Camp Hill added a girls wrestling program in December at the start of the winter sports season, becoming the 85th school in Pennsylvania to sponsor a varsity team.
Girls wrestling has raced toward the 100-team number required to become eligible as a PIAA-sanctioned sport with No. 97 Lancaster Catholic and No. 98 Upper Perkiomen joining the ranks earlier in the week.
The Sentinel recently caught up with Camp Hill head coach Chad Gallaher on his program’s process and the sport’s growth, which were on display Tuesday when Camp Hill hosted its first varsity girls dual meet against Boiling Springs.
Question: Why was now the time for you to begin getting a girls team sanctioned?
Q: What did the sanctioning process look like for the team and how long did the process take?
A: The process was more administrative and was pretty simple on the coaching end. I just needed to meet with my principal, athletic director and superintendent and get them on board, which was really quite easy as well. They presented to a unanimous school board vote.
Q: Were there any hiccups or bumps in the road during the process?
A: We have not had any yet. Everything girls wrestling honestly has been way smoother than I could have imagined.
Q: Did you receive help or advice on how to start the process or even going through the process from other coaches or even the SanctionPA movement?
A: Yes, both other coaches and SanctionPa. SanctionPA has made it so easy to complete the process. Their information was incredible.
Q: There are a lot of girls competing now, even if there aren’t varsity teams, so what really changes for them once everything does fall under the PIAA umbrella?
A: Obviously with more girls competing there is a better chance of finding competition with other girls. Tournaments have sprung up like gold mine towns with the newfound interest.
Q: What’s the biggest change for your girls once you go from club girls wrestling or girls wrestling on the boys team to having a varsity girls team?
A: Great question, as we ask ourselves the same. We will certainly see and follow any PIAA conditions for practice and competition. Most all our returning girl wrestlers have completely blended into the culture of the sport and the wrestling room, and you see very minimal differences between them at practice as compared to any boy. Both practice together in our room if they are comfortable doing that, and that has been great. Our girls have greatly improved by wrestling better competition from boys that have been doing the sport longer than them.
Q: Do you believe the girls having their own team will make them more comfortable in trying out for the sport?
A: I’m sure of that, but along the same lines, my girls love being a part of one team where everyone is treated the same.
Q: Any advicefor those looking to sanction their own girls wrestling team in PA?
A: Do it.
Photos: Boiling Springs at Camp Hill girls wrestling