Girls wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in high schools across the country, and at CHS (Camas High School), this is also the case. The CHS women’s wrestling team has primed the 2025-2026 season with two state-placing wrestlers and league champions last year. But even as the program grows and reaches new successes, the athletes still face challenges unique to their sport.

While wrestling has historically been thought of as a male-dominated sport, the girls wrestling team trains just as hard as the boys team. arguably even harder, according to some. A common misconception from those who are not affiliated with girls wrestling is that it is easier to win as a girl.

“There are so few of us compared to boys wrestling. I feel like people treat it differently,” CHS senior and wrestler Jasmine Cha said. “People think it’s much easier to win as a girl wrestler because your competition is smaller. You feel the need to prove yourself and your abilities because it’s a smaller sport.”

“It’s important to allow males and females opportunities to compete in a variety of ways,” CHS wrestling coach Cory Vom Bauer said. “Both males and females should have the opportunity [to compete,]”

Despite major strides in women’s wrestling, wrestlers still face challenges that their male counterparts rarely encounter. Although CHS has one of the largest girls programs in the region, many athletes feel like the team gets overshadowed by the very crowded boys team.

“There are some people who don’t even realize that Camas has a girls wrestling team,” Cha said. “The boys team definitely gets a lot more attention. If you just look at the number of people that come to boys duels compared to girls duels, it’s really obvious.”

“I feel like I always have to try and prove something to show that girls can do just as much as a guy can in this sport, especially since it’s male-dominated,” CHS senior and wrestler Avery Vega-Padilla, who placed at state in wrestling, said. “They don’t really see the entirety of how much effort a girl could put into a program.”

Instead of being discouraged, these obstacles have helped the team forge a resilient and close team culture. From slumber parties to overnight stays at tournaments, the CHS girls wrestling team remains a close-knit community, no matter the obstacles or challenges thrown at them. 

“[Wrestling] has brought me a lot of eye-opening experiences,” Vega-Padilla said. “I feel like I’ve grown as a person, especially attitude-wise. It shows you how to be humble and have humility. It shows you how to be a good person, especially to your opponents.”