By Zach Chavez
USA Wrestling

As girls' and women's participation in wrestling continues to grow across the United States, USA Wrestling will host a three-part webinar series focused on coaching girls wrestling. The series will run over three weeks — Oct. 7, 14 and 21 — with each webinar starting at 6 p.m. MT.

Each webinar will focus on a specific coaching and leadership topic for girls wrestling. The series is open to coaches of all ages, experience levels, and genders. To foster a connected, supportive community, the webinars will be open to the public, with advance registration required via the Coaching Girls Wrestling Registration Link. Registrants will receive a link to each webinar.

The series is designed for coaches seeking to start or strengthen a girls wrestling program. Topics will include community building, athlete development, shared experiences and team culture. Participants are encouraged to bring questions and share their experiences and lessons with fellow coaches.

Wednesday, Oct. 7 | Recruiting and Building a High School Girls Wrestling Program

How do you get girls into the room and keep them there? This webinar focuses on recruiting, creating a welcoming program culture, building numbers, gaining support from your school and community, and turning your first group of athletes into a sustainable program. Liz Short, Head Coach at Joliet Central High School in Joliet, Illinois, will lead this discussion.

Wednesday, Oct. 14 | Meeting the Needs of Athletes at Different Levels

Rosters may include first-year wrestlers, experienced competitors, multi-sport athletes and future collegiate wrestlers, each with different needs. Learn how coaches can challenge, motivate, communicate with and develop athletes at every level while helping each wrestler find her path in the sport. Donell Bradley, Georgia High School Coach of the Year, will lead this discussion.

Wednesday, Oct. 21 | Maintaining Your Team During the Season

Building a team is one thing. Keeping athletes engaged, healthy, connected and improving throughout a season is another. Attendees will discuss managing the highs and lows of a season, creating team identity, navigating challenges, retaining girls competitors in the wrestling room and building a culture athletes want to be part of. Dianna Acors, Head Coach at Burnt Hills/Scotia/Ballston Spa High Schools in New York and Ellen Tillman, American High School in Fremont, California, will lead this discussion.

USA Wrestling is proud to support this educational series and the continued growth of girls' and women's wrestling in the United States. For additional information about the Coaching Girls Wrestling Webinar Series, contact Joan Fulp (growingwrestlingleadership@gmail.com).