TRENDING TOPICS

On the Move: The emerging sport of Women’s Wrestling has moved closer to official championship status in the NCAA. More than the requisite 40 colleges now offer women’s wrestling at a varsity level. There is currently a National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championship, but it is not sanctioned by the NCAA. Attaining the number of varsity programs is an important step for the growth of women’s college wrestling; however, officials in both USA Wrestling and Wrestle Like a Girl, the sponsoring organizations, note there is still work to be completed at multiple levels (competitive, organizational, scholarship, etc.) before the sport can apply for championship status.

An uptick in women’s college programming is driving similar growth at the high school level and bringing the potential for more designated wrestling practice and competition space, as well as more accessories and amenities.

On the Grow: The Michigan State University (MSU) Board of Trustees recently voted to build a FIFA-funded turfgrass testing facility that will make turf for more than a dozen stadiums for the 2026 World Cup. The facility will be a gift to the university after the FIFA World Cup has concluded. FIFA will fund and build the facility on MSU’s East Lansing campus which will be made available to university researchers and students.

For the Games: World Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse have been publicizing a new format for the game, Sixes, a small-sided, faster-paced and more TV-friendly version of the sport. The goal: Inclusion in the

2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. (Another advantage of sixes is the lower head count per team. The Los Angeles 2028 Games will have a cap of 10,500 athletes in total, so sports with fewer athletes have an advantage.)

But although lacrosse is on the IOC’s shortlist, it isn’t alone there. Eight other sports are on the list, including baseball/ softball (counted as one lobby), cricket, breaking (known in the USA as breakdancing), flag football, karate, kick boxing, motor sport and squash. Note: All these sports are hoping to be what is known as showcase sports, meaning that although the host city may recommend them, they are not in the Games on a permanent basis. Case in point: Baseball and softball were in Tokyo but won’t be in Paris.

A final decision on the showcase sports is expected to be made at the IOC’s October 15-17 executive session in Mumbai.

Women in Construction: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has a sobering report: Although there are nearly 400,000 open construction jobs nationwide, only about 11 percent of construction workers are women.

The Home Depot Foundation has announced an investment of $200,000 in trade school scholarships for women. The Path to Pro Scholarship for Women will provide $4,000 in financial assistance to women entering or currently enrolled in construction trades programs. ★

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