Waterloo East and West high schools are primed and ready for their first official season of girls wrestling. Waterloo Schools hired coach Anthony Watson earlier this year, to coach the girls team at East, and long-time boys junior varsity coach Josef Kadlec, accepted the girls wrestling coach position at West.
East and West each have close to a dozen students currently signed up, but both Watson and Kadlec hope to have a full roster soon, with girls competing in each of the fourteen weight classes for both junior varsity and varsity. According to the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, the teams will comprise fourteen different weight classes: 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 155, 170, 190, 235.
“We will be making history together and setting the standard for the next set of Lady Trojans to follow,” said Watson. “As hard as this sport can be, my goal is to try and make them have fun within the sport.”
Over the course of their first season, Watson hopes to see the girls’ best effort as they learn the basic forms of wrestling while building relationships with their teammates.
Christopher Tims, East high school boys wrestling coach, says along with a love of the sport, the girls team can expect a number of firsts in the coming years.
“The next several years there will be a lot of firsts; first conference champion, district champion, state qualifier, state champion etc. It’s exciting to imagine all of the opportunities our young women have before them,” said Tims. “I really believe women’s wrestling can be a premier program here at East high school and make some waves right away.”
Tim Moses, East High Athletic Director, is excited to see history be made in Waterloo once again, with students participating in this inaugural season.
“This really means a lot for our female students and athletes,” said Moses. “When you think of sports in Iowa, wrestling has to be at the top because of the famous Dan Gable. And, since Dan Gable is from Waterloo, it only adds to the popularity and history of the moment.”
According to West’s coach Kadlec, the wrestling programs at Waterloo Schools are in the perfect position for success.
“Waterloo has a rich wrestling tradition, and now we have the opportunity to start up new programs and open the sport and our tradition to an entirely new generation of girls,” said Kadlec. “These girls are living the embodiment of ‘Be Bold’ by being part of state, school, and program history. There is a reason that women’s wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports for girls in the country, the girls get extremely excited to compete, and their excitement is contagious!”
Kaldec encourages fans to come out and support the teams this winter. West’s team is planning to compete in the Vinton-Shellsburg tournament on December 10, 2022, the Central Elkader tournament on January 6, 2023, and the Prairie Tournament on January 21, 2023. Additionally, if they have enough team members, he hopes to see them compete at the iconic Battle of Waterloo.
Girls wrestling season for both schools kicks off October 31, 2022, with matches starting in mid November.
