Samantha Miller and Allyssa Pirro sat high above the action on the first day of the recent men’s U23 Nationals and U20 World Team Trials in Geneva, Ohio. They eventually worked their way to the floor and volunteered for three straight days — making the two-hour round-trip drive from Cleveland.

Their reason for attending was simple: they love the sport.

“My best friend Allyssa Pirro wrestles at Indiana Tech and she asked if I wanted to go to World Team Trials,” Miller said. “I’m here to support some of my friends and I love wrestling. Why not?”

The two met during high school while competing for Team Ohio. Miller wrestled on the Parkersburg, West Virginia, men’s team and drove three hours to train and compete in Ohio since their opportunities in her state were limited.

Miller recently transferred from Presbyterian to Mount Olive (a Division II program in Mount Olive, North Carolina), while Pirro wrestles for Indiana Tech (an NAIA program in Fort Wayne).

Two different colleges. Two different states. Two different divisions. Lifelong friendship.

“Going from the only girl when I was four years old until now — wrestling has grown tremendously,” Miller said. “I just want to keep growing it and making a path for the girls who haven’t gotten there yet. Even if I lost a match, I could look out and see all these people supporting us. People are putting their time into it.”

Pirro shared similar sentiments: “Every state had a national team so all of the girls from Team Ohio are spread out and we all wrestle at different colleges. We’ll see each other at different tournaments and we’ll leave our teams to hang out with each other a little bit.

“I love how wrestling brings everyone together. Everybody is part of the family. Everybody in college that I’ve met is part of the family — even from different teams. There will always be somebody there in the wrestling family.”

There’s a scene from the movie “The Straight Story” that reflects what’s happening in women’s wrestling. The film is about an elderly man who travels across Iowa on a lawnmower to mend his relationship with an ill brother. He meets a girl who ran away from home and tells her the following.

“When my kids were real little I used to play a game with them. I'd give each one of 'em a stick and, one for each one of 'em, then I'd say, 'You break that.' Course they could real easy. Then I'd say, 'Tie them sticks in a bundle and try to break that.' Course they couldn't. Then I'd say, "That bundle...that's family."

Girls high school wrestling is the fastest-growing sport in America and the family bond is part of the reason why. Women have built lasting relationships through a brutally independent sport.

It’s less about "me" and more about "we." Winning and losing are secondary to what wrestling can provide. Women’s wrestling has metaphorically tied together a nationwide bundle of sticks that can’t be broken.

And the numbers are proof. Over 50,000 girls competed last year, which is up 46 percent. There are currently 39 states that sanction girls' high school wrestling with over 150 colleges that offer the sport.

These numbers didn’t happen by accident, either. This is a consistent, organized effort between invested groups that are driven by something bigger than one person. Miller and Pirro’s insightful words show how deeply-rooted wrestling can be, and how lasting the impact can be. 

That’s why women’s wrestling is part sport, part community, part family, part movement — and all progress. 

Samantha Miller (top) is a three-time All-American who currently competes for Mount Olive, while her best friend, Allyssa Pirro (bottom), competes for Indiana Tech