For the winter season, the girls wrestling team got their own coach, a change from having one coach for both the girls and the boys teams. Coach Lukas Bjorgo, who is now primarily in charge of the girls team, said  it has made it easier for the coaches to manage practices and be there for their respective teams. 

“The main difference would be the girls having somebody there at every single tournament,” Bjorgo said. “[I can be] 100% there for all of our tournaments and practices.”

Bjorgo said the change makes it more convenient for boys wrestling coach Cody Parks, because each can focus more on one thing at a time. He said, despite the change, the wrestling teams have remained close as a whole.

“We will still coach the guys and the girls,” Bjorgo said. “All the coaches help out with both the boys and the girls teams teams.”

Junior Harper Ratzlaff is in her second year on the wrestling team and said things are easier now for both the wrestlers and the coaches.

“It makes things [simpler],” Ratzlaff said. “I think we were the only school who still had one coach … [but] all the coaches in the room still help everybody.”

Ratzlaff also noted there were other benefits to having a girls coach. She said it allows the girls to get better practice and training based on what they need.

“We have different rules and regulations … they’ve realized over time that girls’ brains work differently than boys,” Ratzlaff said. “Normally, we need different coaching techniques.”

Bjorgo said he enjoys seeing how the wrestlers improve over the season. He said the teams learn different skills like balancing their schoolwork and sports.

“[I like] seeing how much the athletes grow from the beginning of the season to the end of the season,” Bjorgo said. “[And] seeing how much the athletes grow and … evolve into being more independent and trying new things.”

Ratzlaff said her favorite part of wrestling is how it is a rewarding sport. She said other girls should try it because it is beneficial in multiple ways.

“My favorite part is the confidence and joy you get out of it,” Ratzlaff said. “Every girl out there … should at least go and give it a try. It gets you stronger [and it] improves your mental [and] physical health.”