Full Description
Throughout the new millennium, the number of women interested in amateur wrestling has skyrocketed. From grade school to college, girls and women have been strapping on their head guards and singlets to grapple with their dreams of success on the mat. However, the sport and its participants have not always had an easy time.
This book documents the growth of female amateur wrestling in America, and the difficulties and victories it has faced, from removal from the 2013 Olympic Games, to missing the 2020 Games altogether due to Covid-19. The work chronicles the bravery of the women who have led the sport and sets out their performances in the 2021 Olympic Games. With 50 photographs, it also features interviews with the female wrestlers who continue to challenge an often-suppressed field, hoping eventually to leave their mark on the American sports world.
Contents
Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1. Will the Trials Begin?
Chapter 2. The Olympics Are Coming!
Chapter 3. Wrestling's Sudden Death ... and Resurrection
Chapter 4. Body Issues—and Bullies
Chapter 5. Back to the Trials!
Chapter 6. Women's Wrestling on the Screens
Chapter 7. Sports Entertainment—and Other Wrestling(s)
Chapter 8. Prayer's Role on the Mat
Chapter 9. Warming Up for the Olympics
Chapter 10. From the Gridiron to the Mat, and Sometimes Back
Chapter 11. The 2000s
Chapter 12. Women on the Go
Chapter 13. Up Against Covid
Chapter 14. The Games Finally Arrive!
Chapter 15. Mat Women of the Future
Epilogue
A Final Farewell!
Bibliography
Index
