Lambert High School is making history with their first ever Ladies Wrestling Team. While male wrestling has been at Lambert since 2009, a girls wrestling team is a game-changer for Lambert. Assistant Coach John McCormick sees this an addition to the well-established wrestling program of Lambert, and is excited for more participation in the sport.
“This is something that has been building as an idea for years, and we are trying to provide a continuation to it,” McCormick said.
Building relationships and skills are opportunities provided at every sport at Lambert, as they are crucial to the success of the team. McCormick, who has been coaching wrestling at Lambert for three years, sees wrestling as the perfect sport to elevate students throughout their life.
“It really helps with physical and mental challenges the youth face today, like self-confidence,” McCormick explained.
Wrestling Head Coach, Kevin Contardi, thinks of wrestling as a way to develop a lot of the skills that students need later on in life. It gives them the “stairway to success” to becoming a better person.
“It really helps with discipline and benefits everyone in multiple ways,” Contardi said. “Female athletes have always been powerful at Lambert, and we want to continue that tradition in wrestling as well.”
Contardi believes that bringing people together is what pushes the wrestlers to success. Although it’s often seen as an individual sport, wrestling offers a “safe space” for many young athletes and giving this space to girls as well is a step forward for Lambert.
“We want to get as many girls out there and help them bond with each other,” Contardi stated. “A group of girls helping each other and bringing each other up is what I want to see.”
Lambert athletes push themselves to their limits every step of the way, and the addition of a new and strong female team is moving Lambert miles forward in the sports world.
