When Brooke Butler steps up on the mat, face to face with her opponent, often a boy in the same weight class, she uses all her strength and training to measure up. She’s heard the comments about how wrestling is for boys. But all that’s changing. In a sport that dates back 15,000 years, originally a place only for men, Butler and other women wrestlers are learning to persevere and change stereotypes.

     Girls wrestling has seen a growth in popularity,and the Miller girls are part of that new wave. Butler, a senior this year, joined the wrestling team when she was in 7th grade. She’s seen the program flourish during her high school career.

      “Freshman year there was not a lot of support for girls wrestling as an emerging sport,” Butler said. “But as time has moved on and we have become upperclassmen, I feel a lot of support and have an amazing team.”     

     Butler and other girls on the team  may not have felt as welcome when they first stepped in the wrestling room, but with time and dedication the girls have become a vital part of the team. Senior wrestler Austin Hastings has been wrestling since before he even started preschool and has noticed a shift.

     “The girls make this program even better,” Hastings said. “They are gonna be held to the same standard as the guys.”

     Wrestling sites like Flo Sports say the activity is one of the fastest growing sports in the country for both boys and girls. The Miller wrestling program has seen this growth and also the challenges it brings.

     “Each year, it grows and we advance further in the state finals as a team.” Butler said.

    Butler isn’t the only one who notices these changes. Hastings also

can see the program evolving as well.

     “Every year we have been held to higher and higher expectations and it shows. The level of wrestling we compete with has grown tremendously.” Hastings said.

     The girls recognize the impact the rest of the team has on them, and the feeling is reciprocated. Female wrestlers like sophomore Jordan Stevens say their male teammates push them to improve.

     “The guys make us so much better,” Stevens said. “The coaches work us the same way they get worked, and the way they drill is motivation to work harder.”

     Even with the unwavering support from the boys team and their coaches, Butler says it’s still a struggle to show her personality on the mat.

     “The hardest part about being a girl wrestler is having to keep a tough face on and persevering through challenges,”  Butler said. “Also finding a balance of being this tough wrestler and my girly-girl side, that’s why I like to wear pink gear.”

     Stevens has her own unique struggles of being a rookie wrestler and having to work hard to match up with her seasoned teammates.

     “The hardest part is definitely staying motivated and drilling up to par with everyone else who have been doing it their whole lives,” Stevens said.

     Throughout all the ups and downs of this season, Butler stays  motivated by  thinking of the end goal, winning.

     “There are some days where it is discouraging, but the feeling of winning outweighs the bad of hard practice and weight cutting.” Butler said.

     Hastings notes wrestling is a team effort that requires competitors to make sure they’re prepared in every way possible.

     “The hardest struggle for me is having to push myself to my breaking point every single day because when you’re wrestling it’s just you and your own thoughts no one else,” Hastings said.

     But despite all the struggles, the support of their teammates is always present. And whether it’s the boys or girls team, that support never falters.

     “When they go out and do their thing and win, it puts our program on the map,” Hastings said. “It shows to everyone how we are on the come-up to be the best team out there.”