friday, the girls discussed the official recognition and the importance of the sport for them.

“It’s such a good experience. It’s not just a sport,” said junior Melody Douglas.

Senior wrestler Indigo Casad reflected on why she loves to compete on the mat.

“It’s a great sport,” Casad said. “It shows that you can try hard and give it your all.”

Wrestling tests an athlete at an individual level.

“I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it,” Hoffmann added. “I’ve never quit anything in my life.”

With the merging of the Chimacum and Port Townsend high school’s athletic programs, the girls gained the boost in numbers to make the official benchmark. And while the grapplers are trailblazing for the advancement of girls wrestling as a sport in Jefferson County and beyond,  they’re pretty darn good on the mat, as well. The girls team won gold in their most recent tournament meet in Forks, and senior wrestler Summer Shoop earned second place in her weight division at the tourney.

Senior Lily Delgado wants to see the team grow by “getting more girls in.”

Currently, the team consists of Casad, Delgado, Shoop, Douglas, freshman Serena Hanbey-Perless, Hoffmann, junior Chloe Lampert, and sophomore Mi Amada Lanphear-Ramirez.

Assistant Coach Jim Wilcox was promoted as the girls team’s new head coach.

“The girls are some of the hardest working in the room,” said Steve Grimm, head coach of the EJ wrestling program. “Wrestling breeds strong and independent women.”

Grimm, Wilcox, and longtime Coach Joey Johnson have trained many female grapplers that came out of Port Townsend’s wrestling program. The team has a deep history of successful girls reaching the state and national levels, and has had a girls wrestling team since 2006, although they didn’t meet the minimum competitor requirements to be an official team until now.

“Washington was one of the first states to adopt womens wrestling as a sport,” said Johnson, who’s been a wrestling coach for 22 years.

Port Townsend alumni Chloe Rogers and Desi Lockartt came through the wrestling program and each had success at the state and national levels. Rogers was two-time state finalist and Lockartt placed at the collegiate national level. In fact, Rogers is Port Townsend High’s most decorated wrestler in school history, and went on to wrestle with the prestigious Simon Frazer University team in Canada.

Grimm is excited to continue to grow the program and bring more female wrestlers up the ranks.

“Every year we’re trying to build the team and trying to build interest,” Grimm said.

For recruiting new wrestlers, “a lot of it’s somebody’s friend and grows from there.”

Grimm has three daughters that all wrestle, and he wants to continue paving a path to success for the girls.

“It gives them hope that they don’t have to fit in a certain box,” he said. “That confidence and courage that comes with [wrestling],” Grimm added, is important not only for the girls but for all young wrestlers.

Although the Rivals wrestling program has come a long way, the coaches want to see continued growth.

Grimm hopes to continue his “building block” program and coach his athletes to success, whether through college scholarships or just giving kids the confidence they need to succeed in life.