Wrestling Wasn’t Built for Girls, but That’s No Excuse
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When my daughter first stepped into a wrestling room, I felt the deep respect this sport commands. Its tradition, toughness, and discipline have shaped generations of athletes. As a teacher, I’ve always valued the life lessons wrestling can offer: grit, resilience, accountability. But I also saw clearly that the system wasn’t built with girls in mind. From coaching to culture to uniforms, the unspoken message was that girls could participate, but only if they adapted to a model designed for boys. I’ve seen this from every angle: the educator, the parent, the coach, and now the advocate. And while I appreciate where the sport has come from, I’m determined to help shape where it goes next, into a future that makes room for every girl who wants to step on the mat.
That reality hit hardest when it came to gear. Our girls, like so many others, were handed singlets made for boys, or a poor adjustment called a “women’s singlet”, but in truth, it was not that at all. They were ill-fitting, uncomfortable, and, frankly, inappropriate. The girls layered compression shirts underneath, adjusted their straps constantly, and worried more about what might shift during a match than the match itself. It wasn’t just frustrating. It was a barrier. And it was completely unnecessary.
That’s why my husband Pete and I created No Excuses, and why we designed a singlet made specifically for the female wrestler. Because growing the sport doesn’t just mean opening the door, it means making sure girls have what they need once they walk through it. And that starts with a uniform that respects their bodies, their dignity, and their desire to focus on wrestling.
Wrestling Wasn't Built With Women in Mind, But It Can Be Rebuilt
For decades, wrestling has thrived on tradition. But tradition should not stand in the way of progress. Women's wrestling is its own powerful, technical discipline, one that demands different coaching strategies, different mental preparation, and yes, different gear.
Female athletes often have different body compositions, different centers of gravity, and unique health considerations. They navigate puberty and menstrual cycles while maintaining weight and performance.. These aren't weaknesses: they’re realities, and they have not been considered in even our best uniform options. Ignoring them creates gaps in training, trust and confidence.
Too many girls have been coached using a one-size-fits-all system built for boys. And too many coaches—especially female ones—are left on the outside looking in, struggling for recognition in a male-dominated sport. I know this firsthand. As a female coach, it took years to be seen as equal, and even then, I wonder if it’s only because my husband stands beside me in the corner. The number of times I have been asked, “Where’s the coach?” makes me question how far we’ve come. There were days in the beginning where my husband would purposefully leave me alone in the corner to send the message that I was just fine there on my own.
Only after years of being in the corner and beside my girls have our local officials and coaches come to be fully inclusive of my presence in the corner. I am often still the only woman in the room, and if we travel outside our local circle, I am still met with the same confusion and oversight.
The Singlet as a Symbol
Nowhere is the disconnect more visible than in the singlet. The traditional uniform was designed for male bodies, and its flaws show when worn by girls. When the girls in our area first began on the mat, we saw a combination of old boys’ singlets and two-piece uniforms, both of which were a complete disaster. Our girls initially refused to wear a singlet, especially when they saw the shiny, atrocious, unsupportive versions that had been hurriedly purchased. After wrestling in a two-piece uniform, they realized that they needed a singlet to compete, but that the ones available to them simply did not meet their needs. The two-piece uniform prevents movement and often rides up. The “women’s singlets” on the market are nothing more than a men’s singlet with a slightly raised neckline. It does nothing to account for the female form and their specific needs.
We’ve seen camel toe, see-through fabrics, low chest coverage, and sizing that fails to reflect real female athletes. We’ve seen embarrassment on the mat—like the time a girl’s breast slipped from her singlet mid-match. That moment wasn’t just a wardrobe malfunction. It was a wake-up call.
So we decided, no more excuses. No more “close enough.” We built a singlet made for girls, by a family who understands the sport.
The No Excuses Solution: The “Gabriella” Singlet
No Excuses listened. And then we redesigned the singlet from scratch. We spent months re-inventing the singlet to work for our daughter, the girls we coached, and the girls we had connected with across our section. We had them try different versions, over and over, until every seam, every cut, and every aspect of the design met their needs and expectations. This isn’t about us. It’s about letting our athletes know that someone cares enough to listen and respond to what’s not working. We tell our athletes to find a way: find a way to score, find a way to escape, find a way to push through the tough stuff. Creating a singlet for them was just that; we needed to find a way to make them feel the way they should on the mat.
Our modest girls wrestling singlet isn’t just a modification of a men’s design, it’s a purpose-built revolution. And its personal for us. We know these girls. We coach these girls, our daughter among them. We compete against these girls. Made from a unique blend that’s soft, strong, and stretchy, it allows girls to wear any underwear they choose, with no fear of transparency or lines. We added a double-layered gusset for protection during periods and to prevent camel-toe. We raised the neckline high enough for athletes of all sizes to feel secure without an undershirt. The racerback offers compression and support, and its unique design is what allows us to raise the neckline higher than any other singlet on the market. The waist tapers in, the seams are curved; the thighs have room to move, and are free of restrictive elastic that causes them to ride up.
This is innovation born of empathy. It’s not about fashion. It’s about function, confidence, and inclusion. We call it “modest” because it is, but in this instance, modesty doesn’t mean conservative. It means comfortable. It means competition ready. When girls feel covered, protected, and seen, they don’t hesitate. They wrestle. It empowers female athletes to celebrate what their bodies can achieve, reinforcing a sense of belonging and strength on the mat. In short, purpose-built designs like these are more than apparel—they're statements of inclusion, performance, and empowerment. Confidence is not vanity—it is a performance enhancer.
What Making Space Really Means
Making space for women in wrestling isn’t just about adding names to rosters. It’s about rewriting the rules, expectations, and culture of the sport. We are on the mat almost every weekend, all year round, with our team and with our children. We have seen firsthand what it will take to shift women’s wrestling. To make space for women on the mat means:
Reeducating Coaches: Girls have different communication and learning styles, injury risks, and needs in order to be competition-ready. We must learn how to address the whole athlete, instead of placing a male-model of the sport on our female athletes.
Elevating Female Coaches: Investing in our future female leaders by inviting them back into the room and helping athletes build the skills required to become great coaches.
Promoting Women’s Wrestling: Reject the “second-tier” mentality. Advocate for their own practice times, purposeful gear, training plans, and resources. They are not an add-on to the boys team, they are their own complete team.
Listening to Female Athletes: Build regular athlete feedback loops into team culture. The athletes know what they need, and as coaches and parents, we need to listen and take action to meet those needs.
Investing in Uniform Innovation: Support brands that test their products with real athletes and iterate based on their feedback. Choose designs that reflect the specific needs of the female form.
When a girl puts on a singlet that was designed with her in mind, she knows she belongs. When she’s coached by someone who understands her experience, she thrives. When she walks into a gym where the culture embraces her presence instead of tolerating it,that is when women’s wrestling reaches its full potential.
The Time Is Now
Women’s wrestling is not an experiment. It’s not a trend. It’s a movement, and it’s here to stay. But it won’t grow unless we make the changes our athletes need; from the mats, to the locker rooms, to the singlet itself.
No Excuses is about answering that call. Because we believe every girl deserves to feel powerful, protected, and proud the moment she steps on the mat.
There are no more excuses. It’s time to make space, and gear, for HER.
