Asia DeWeese refused to quit, now thousands of wrestlers stand on her shoulders

On April 3, Oregon officially sanctioned girls wrestling at the high school level. More than 50 years after the passage of Title IX, the Oregon School Activities Association decision marked the culmination of a decades-long battle for women and girls in the sport. This likely would have been impossible without trailblazing athletes like Asia DeWeese — who refused to quit long before girls found acceptance in wrestling.

A world-class wrestler who was born and raised in Oregon, DeWeese was driven by a deep love for her sport and a fierce competitive spirit. Her path wasn’t an easy one. As a high school kid in 1986, she joined a cohort of girls and women who pioneered the acceptance of women in wrestling in the United States, and she took a beating for it.

DeWeese and her peers’ refusal to give up eventually helped save wrestling, one of the world’s most ancient sports, from a slow extinction. Today, thousands of girls and women compete in the sport. They stand on the shoulders of women like DeWeese, athletes who carved a path to the future, against all odds.