SanctionPA hits magic number

   We made it!

   On Tuesday afternoon, the SanctionPA committee announced that 100 school districts in Pennsylvania have now approved the formation of a girls wrestling program.

   With that comes the fulfilling of a standard set by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) that would make the sport eligible for inclusion in the state’s official array of sponsored sports.

Officially, Pennridge is the 100th program. The process began less than three years ago in the formation of a grassroots committee made up of coaches, administrators, and others interested in promoting and building the idea of girls wrestling to get to a day like today. That group and it’s end goal, of which I have represented District 5, is a testament to our dedication to this initiative.

   “Meeting the 100-school threshold further cements SanctionPA’s viewpoint that if you create equitable opportunities for girls athletics, growth will follow,” said SanctionPA president Brooke Zumas, who is also the girls coach at Parkland High School. “When we launched this initiative in March 2020, girls wrestling as a whole was treated as a novelty and not as a legitimate sport on its own validation. But with the collaborative work of people across Pennsylvania, it is clear that girls wrestling is a robust and needed sport that fulfills what was a void in the wrestling community and our state. In a few weeks, athletes will compete in what we hope to be the last non-PIAA sanctioned Pennsylvania girls wrestling state tournament. We congratulate each and every school and athlete, past and present, who helped pave the pathway for the great sport of girls wrestling in Pennsylvania.”

   High school girls wrestling participation in Pennsylvania grew by over 80% during the 2022-23 season and has experienced over a 400% growth in the past five years. Since the school year began last fall, 46 schools have approved a girls wrestling program.

   “PIAA would like to congratulate those member schools that are sponsoring girls’ wrestling and supporting their growth,” said PIAA executive director Robert Lombardi. “We are looking forward to developing a first class program to highlight these athletes and wish to thank all those involved with SanctionPA for their commitment to this growing sport.”