Stop Excluding NYC Girls from State Wrestling Tournament!
Stop Excluding NYC Girls from State Wrestling Tournament!
The Issue
Stop Excluding NYC Girls from State Wrestling Tournament!
Dear Governor Hochul,
New York City’s high-school girls’ wrestling community needs your help!
Like other girls around the state, I was thrilled when I heard that New York would be holding its first-ever state wrestling tournament for girls. Being a New York City girls’ wrestling champion, I was excited to finally have the same opportunity as my male peers – to be able to compete against top wrestlers from around the state. When I spoke to girls from other New York City teams, I could tell they were just as excited as I was.
But then we received some devastating news: New York City girls are not invited to the tournament! The New York State Public High School Athletic Association decided to exclude our league, the PSAL, while inviting girls from all other parts of the state. Though the PSAL is not officially part of the state association, PSAL boys wrestle in the state championship each year.
We can’t imagine why we wouldn’t be welcome at the tournament and have been given no explanation as to why we were left out. It is very easy to add wrestlers to a tournament and it is not too late to add us to this one. We are asking for just 13 spots in a tournament that will include over a hundred.
We hope that as a woman, you can understand our desire to be given the same opportunities as boys. We also hope that as the governor of all New Yorkers, you share our outrage at being excluded from a statewide tournament.
The tournament is on January 27 and there isn’t much time to act. We hope you can step in and help us gain the opportunity to compete. This opportunity could open doors to a brighter future for me by exposing me to college coaches who will be watching the tournament closely. This is not just for me but for all girls who wrestle in New York City or one day dream to do so.
Alessandra Elliott
Senior Girl Wrestler
Tottenville High School
2,052
The Issue
Stop Excluding NYC Girls from State Wrestling Tournament!
Dear Governor Hochul,
New York City’s high-school girls’ wrestling community needs your help!
Like other girls around the state, I was thrilled when I heard that New York would be holding its first-ever state wrestling tournament for girls. Being a New York City girls’ wrestling champion, I was excited to finally have the same opportunity as my male peers – to be able to compete against top wrestlers from around the state. When I spoke to girls from other New York City teams, I could tell they were just as excited as I was.
But then we received some devastating news: New York City girls are not invited to the tournament! The New York State Public High School Athletic Association decided to exclude our league, the PSAL, while inviting girls from all other parts of the state. Though the PSAL is not officially part of the state association, PSAL boys wrestle in the state championship each year.
We can’t imagine why we wouldn’t be welcome at the tournament and have been given no explanation as to why we were left out. It is very easy to add wrestlers to a tournament and it is not too late to add us to this one. We are asking for just 13 spots in a tournament that will include over a hundred.
We hope that as a woman, you can understand our desire to be given the same opportunities as boys. We also hope that as the governor of all New Yorkers, you share our outrage at being excluded from a statewide tournament.
The tournament is on January 27 and there isn’t much time to act. We hope you can step in and help us gain the opportunity to compete. This opportunity could open doors to a brighter future for me by exposing me to college coaches who will be watching the tournament closely. This is not just for me but for all girls who wrestle in New York City or one day dream to do so.
Alessandra Elliott
Senior Girl Wrestler
Tottenville High School
2,052
The Decision Makers
Petition created on January 18, 2023