Intrigued by the prospect of wrestling for the Justice High School team in Fairfax County, Virginia, Nicole Coimbra attended one of the scheduled tryout days last year. However, she quickly realized her aspirations would be short-lived.

During the 2023-24 school year, girls interested in joining the wrestling program had to be part of the boys’ team.

When her parents found out, they expressed their disapproval, discouraging her from joining the coed team, she said.

Junior Alae Houmane faced similar circumstances. Other coed teams don’t have many girls, so she was expecting to have to give up the sport, “because I’m Muslim and we’re not allowed to touch the other gender.”

But now, the two are members on one of Fairfax County’s newest sports offerings — a varsity girls’ wrestling team.

“It will encourage more people, because now we have our own space, so more girls will be encouraged to do the sport, try it out, see if they like it or not,” Houmane said. “Guys have the opportunities, so should we.”

Justice girls’ wrestling coach Benjamin Alvarado said the differences are minor. There’s only a slight change in uniform by a few inches in the neck area, he said, but the rules and times are largely the same. There are 12 weight classes, compared to the 14 boys’ weight classes.

At Justice High, Alvarado is expecting the team to have eight to 10 wrestlers. Some of those have been participating in the coed teams of the past.

“There are athletes in other sports that are finding it interesting now that it’s female only, now that they have the opportunity to compete with other females,” Alvarado said. “They’re anxious for that.”

The team practices daily for two hours, starting with stretches before moving into a six-minute drill when they’re in stance. They focus on moves and strategy, and at the end of session, they do live wrestling.

“It’s really impressive that people are coming out,” said senior Chloe Kowalczyk, who wrestled her brother during a recent practice. “It provides more of a space for girls to come in.”

Junior Dayana Meruvia, who was on the coed team, said the new opportunity is offering students the chance to learn and try a new sport.

“Now that we have girls to practice with, it definitely just provides a safer space for girls,” she said.

The school division also added boys’ volleyball to its sports offerings this year. It’s part of an $800,000 expansion that includes funding for uniforms, equipment and facility upgrades, according to school board documents.

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