This "yes" vote means that these sports have taken the first step -- or, "cleared the first hurdle," to quote the CHSAA announcement -- towards official sanctioning by the organization that oversees high school sports in the state of Colorado.
To become a sanctioned sport in Colorado, girls wrestling will need to gain the sport of committees within the CHSAA, including the Classification and League Organizing Committee, the Sports Medicine Committee, the Equity Committee, and the Legislative Council.
High school girls wrestling in Colorado will begin its pilot in the winter season of 2018-19. The pilot program will last for two seasons. If the CHSAA's Legislative Council votes in favor of sanctioning the sport, girls wrestling would begin as an official sport in winter 2020-21.
"We're really excited about the possibility of these sports offering new opportunities for students across the state," said CHSAA assistant commissioner Bethany Brookens, who oversees the equity committee and the sanctioning of new sports. "We are really trying to reach new populations of students who aren't already participating, with a focus on inclusion."
Participation in girls wrestling in Colorado has also grown in recent years. In 2016-17, the first-ever girls-only tournament was held, and that continued in 2017-18. Last season, there were 235 female wrestlers who participated with boys, and even more who participated in girls-only tournaments, according to the CHSAA.
Colorado is on its way to becoming the ninth state to officially sanction girls wrestling at the high school level. Right now, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Tennessee, Texas and Washington already have a girls-only competition in their state tournaments. Earlier this month, Georgia and Oregon both approved state championships for girls, to take place in 2019.
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