Amy Petersen named first K-M girls wrestling coach

When Amy Petersen’s now 26-year-old son Matthew came home with a flier for Byron youth wrestling, she was convinced to sign him up.
“We gave it a try and he kind of fell in love with the sport,” Petersen said.
Then, his younger brothers followed in his steps.
“Then we all fell in love with the sport and have been part of it for 20 years,” Petersen said.
Now, with a nine and five-year-old in wrestling at home, Petersen has been named the first ever girls wrestling coach for Kasson-Mantorville High School.
“I think it's going to be good,” Petersen said.
Petersen explained when her son first started wrestling, she knew almost nothing about wrestling but quickly became immersed in the sport, traveling the state and elsewhere for wrestling camps.
When the girls wrestling program was established Petersen said she had many people encourage her to apply.
She was nervous at first, saying “I can be kind of hard, especially my own so it's going to be a different rodeo for me coaching other people's kids.”
But she applied anyway.
“Then they chose me and I’m pretty excited about that,” Petersen said.
Petersen knows there will be some growing pains with the program just starting up. She said they have about six wrestlers, some who wrestled as youth, some who didn’t.
She explained one of the reasons the high school team was formed is because of the increasing interest at the youth level, among female wrestlers.
“Kasson saw a need to get a girls coach,” Petersen said.
Petersen said she also hopes to recruit more upperclassmen to the team.
She said her sons, who got her involved with the sport originally, will be helping out with the team along with her boyfriend who wrestled in college.