Decorah state champion Naomi Simon shares what girls wrestling means to her, why it should be sanctioned in Iowa

Wrestling is a huge part of my life.

Every day, I wake up early before school to work out, and I get another workout in after school. Sometimes, I’ll even practice a third time in the evening.

Wrestling means a lot to me. I started in seventh grade, and it has created opportunities for me to meet new people, improve myself, be part of an amazing team and become a leader. Before I started wrestling, I had a really hard time meeting and talking to different people. I have always struggled with connecting to my peers, but when I started wrestling, I found people who had similar interests as me, especially in Iowa.

My favorite thing about wrestling is that I can always find something to improve within myself. Wrestling gives me goals and holds me accountable to them through hard work and dedication.

In Decorah, we have a big girls wrestling team — 14 people. And I get to be a part of it.

Being on my team means a lot to me. I am part of an amazing group of supportive people who are willing to work as hard as me. Also, within the team, I have learned more about how to be a leader and improve how I work with people every day.

With wrestling, I finally have found a thing, every day, that pushes me to my limits (physical and mental) and brings me closer to the people around me.

I think girls are often apprehensive to go out for wrestling for many reasons, including body image, self-esteem, or the possibility of being made fun of or getting hurt. Some girls just aren’t allowed to wrestle because their parents (and some coaches) think that it’s only a "boys sport."

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I am lucky because my family, community and coaches are extremely supportive, but I know that some girls don't wrestle for a lot of those reasons.

There are many weight classes so that people of all sizes can wrestle, and you need every weight class to be a successful team. Wrestling is not a sport for one type of person; it is a sport for ANYONE who is willing to put time in and work.

Wrestling is an amazing way to build foundational strength and endurance, and to learn how your body reacts to different movements, foods and environments. These skills are fundamental to all athletics and will improve performance in any sport and in life.

Wrestling has also given me a reason to change my lifestyle. Before I started wrestling, I had a somewhat difficult time managing what I ate, but since wrestling is a weight-class sport, I had to change how I thought about food. Now I eat when I’m hungry, not when I’m bored or stressed. I educated myself on nutrition and the importance of a balanced diet.

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The most valuable skill I have gained from wrestling is confidence. I believe that when girls learn how to be confident with themselves, no matter their body type or athletic ability, they will be successful through all walks of life, and be able to persevere through anything that challenges them.

For as much of an emphasis that wrestling gets for being an individual sport, the team aspect of it is essential. Wrestling has given me a supportive community and team that will always be there. Being a part of a team forms good life skills, and it makes you feel accepted and like you belong.

My team means everything to me. They work hard and support each other through thick and thin. My team pushes me to be my best. My team is even helping me reach my goals of being a four-time Iowa state champion, wrestling on the University of Iowa women’s wrestling team and being a World and Olympic champion.

Our sport is very successful, but there are still many things that need to change to make it even better. First, we need girls wrestling to be sanctioned by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. This will ensure that there are more opportunities for more girls throughout the state.

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I believe girls wrestling has run into difficulties with sanctioning because of many people out there, such as coaches, parents and administrators and others, who resist change or struggle to think outside the box. The most successful teams in the state have people around them who are willing to be creative with what they have, so that their girls are allowed the space and time to be successful.

Recently, the state met its requirement of 50 school letters outlining how a girls team would be run in their school. This means that we can finally move forward with sanctioning girls wrestling and giving girls from all over Iowa the opportunity to wrestle as a varsity athlete.

In the three-and-a-half years that I have been wrestling, I have seen the number of girls out for wrestling around the state increase substantially. Six years ago, only 67 girls wrestled. Now there are over 700 athletes that will compete at the girls state tournament in Coralville this weekend.

Many individual girls and girls teams still struggle with receiving equal recognition for their accomplishments from their schools and local media. I am grateful for all the enthusiastic supporters across the state that girls wrestling has already acquired. As support for girls wrestling grows, support for ALL wrestling grows.

The outlook for girls wrestling in Iowa is exponentially positive. There are so many people who are around to support us and help us to grow and achieve our goals.

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Naomi Simon: Here's why girls wrestling should be sanctioned in Iowa