Wyoming High School Activities Association officials made state history last April when they announced that they had sanctioned girls wrestling. Last month, the WHSAA hosted the very first girls state wrestling championship.
For athletes such as Cheyenne Central junior Meadow King, who has been wrestling on her school’s boys team since the eighth grade, this meant that she would finally have the opportunity to compete.
“Oh my goodness, I cannot believe it. I get to have a state," King recalled of her reaction to the news last year. "I get to have tournaments – girls tournaments, with only girl brackets. I get the chance to compete with my people. People that are just like me.”
In previous years, the female wrestlers rarely qualified for the state tournament, an achievement in and of itself, regardless of where they placed.
As King and her teammates explained, girls and boys wrestling are simply “two different sports.” Girls are more flexible; they sprawl more easily due to a lower center of gravity, which means they can be harder to take down; and, simply put, they carry weight differently. In a sport where weight determines your opponent, female athletes struggled to dominate.
But this year, King and every other female wrestler in the state had the opportunity to compete on a level playing field. This change to the sport resulted in a dramatic increase in involvement. Registration for girls wrestling jumped from about 50 to more than 260 girls statewide.
This project followed Meadow King and her teammates throughout the first season of state-sanctioned girls wrestling, all the way to the girls state wrestling championship in Casper.
Cheyenne Central junior Meadow King, center, paces behind the judges before the 145-pound final match against Star Valley freshman Cara Andrews during the Wyoming Girls State Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
Cheyenne Central sophomore Elly Rimmasch pokes her teammate Cheyenne Central junior Meadow King on the nose during the March of Champions, about an hour before the championship matches of the Wyoming Girls State Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper. “I’ll boop your nose for good luck,” said Rimmasch. “Boop!"
Cheyenne Central junior Meadow King warms up with the rest of her team before a dual at Cheyenne East High School in Cheyenne. Meadow will face off with Cheyenne East freshman Kaelyn Ronnau, an accomplished and experienced wrestler.
Cheyenne Central junior Meadow King stretches during warmups before a dual at Cheyenne East High School in Cheyenne. Meadow will face off with Cheyenne East freshman Kaelyn Ronnau, an accomplished and experienced wrestler.
From the left Cheyenne Central junior Trona Bates talks with her teammates junior Morgan Murray, junior Meadow King, and sophomore Trista Kant before weigh-ins for a dual against South at Cheyenne Central High School. The girls often chat together in a circle until weigh-ins, then regroup afterwards to continue talking while they eat.
Cheyenne Central junior Trona Bates, center, weighs in for the 105-pound weight class before the regional wrestling tournament at Storey Gym in Cheyenne.
Cheyenne Central junior Trona Bates, top, wrestles Wright junior Kylie Benim during a 105-pound match of the Wyoming State High School Girls Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
Cheyenne Central junior Meadow King carries her things to the school bus that will transport them to the Wyoming State High School Girls Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper. The team held a morning practice to prepare, then were given time to wash up and change before hitting the road. By the time the girls were prepared to leave, all of the storage space beneath the bus has been filled by the boys’ belongings, so the girls carried their gear, blankets, and overnight bags with them onto the bus.
From the left Cheyenne sophomore Trista Kant, junior Meadow King, center top, sophomore Abby Vroman, center bottom, and junior Morgan Murray get settled in the school bus that will transport them to the Wyoming State High School Girls Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper. The competition would not being until Thursday, but team left early on Tuesday to avoid a harsh winter storm that would hit later in the day and likely close the road to Casper.
After weigh-ins, the Cheyenne Central wrestling team eats, rests, and prepares for the regional wrestling tournament at Storey Gym in Cheyenne. Once wrestlers make weight, they are free to eat whatever and however much they like without risking being moved to another weight bracket. As a result, the moments after weigh-ins are typically filled with the sound of wrappers crunching and chatter among teammates. Because weigh-ins were so early for regionals, many of the wrestlers napped to pass the time.
Central junior Meadow King wrestles Sheridan sophomore Eva Anderson in the 145-pound match of a wrestling meet at Cheyenne Central High School.
Cheyenne Central sophomore Abigail Vroman, right, pins Wright freshman Emma Hedman in a 110-pound match during the Wyoming State High School Girls Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
Cheyenne Central junior Meadow King cheers for her friends from the girls wrestling community in their championship matches at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
Only four of the eight mats are occupied by matches in the second round of the Wyoming State High School Girls Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
Cheyenne Central junior Trona Bates, center, walks back to her team after losing a 105-pound match against Pinedale freshman Kaylea Mortensen during the Wyoming State High School Girls Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
From the left, the Cheyenne Central coaches, including Head Coach Kyle Brightman, yell instructions and encouragement beside Cheyenne Central junior Meadow King, junior Morgan Murray, and sophomore Trista Kant, during one of junior Trona Bates’ 105-pound matches in the Wyoming State High School Girls Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
Cheyenne Central junior Meadow King, left, prays with junior Kaiana Garlough before her match during the Wyoming State High School Girls Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper. “Faith is what has gotten me into this sport, but it also keeps me this sport. If I wasn’t as religious as I am then I probably wouldn’t be wrestling anymore because it is so hard. I wouldn’t be able to get through it,” said Meadow King in an interview.
Cheyenne Central sophomore Abby Vroman takes her first few steps using the crutches and leg brace she received from the athletic trainers during the Wyoming State High School Girls Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper. The trainers suspect she tore her ACL during a match. Vroman left the tournament early with her family to return to Cheyenne to get her leg checked out by a doctor. Vroman later confirmed that she suffered a high grade tear in her ACL and a grade 2 tear in her MCL.
Cheyenne Central junior Meadow King wrestles against Star Valley freshman Cara Andrews in the 145-pound championship match of the Wyoming Girls State Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
Cheyenne Central junior Meadow King celebrates with Head Coach Kyle Brightman after pinning Star Valley freshman Cara Andrews in the 145-pound championship match of the Wyoming Girls State Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
Cheyenne Central junior Meadow King hugs her sister Bella King, brother Christian Kopf, and old wrestling coach and family friend Dan Morris after pinning Star Valley freshman Cara Andrews in the 145-pound championship match of the Wyoming Girls State Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
Cheyenne Central junior Meadow King accepts her medal as the 145-pound State Championship during the Wyoming Girls State Wrestling Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper. “All I’ve ever heard since I’ve started wrestling is that you’re in a MALE SPORT. You’re in a masculine sport. Wrestling is NOT a guys sport anymore. It’s a sport for anyone who wants to fight for it,” said King in an interview.