05/27/2026
My wife and I have been asked numerous times over the past couple of months, "Why are you starting a girls' wrestling gym?” The answer is long, yet so simple... My daughter (My wife's stepdaughter).
The longer and more complex reason? For every young woman who will accept our invitation to become not only a better wrestler but a better athlete and a better person. For their mother, their grandmother, their little sister, and the rest of their family, both female and male. My wife Kati and I believe it takes a village to raise a child. And we are still incredibly busy parents trying to do the best we can to raise our own kids, but we're taking a chance and stepping waaayyy out of our comfort zone in hopes of bringing a village together to encourage, raise, train, and empower the next generation of women.
To help these girls know that they can be the reason another girl thinks she can.
Yes, there are several wrestling gyms already in the local area. Great gyms! Great owners! Great coaches! BUT, every one of those gyms has made female wrestlers "Just one of the boys". A special practice timeslot set aside for the girls, one, maybe two days per week.......that's not nearly enough!
Look at the elite wrestlers, and for that matter, every elite athlete in any sport. They're not practicing two hours/week! That's why we've opened our club, Rise And Wrestle. So that female wrestlers have the SAME OPPORTUNITY to train like any other elite athlete. Multiple days per week, varied and convenient times so they can balance other work/school/family/church obligations.
We're working hard to attract female wrestlers at the highest skill levels to train with us every day possible because we KNOW that Iron Sharpens Iron. We're also working just as hard to bring female instructors on board whenever we can. (If you know a great woman with a sporty background who's interested in being a coach, please let us know!)
We believe there are great coaches, all different types. …… dads coaching U12 on the weekend, current and former college wrestlers, teachers, physical therapists, personal trainers, and just plain strong women who have a passion to have an impact on a young girl’s life. Coaches who can now step up and be part of our organization and make that impact, because since March, we've done the work of building the infrastructure. Now, the coaches can coach, teach, and inspire in a space dedicated to making sure girls' wrestling is 5+ days a week.
We hope you'll join us. We hope you'll share our enthusiasm.
Rise on me. Rise on three.
-Doug and Kati
Rise and Wrestle
