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The Troup wrestling team is attempting to expand its girls program. The Tigers started and finished its inaugural all-female wrestling team with just three wrestlers. Filling a full lineup of 14 girls is likely a pipe dream in year two, but the program is hoping to field at least eight competitive girls, so that they can compete at team competitions.

“We would love to have 20 girls compete for us this year, but we would be happy to have eight committed girls,” assistant coach Lily Hill said. 

There will be an influx of youth in the program this season. The Tigers welcome talented freshman Trinity Cheeks-Vines and a contingent of middle school girls to work with the high school wrestlers. The trick for the coaches is to get the girls involved young so that they will stick with the program over the course of their childhood and young adulthood.

“We want to get the girls involved when they are young, so they can work their way up,” Lily said. “We have the youth and the middle school programs so that the girls can have some experience before they get up here.

Cheeks-Vines and junior wrestler Evey Hill have been pounding the ground and shaking heaven and earth to recruit girls for the team.

“It can be really tough because so many girls are scared to try it at first,” Evey said. “It’s exciting to try and build a full team and we hope that we can get enough girls for that.”

Evey is currently the crown jewel of the female wrestling program at Troup High. She already has a top-5 finish at state on her resume and now as a junior, she is coming for the whole thing.

“I want first place,” Evey said. “That’s all that I’ve been working for and I feel like I’m ready.”

One of the aspects that the experienced wrestlers and coaches are trying to emphasize to the inexperienced girls is just how easy it is to jump into.

“I was super nervous at first and I never thought I would end up loving it like I do,” Cheeks-Vines said. “From my very first practice, the coaches were motivating me and encouraging me and I loved it right away.”

Cheeks-Vines juggled softball, flag football and wrestling at one point in middle school, but it became too much for her to handle. She dropped softball as she could not see herself giving up wrestling.

Evey also found wrestling on a whim. Her mother Lily decided she should give it a try since she was watching her younger brother at practice almost every day. Evey gave it a go and after a period of reluctance, she found her home.

“She just stood there, off the side for the first few practices,” Lily said.

“I was scared at first, but I was able to overcome that and that is what I tell any of the girls that think about trying out,” Evey said. 

She and Cheeks-Vines have ample experience wrestling their male counterparts, but the focus for GHSA has been to grow the all-female state competition. Female wrestlers have to declare before the season if they will wrestle mixed-gender or in the all-girls category.

Female wrestling is rapidly growing across the nation. It has ebbed and flowed in Troup County, but the hope is for the program to consistently field a competitive lineup of girls.

“We have been trying to get the word out and we had 30 or so girls put their names on the sign-up sheet, but we will see how many actually come out,” Lily said. “It can be scary and I even get scared sometimes when Evey is out there, but they get so much out of this, discipline, fitness, friends…”

The coaches and wrestlers are getting the word out now in hopes of getting girls interested over the next couple of months before the season starts. Recruiting of softball and volleyball girls is well underway with the hope that a few will try out when their season ends.