Wrestling rooms can be competitive places. Even within the same team, individuals are often competing for spots. Most drills are one-on-one and a certain level of physicality and conflict is both required and encouraged. 

Sometimes that can foster difficult conditions for teammates. 

Homewood-Flossmoor girls wrestling, though, tries to do the opposite. It’s something team leaders and coach Scott Aronson both emphasize. 

“Good team camaraderie is very important, especially in wrestling. It can be a toxic environment if you have people who aren’t being good leaders,” senior Nina Hamm said. “I would like to be that person they can come to if they need help. I want it to be no drama, just have fun.” 

Junior Makayla Marr said even if two girls are competing in the same weight class, Vikings upperclassmen do what they can to make sure everybody feels good about their place on the team.

“We’re about the sisterhood. We all lift each other up,” Marr said. “We push each other hard but there are never any hard disagreements or anything like that. We’re definitely a sisterhood.” 

That started in the summer, when the girls team worked out on their own for the first time instead of with the boys. The Vikings met on Tuesdays and Thursdays at H-F and Oak Forest High School. A six-week summer schedule culminated in a girls-only invite in July at Homewood-Flossmoor. 

“It was different than being with the boys,” junior London Gandy said. “Since we had a chance to do our own thing, we built ourselves more even as a person. We learned different things. We went to different schools to learn from a different coach, even. It was nice.” 

The regular season opens Nov. 30 with the Normal Invitational.

Numbers are slightly down, Aronson said. The roster sits at about 18 right now. It was 24 at this time a year ago. About 40 girls came out, but several didn’t stick with it. It’s the first time in three years that participation dipped. 

While the quantity may not be what it was, the quality is better, H-F wrestlers say. Gandy and Marr are returning state qualifiers. 

“We’ve got a lot of new people this year but it’s coming super natural to them, and I think they’re doing an amazing job,” Marr said. “We definitely picked out the weak. The ones that are here are definitely here to stay. It’s going to be a great outcome this year.” 

Hamm is the wrestler Aronson calls the “unquestioned alpha” in the room. She was the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association champion at 120 pounds. As a sophomore, Hamm finished sixth at 110 in the IHSA state finals. 

She said her two motivations this year are to be a good leader and to get back to state after failing to qualify as a junior. She struggled to make weight during the postseason and lost her practice partner, making a challenging state series even more difficult.

“I think about (state) a lot. Honestly, last year was pretty tough for me,” Hamm said. “It was hard to maintain my technique.” 

Technique should be better for everybody this winter. The summer work should help, but the team captains say they’re putting a bigger emphasis on it during practice. 

“When I see somebody doing something wrong, I try not to be rude about it, but I do want them to get it right in order for our team to be stronger,” Hamm said. “Sometimes, it’s hard to be nice because a lot of the time they’re goofing around. I try to keep them in line.” 

That’ll be important. Girls wrestling isn’t what it was even just a few years ago. Aronson believes state qualifiers from three years ago would have trouble doing the same now. 

The wrestling is just better. That applies to H-F, too. 

“The program is growing, even if the numbers don’t show it right now,” Aronson said. “The program is growing. I think the sport itself in Illinois is growing. I think everything is going in the right direction.”

Because numbers are what they are, there are a few holes in the lineup. Not every weight will be filled just because there are no girls on the roster to fit. But Aronson still believes his team can have a successful season, even at the team level.

On an individual level, he hopes to see a handful of state qualifiers. 

“I want a team that is competitive at the dual meet level, which I think we can be. We want to be competitive in the tournaments,” Aronson said. “This is a really, really young team. I want to see them bond as a sisterhood, as a team. I want them to grow to support each other, be positive with each other, and I want to continue that environment that’s been building for the last three years.”