This year, McLean’s athletic department introduced a girls wrestling team to account for the spike in the sport’s popularity among women across the country. Over the years, McLean wrestling consisted of almost all boys and occasionally a few girls; hardly a co-ed sport. However, girls across FCPS showed substantial interest in wrestling this year, paving the way for the creation of institutionalized girls wrestling in FCPS, a move that many viewed as long overdue.
“We’ve had girls on the [wrestling] team for years, but there was not enough interest to warrant the county to create a separate league for them,” Athletic Director Greg Miller said. “But [girls wrestling] was getting bigger and bigger over time, so I figured that it was going to happen eventually.”
The creation of the team was widely anticipated and sparked increased interest among the girls of McLean.
“I think that the county did the right thing when they sanctioned girls wrestling as its own sport,” said John Pitas, Head Coach of the girls wrestling team. “It was bound to happen soon, and I think the official ruling helped bring more people out to wrestle.”
The new team has had a positive impact on the players, allowing room to grow athletically and socially.
“I was stoked when I first found they were making a team,” senior wrestler Daniella Navia-Mena said. “It’s great to not be completely alone on the team, and there’s a lot of mutual trust between the girls.”
The long-awaited decision received support from across both genders.
“I think its really nice what they are doing for the girls,” junior wrestler Emil Ragimov said. “I think it helps them be more competitive, and gives them more to look forward to throughout the season.”
The primary obstacle to creating a team in the past had been a lack of interest. There were a mere three players on the team last year, leading to feelings of alienation among the girls. However, as wrestling has become the fastest growing high school sport in the country, the girls team now consists of 10 athletes.
“There’s a lot more room for friendship and acquaintance than in previous years,” Navia-Mena said. “People aren’t as scared to partner up and wrestle, and there’s a lot less toxicity than in the past.”
A large portion of the team’s success can be credited to Pitas. The long-time McLean wrestling coach volunteered to take on the challenge of leading the first ever girls team in addition to being part of the boys team.
“I don’t want to say [the job] kind of fell onto me,” Pitas said. But, all the other guys have family and other things stressing them out, it felt right to step up.”
The love and care that Pitas has shown towards his players has had lasting impacts on them, helping them not only to improve their craft on the mat but to enjoy the sport.
“He’s been at McLean for a very long time, and it’s very easy to tell that he knows what he’s doing when he coaches,” Navia-Mena said. “He’s very kind and sweet, but he also makes sure to correct us on our technique.”
Despite Pitas’ small stature, his command of the team is unmatched. The loyalty and respect that the team shows to their coach enables him to challenge them and make them better; but surprisingly, helping them improve their technical skills is not his most important task.
“Most kids aren’t going to be able to play in college; there’s a lot of competition and requires commitment that most kids aren’t able to offer,” Pitas said. “More than anything, I want these kids to enjoy wrestling. I want them to follow local wrestling in their schools, and become lifelong fans.”