West Po’s girls wrestling team is gaining attention as a growing program, giving female athletes a chance to challenge themselves and support one another. With Virginia officially sanctioning girls wrestling during the 2025-2026 school year, the team now has its own identity and spotlight within the school’s athletic community.
Though the girls program only recently became officially recognized, the program has always been open to welcoming girls
“Girls have been part of the wrestling program at our school for many years, even before it was officially recognized,” Mr. Workman, the head coach of the Girls Wrestling team, said.
Sophomore wrestler Jaziah Fells-Ware was interested in wrestling when she saw the sport and felt inspired to try something new. Since joining the team, she has learned that wrestling takes both mental and physical strength, especially during tough practices.
“[In practice when] I don’t feel like going, I just push through it because I think practice is actually harder than the actual wrestling matches,” Fells-Ware said.
Balancing schoolwork with after-school practices can be challenging, but Jaziah stays organized by finishing her work before practice so she can relax when she gets home.
“Usually our practice starts at 4 p.m. and lasts till 6 p.m. So I usually do work in between, like, 3 o’clock so that I actually have all my work done, so when I go home I have nothing to do,” Fells- Ware said.
Sophomore wrestler Mckayla Poindexter was drawn to wrestling because she has always enjoyed contact sports and wanted to try something new at West Po.
“I played many different contact sports, so when I saw that there was a contact sport here at the school, I was interested in doing it,” Poindexter said.
Even though wrestling is an individual sport, Poindexter finds that the team atmosphere makes a big difference. The encouragement from coaches and teammates helps her stay motivated throughout the season.
“The best part about being on the team is the support that you get from your coaches and teammates,” Poindexter said.
Mr. Workman said teamwork is the foundation of the program and that the new coaching staff has brought fresh energy and excitement to the team this year.
“This year is unique because the program brought in an entirely new coaching staff,” Mr. Workman said. “That reenergized the team and introduced new perspectives, techniques, and styles of wrestling.”
Poindexter believes wrestling has helped her grow not just as an athlete, but as a person, teaching her discipline and giving her a new way to look at challenges.
“Wrestling has helped me with discipline and structure, and it just changed the way I look at things in the world,” she said. “It just gave me a different perspective on things.”
As the program continues to grow, both the athletes and their coach hope more girls will consider joining the team in the future.
“Take the chance and try it out,” Mr. Workman said. “Wrestling will challenge you in ways you may not expect, but if you stick with it, you’ll grow stronger both physically and mentally.”
