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Parents of a Game On! camper contacted me a few days ago with this story:

Our daughter (a freshman in high school) is interested in learning the sport of wrestling and competing with the school wrestling team. She has therefore attended training sessions over the past few weeks.

While she has not been rejected from participating, she is receiving no attention. She is basically just trying to copy what the guys are doing. As you can imagine, she is having trouble as coaches and teammates alike have not taken the time to provide any guidance.

She is really very interested in the sport and wants to give it a try. We aren’t looking for her to receive extra attention or anything, but she is really lost. Can you help us to connect with a private coach as we are willing to pay for a few private lessons on the side in order to make her feel more comfortable?

Of course this story and request tugged at heartstrings. I immediately contacted the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation. Fortunately, a gentleman answered the phone and listened to my camper’s story.

As luck would have it, I was told that a recent college graduate and long-time, successful wrestler had just opened up his own training center north of Chicago.  I googled and sure enough found the phone number.

Lucky for a second time to connect, I introduced myself to the owner and again relayed the story. He seemed to be genuinely eager to help and offered the following:

He was more than willing to work with the family to provide lessons if necessary. But beyond that, coincidentally, he had volunteered to assist with coaching for this very high school team (his alma matter) and would be starting soon. He offered to look for my camper and make sure she was getting the assistance she deserved.

Whether my camper will make it in the wrestling arena remains to be seen. But I have a few closing thoughts:

First, I am very proud of my camper for not walking out that team door after weeks of feeling lost and uncomfortable;

Second, kudos to the parents for reaching out for help and supporting their daughter with that extra effort rather than encouraging her to quit. They obviously believe in her and her right to pursue the opportunity.

Third, I am very encouraged by the response of this young wrestler/entrepreneur. There was not hemming or hawing; just concern and a willingness to help.

Obviously our young female athletes still face challenging and unfair barriers that deserve attention. While I wish we could wipe them away with a rag and some Windex, a quick fix is simply not reality. But, it is girls like this high school student, her parents, and this young wrestler starting out in the business world that offer hope.

In due time, I hope to do a follow-up piece with an update.

As always, looking forward to your thoughts and feedback.

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