Girls Wrestling Stinks?
On November 23, 2024 I was fortunate enough to photograph a girls wrestling scrimmage hosted by Saegertown Girls High School Wrestling. I absolutely love this sport! I grew doing it. I have 2 daughters who how now placed at states. Nt oldest daughter has wrestled for 8 years now . My youngest daughter 3 years and now my youngest child has just began his first season. I have been assistant coach for 3 seasons. As I said I love this sport.
Being blind I don’t get to watch (or coach) without the use of my camera. That’s the reason I got into photography. I figured, if I am going to be holding this camera to watch the games or matches, then i might as well figure out how to take some half decent photos. Saturday November 23, I was able to see some incredible wrestling from some very familiar faces very early in the season. How early in the season was it? The PIAA didn’t allow Jr. High / JV/ Varsity wrestling to begin practices until Friday 11-15-24. Eight short days later these young ladies went to war with each other when Saegertown Girls High School Wrestling invited 10 other girls programs from the western PA area. It was very cool seeing some other local schools that have started up their own Girls Wrestling programs. Those schools being Corry, Ft. LeBoeuf, and Sharpsville.
“But John you said you got to see a lot of great wrestling. What’s with the blog title?” Fair enough. The blog title seems a bit click baiity, but unfortunately it is quite literal. Having been around this sport as much as I have been for as long as I have been, I have never smelled a worse smelling bunch of individuals. I get it… Some of them are just beginning to go through “changes”. I get that… I understand that sometimes people run out of deodorant. Perhaps you were not able to shower the night before or the morning of. Boys go through it too. I coach boys in the same situation. Yes there are some smelly ones. Yes there will be some smelly boys at tournaments. However it is nothing that is to the extent of being called offensive body odor. On Saturday 11/23/24 at the girls tournament you cold not escape the smell of someone’s body odor.. This became a big deal to me when multiple persons body odors were so terrible that they made me begin coughing as I tried not to heave. I am not an individual with a weak stomach. My nose literally burned the smells, and was even burning many hours after. I don’t usually make a big deal about body odor for anyone, simply because you don’t know people’s situations. However when some of these odors are this bad that is a serious bacteria breeding ground. In sort such as wrestling, skin born illness such as ring worm or Impentigo can put a wrestler out for weeks or depending on how severe the fungus is, the remainder of a season. That’s the crux of my issue. I can come up with ways to get past bad boy odor at tournaments, it’s not hard. For example just rub a small amount of Vick’s Vapor Rub into my mustache. However that still won’t change the fact that their is a potential health risk occuring when these girls are stepping out on the mat with some of these other girls.
