Dreaming of winning medals for their country, two dozen girls and young women train to become wrestlers. In the mornings, they jog, sprint, squat, and do push-ups. In the evenings, they practice their moves on mats. To prevent hair-pulling by opponents, most cut their hair very short.
The Altius wrestling school is a cluster of white, one-story buildings on the edge of the village of Sisai in Haryana state, India. Usha Sharma was India’s first female wrestling coach. She set up the school in 2009 with her husband Sanjay Sihag, a sports teacher. The couple believes that the sport can fuel girls’ aspirations and build confidence.
Sharma says that many villagers do not value women well. In nearby fields, women covered head to toe watch over cattle. Often, girls in these villages don’t get the same opportunities to learn and work that boys do. But at the wrestling school, students aged eight to 22 hone the skills and resilience needed to succeed in wrestling and later life.
“It feels nice to see that the same girls who used to graze cows and buffalo—about whom no one cared—there are now four, five people behind them. Their uncles, grandfathers are asking about them,” says Sharma.
State government funding covers training. Parents pay about 9,100 rupees ($109) per month for board and academic tuition, which is provided by a school next door.
“It is a good thing if a girl’s family supports her and she should come forward and join the sport,” says 16-year-old Swati Berwal. “Here, girls . . . become mature. They are able to understand if anything bad is happening around them. Life changes completely after joining the sport.”
Wrestling isn’t for everyone. But physical activity does benefit all people. God gave us bodies. They need movement to function properly. Exercise strengthens bones and muscles, reduces risk of disease, regulates emotions, and helps keep brains sharp. And Sharma and Sihag are right—playing sports can help young people build situational awareness and confidence.
American Sally Roberts, a champion wrestler, told CBS News, “Wrestling is a powerful sport for girls, because it teaches how to own their space, their voice[s], and their bod[ies]. Every time you get knocked down, you have to get back up.”
Some of Sharma’s former students acquired government jobs. Some women earn prize money in competitions. Sharma takes pride in seeing students carve out careers, buy cars, and move ahead in life.
Why? Girls and women aren’t always encouraged to exercise, but physical activity is important for everyone with a body—girls, boys, men, and women.
