Miller girls wrestling program sees surge in participation

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS — Miller Middle School girls wrestling recently worked with the Marshalltown High School girls wrestling team in a joint practice at the MHS wrestling room.
Miller Middle School has seen an explosion of interest in the girls wrestling program.
More than 40 girls are out for the sport in a split-season schedule as girls have jumped from girls basketball season into the wrestling room.
Head coach Brett Comegys had four girls out that competed last year in a limited separate schedule and ran joint practices with the boys, but the split-season has boosted numbers considerably.
“Anytime you’re starting a wrestling program, it starts with the fundamentals,” Comegys said. “How to wear headgear, shoes that fit, … this room is starting from square one. … We’re developing skill levels, setting standards and just knowing what’s appropriate for a team to be focused on, and their attitude has been fantastic.”
Comegys, who also teaches eighth grade social studies at Miller, said the high school girls team has been instrumental in helping the middle school group grow, beginning with a group of high schoolers coming over to demonstrate the sport before winter break.

Miller’s girls wrestling program has exploded in popularity in a split-season schedule with girls basketball at the school this winter.
“It was a packed gym, 50-or-so girls, and those high school girls made an impression on them,” Comegys said.
It continued earlier this month as the Miller wrestling group joined the high school girls in the MHS wrestling room so the middle schoolers could get a taste of wrestling practice at a high level.
“They got a sense of what the standards are,” Comegys said. “Even little things like ‘Hey, we’re not sitting down, put your hands over your head, get off the wall,’ just trying to understand that mentality that this is how we do this.
“We had 64 girls in that room working together, and I can’t imagine many schools in Iowa can boast that at one moment for girls wrestling. … The best way for these girls to embrace the lead is to embrace the idea that they’re the ones that set the standard they have, and the high school girls’ example was a wonderful example for the middle school girls.”
While there are no home meets this season for the middle school girls, the girls competed at Ames on Tuesday and will head to Fort Dodge on Monday, Jan. 27 followed by a meet in Nevada on Feb. 10.
“We’ve had a bit of shell shock with girls going at it against girls who don’t have a split season and have been doing this for two, three months,” Comegys said. “That’s an obstacle we’ve had early on, but if support grows and we get some more consistency between program start dates, we’ll have a little more equitable competition experience for the girls.”
Comegys credited Miller AD Jeff Tice, Miller administration and the high school wrestling program with helping to get this first season up and running.
“It takes a village to start a program like this, but the wrestling community is a very strong community not just in Marshalltown but statewide,” Comegys said. “What wrestling gives people transcends anyone or any one season, and if we can take those intrinsic values that are created by being a wrestler and have them carry that into the future, I think we’re not just building a good program, but building good people.”
- CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS — Miller Middle School girls wrestling recently worked with the Marshalltown High School girls wrestling team in a joint practice at the MHS wrestling room.
- Miller’s girls wrestling program has exploded in popularity in a split-season schedule with girls basketball at the school this winter.