Bay Shore students make history as Long Island’s first all-girls varsity wrestling team
A group of students at Bay Shore High School is making history as the first girls varsity wrestling team on Long Island.
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Jan 3, 2020, 1:30 PM
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Updated 1,813 days ago
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A group of students at Bay Shore High School is making history as the first girls varsity wrestling team on Long Island.
Head Coach Amber Atkins helped put this team together. More than a decade ago, she wrestled on the Bay Shore boys varsity team.
“It's a dream come true,” says Atkins. “Back in my day, we had two or three girls. Now I have 20 on my team alone. It's everything I could ask for.”
Making history does have some drawbacks. The Marauders don't have any teams to wrestle. For now, they wrestle individually in tournaments, but hopefully not for too long.
“Ultimately, our goal is to stand side by side with the boys at the state championship,” says Atkins.
The girls say they hope more varsity wrestling teams will emerge on Long Island, so they don’t miss out on the fun.
“I know it will get there, and it will work out in the end,” says Atkins. “We do what we love and hope others are inspired by this team."
The girls are wrestling in a New York City tournament on Jan. 11.
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