By Mike Brown
Tulsa World
Bixby, Oklahoma, senior Ainslie Lane is one of the state’s top female wrestlers. And she’s on a mission.

Lane will never get to participate in an all-girls high school state tournament and likely will never win an individual state title.

But she wants to make sure others have the opportunity she’s going to miss.

“I’m not that upset about it because my career will continue after high school,” she said. “But my experience has made me want to grow the sport for other girls. I might not feel as passionately about it if I hadn’t been the only girl in the room for so long.”

A five-time freestyle All-American, Lane wrestles with Bixby’s varsity boys program because the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association does not sanction a separate girls division. But the idea is gaining currency.

Evidence suggests rapid growth in girls and women’s wrestling at the state and national levels. Participation in local youth programs is mushrooming.

This school year, 10 state associations will sanction all-girls state tournaments and seven more are involved in pilot programs or serious discussions about moving forward with the sport.

Now, it’s time for Oklahoma to get into the act, OSSAA wrestling chairman Todd Goolsby said. Goolsby has seen the trend and recognizes the possibilities.

“We want to provide opportunities for all students,” he said. “If this opens an avenue to that young lady who isn’t doing anything otherwise, it might be a good fit for her.”

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