Two-time Olympian Kayla Miracle (bottom) demonstrates with Marysville graduate Cali Leng (top) during the first session of a recent girls wrestling clinic. Approximately 60 wrestlers participated.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff)
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Father’s Day recently had to take a backseat in Marysville.
Approximately 60 female wrestlers were present at Marysville High School taking notes from two-time Olympian Kayla Miracle.
The clinic covered how to do a fireman’s carry, along with how to get turns when a wrestler is on top.
Miracle will be representing the United States in the upcoming Paris Summer Olympics. She will be competing in the 62 kg (137-pound) weight class.
The opportunity to bring Miracle to the clinic arose after Shawn Andrews reached out to a USA wrestling state chairperson Chris Kallai, requesting one athlete make an appearance.
In April Andrews said it would be great for an athlete to appear during a team duals camp which occurred Monday at Marysville.
However, due to her schedule, Miracle was able to come to Marysville a day prior to the camp.
The Olympian had to be in Iowa Monday, resulting in the local clinic to be scheduled on Father’s Day.
“We got a call on Monday (June 10) that said ‘hey, we have an athlete who can come out,” said Andrews.
The local schedule had to be flexed for Miracle’s schedule.
The clinic was split into two sessions.
The mission was simple… interact with the athletes to give them insights into the sport.
“I have a super busy summer preparing for Paris, but when the opportunity came knocking on my door, I had to say yes,” Miracle said.
Her father is from Ohio.
The Bloomington, Indiana native said she desired to pursue a future in wrestling after witnessing athletes like Clarissa Chun (now head women’s coach at the University of Iowa) at a tournament, Tricia Saunders (National Wrestling Hall of Fame member) do a camp and Sarah Hildebrant (USA wrestler) compete.
“Seeing those girls and being Hildebrandt’s roommate at Fargo (for the nationals) and seeing what she’s done in high school and college, it’s like wow,” Miracle said.
Seeing those athletes perform at the highest level gave Miracle the push she needed to become a decorated grappler.
In Sunday’s clinic, she hoped to give that same inspiration to those who attended.
Understanding the Father’s Day sacrifices families had to make, Miracle gave credit to the fathers in the gym for being present for their daughters.
“For the dads and the grandfathers to be giving up their day… they are spending their time giving up for their daughters and they are really feeding into this,” Miracle said. “My dad, when I started wrestling, wasn’t really all for it. Fast forward 15 years and he’s a women’s college head coach.”
Her father, Lee Miracle, is the head women’s coach at Campbellsville University.
Miracle said in the past, he may not have opted to give up Father’s Day to allow her to work on her skills.
“The fact (other dads) are doing this on their day is awesome and they are sitting here learning as well,” Miracle said.
Miracle enjoys the opportunity to instruct clinics when she can.
Being a current athlete in USA Wrestling limits her time to partake in clinics and camps.
In the future, the Olympian sees herself becoming a head coach of a women’s collegiate program.
“I do them as I can,” she said. “I don’t know what I’ll be doing after Paris.
“The dream is to be a head coach of an Iowa-type of school where they have the resources that I didn’t get when I was in college (Campbellsville) and that I know women deserve as athletes.”
There has been an upward trend in girls wrestling across the country.
In 2022, Ohio became the 33rd state to sanction the sport.
According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, 44 states now have a dedicated girls state championship.
Indiana did not have girls wrestling as a sanctioned sport when Miracle was in high school.
It will become a varsity sport (along with boys volleyball) in the Hoosier State starting with the 2024-25 school year.
“I competed against boys and that’s all I knew until I started competing internationally,” Miracle said. “It’s cool to see the numbers and growth of it (girls wrestling). They are just loving the sport.”
Getting the chance to not only coach clinics but see the growth of the female division is a full circle moment for Miracle.
She credits past high school athletes who are giving back to the sport in the state of Ohio.
Wrestling is a physically demanding and tough sport. Drilling and learning a new technique requires a lot from an athlete.
Miracle hopes the girls who attended the Marysville clinic not only learned something new, but had fun while doing it.
In the latter part of the first session, it became apparent that a few of the young grapplers were fatigued. To get the blood flowing, Miracle paused the clinic for a dance battle with some getting in the middle to show off their moves.
“Wrestling is already so tough,” Miracle said. “Why does it always have to be so tough? I don’t think it needs to be, so I try to keep it light.
“I think people put too much pressure on the sport and that drives people away.”
Marysville’s Addi Lyon was a participant in the clinic. She is participating in all the freestyle tournaments she can attend this summer.
Learning from Miracle, she took a few mental notes on how to properly hit a fireman’s carry.
Overall, getting the chance to learn from a high-profile wrestler is something Lyon will remember.
“I am just trying to use all of it and remember it so I can use it from my toolbox,” Lyon said. “I’ve learned a lot through the offseason so putting that into folkstyle and getting ready for the state tournament will help me get ready.”
With more clinics and practices dedicated to girls wrestling, the competition is improving.
“Every year I think it’s crazy how many girls are in this sport,” said Lyon. “Even the new girls are getting better than when I first started.
“It is cool to see how girls are getting into it.”
