Owasso High School's new girls wrestling team
By Lizzy Petersen
Photo of Owasso girls wrestling team taken by Tulsa citizen
Owasso High School has improved over many years, and with the addition of a new girls' wrestling team, the school continues to grow. Establishing an all-girls team brought many new opportunities to the girls who joined. Many of the new athletes had little to no prior knowledge of the sport, so not only were they learning about wrestling, they were learning about mental and physical toughness, responsibility, respect and how to build supportive relationships with those around them.
In order for the new team to be official, a coach was needed. Coach Morsey was the one to accept this position with support from his loving wife. In addition to being a football coach, he was an assistant coach to wrestling. He was qualified for the job, having begun his wrestling career in the 2nd grade.
Morsey even mentioned his accomplishments: "In high school, I was a two-time state placer and a state runner-up.”
Football and wrestling have lots of similarities; both sports are very demanding as they require dedication, discipline and overall strength. The biggest difference for Morsey was transitioning from coaching an all-boys team to an all-girls team. He noticed that with coaching girls, they need more positive reinforcement and reassurance, especially since the majority of the girls on the team have never wrestled before.
He stated, “Girls are a lot better about listening to instructions and being responsible.”
Many coaches have different ways of working with their athletes to yield the most effective results. Some coaches are tougher than others, but the ones who work to make an impact on your lives outside of the sport are the ones meant to lead.
Morsey expresses his dedication as a coach trying to be a positive influence on the girls by mentioning, “I want to have a team that knows how much I care about them.”
The success of this year’s Owasso girls' wrestling team is an important factor contributing to the future of the program. It will help encourage other girls to join, try a new sport and continue to shine a light on Owasso’s accomplishments.
Starting a new team from scratch is very difficult, but seeing the progress that comes from hard work and dedication at the end of the year makes it worth it.
Morsey states, “We are getting better every day.”
This is going to be an amazing season for the girls, filled with new experiences and challenges. They will continue to get better and grow as a team. As the Owasso team works hard and attempts a new, unfamiliar challenge, make sure to support them by attending their upcoming events.