'Why can't I?' launched Florida's first girls-duals wrestling team

{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-cant-launched-floridas-first-090251859.html","headline":"'Why can't I?' launched Florida's first girls-duals wrestling team","datePublished":"2026-04-28T09:02:51.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-28T09:02:51.000Z","keywords":["Team Barracuda","folkstyle wrestling","girls team","Team Barracuda Wrestling Club","High School wrestling","team","the team","girls wrestling"],"description":"\"Why can't I?\" Lily Calzadilla, 14, asked in 2017. Her persistence led to Florida's first all girls-duals wrestling team in Jensen Beach.","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Yahoo Sports","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/icons/favicon_y112_112.png","width":112,"height":112},"url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia Franklin, Treasure Coast Newspapers","url":"","jobTitle":""},"creator":{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia Franklin, Treasure Coast Newspapers","url":"","jobTitle":""},"provider":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Palm Beach Post","url":"https://www.palmbeachpost.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":682,"height":100,"url":"https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-05/487c02b0-0ede-11ef-bdfd-51dc45b61630"}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/JmiOs6Vaxb0UNtZ7SV4Gig--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjAwO2NmPXdlYnA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/palm_beach_post_natl_articles_437/78a0e83de0587314e0eaf66d1985b60f","height":800,"width":1200},"thumbnailUrl":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/JmiOs6Vaxb0UNtZ7SV4Gig--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjAwO2NmPXdlYnA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/palm_beach_post_natl_articles_437/78a0e83de0587314e0eaf66d1985b60f"}Story by'Why can't I?' launched Florida's first girls-duals wrestling team'Why can't I?' launched Florida's first girls-duals wrestling teamOlivia Franklin, Treasure Coast NewspapersTue, April 28, 2026 at 9:02 AM UTC·4 min readWrestling is not typically thought of as a women's sport, but these Treasure Coast athletes are changing that notion.Team Barracuda Wrestling Club was started by Coach Tom McMath in 2006 and practices out of the Jensen Beach High School wrestling room. McMath said the team started out with three athletes, and the club has grown to about 70, including some girls.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_63iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: none; } @media screen and (max-width: 767.95px) { #_R_63iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: flex; } iframe { max-width: 100vw; } }The girls team has six official members, but since some other girls in the area don't have official programs, they come to practice with Team Barracuda. Athletes come from Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Palm Beach counties to practice with the team."Being around the sport and being around the girls now, you see how females can benefit from it also," he said. "Boy or girl, it's about the sport of wrestling and what it does for you as a human."Team Barracuda girls teamThe club is youth-driven, so unlike high school wrestling, the team is able to practice year-round. From the fall to winter, it's folkstyle wrestling season, which is the traditional style of wrestling seen in high school.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_69iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: none; } @media screen and (max-width: 767.95px) { #_R_69iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: flex; } iframe { max-width: 100vw; } }In…

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