Westfield’s Grand Park will be the site of history this June, as USA Wrestling brings its 14U and 16U Women’s Team Dual championship events to Hamilton County. It’s the first time USA Wrestling will be hosting women’s team dual championships at that age, and approximately 800-1000 female wrestlers from all over are expected to compete. 

Very in tune with the growth trend of girls wrestling and in lockstep with state wrestling leaders, the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) has sanctioned a girls wrestling championship at the high school level.

The ISWA hosted a girls high school championship for eight years, growing and sustaining the sport until being sanctioned by the IHSAA. Indiana is one of the first states to form a girls wrestling coaches association. And While Indiana was the 46th state to sanction girls wrestling under its state high school athletic association, Culp notes that the sport grew and is in great shape along with coordination from the IHSAA.

Robert Faulkens, an assistant commissioner for the IHSAA, noted that girls wrestling “met all the required data points to go from an emerging sport to a championship sport in two seasons. The number of schools and participants has steadily increased.”

“We are so thankful for our collaboration with the IHSAA – Indiana has done it the right way,” Culp said.

This winter, a young female made history on the boys side when Julianna Campo from the Fort Wayne Area school New Haven won a medal at the IHSAA Wrestling Championship in the 106-lb class.

Future dates, venues and formats for the girls high school wrestling championship series will be finalized at the IHSAA’s board meeting this month.

WA-BAM!!! Have you ever had your “bell rung?” Mostly likely you might have had something called a Concussion. Concussions are a hot topic in today’s headlines, and there are many misconceptions about what a concussion is: here are some things you need to know.

A concussion is an indecent that a lot of people tend to “brush-off" or down-play, but it really is classified as a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). This injury is very common in many sports, especially contact and combat sports such as soccer, football, rugby, wrestling, ice hockey, and lacrosse. 

Recent estimates suggest that there are around 3.8 million concussions that occur in the United States annually and up to 50% of concussions go unreported. A concussion can occur whether you get hit or not and the degree of impact can be variable, no matter how hard you get hit. They are a very serious matter and require a medical assessment and immediate removal from play to decrease the risk of more extensive consequences with the possibility of Second Impact Syndrome. The onset of symptoms of a concussion may be delayed and can persist for a few days to several months.

What should you look out for if you or someone you know may have a concussion? A variety of symptoms can occur, and no two concussions present the same. Some of the most common symptoms include:

If you notice any of these symptoms, it is best to sit out for the remainder of the game/practice until you can be further evaluated by a medical professional. In coordination with your medical evaluation, here are some steps you can take now to jumpstart recovery:

Concussions can be scary, but they will get better if properly treated early on. Be sure to seek care from a medical doctor and physical therapist as soon as possible to improve symptoms and return to the sports you love faster and with better results. Daria Volker, PT, DPT PT Solutions https://ptsolutions.com/states/indiana/

Director

Sr. Sports Development Manager

Director of Visitor Experience