Women Only Wrestling (WOW) is a non-profit organization fully incorporated in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and formed to fill the need for a wrestling team devoted to the success of young women.
The club will help area wrestlers to develop their skills to their fullest extent. Girls can compete on an even basis with boys in wrestling up to about middle school; however, boys then mature physically to the point where further competition between them is no longer advisable.
WOW will provide a safe environment for girls and young women to learn and perfect the art of freestyle wrestling under the supervision of nationally certified and respected coaches (all coaches have cleared full background checks). Our club exists to teach, and help girls compete in local, state, regional, national, and international competition. We currently have athletes from five to twenty-eight years of age.
Although the club has only been in existence since 2003, we already have three Elementary School, three Middle School National Champions, and two High School National Champions as well as ten Junior All-Americans, and two Senior (Olympic level) All-Americans.
We invite all g
irls interested in wrestling regardless of age, and their parents to join us at practice. Wrestlers who join the club will have the opportunity to work with one of the best coaching staffs in the United States.
Ron Tirpak - Head Coach
Coach Tirpak began coaching in 1968 as an assistant coach at Ridley High School in Pennsylvania and continued there for fifteen years. In 1983, he moved on to Swarthmore College for five years as assistant coach and then twelve years as head coach. When Swarthmore dropped wrestling in 2000, he became an assistant coach at Ursinus College. Well versed in Folkstyle, Freestyle, and Greco-Roman wrestling Coach Tirpak’s mastery of technique, knowledge of the Soviet System coupled with his innovative adaptation of Asian martial arts, and use of cutting edge technology have made him a much sought coach and clinician. He is one of only forty men in the world to hold the Gold Level Coaching Certification, the highest coaching honor bestowed by USA Wrestling. He is a member of the U.S. Women’s National Freestyle Wrestling Team coaching staff and the Director of Freestyle and Greco-Roman Coaches in Pennsylvania for USA Wrestling.
Coach Tirpak can list many achievements during his over four decades as a coach. He Coached the USA to a first place finish at the 2004 Pan American Championships in Guatemala; a third place finish at the 2005 Yarygin Championship in Siberia; a third place at the 2008 Medved International in Minsk, Belarus; and a second place finish in the 2010 Women’s World Cup in Nanjing, China. At the 2010 Senior National Wrestling Championships, The Performance Enhancement Division of The United States Olympic Committee presented The “Doc” Councilman Award to Coach Tirpak for his “innovative and effective use of technology in the preparation of our athletes for international competition,” and recognized him as the 2009 Wrestling Coach of the Year.
Jen Chu – Assistant Coach
- Jen (on left) at University Nationals
Jen, a former Junior National Champion and Senior level All-American serves as assistant coach. Jen is also the Women’s Wrestling Director for Pennsylvania and is certified as a USA Wrestling Bronze Level Coach. She founded Women Only Wrestling in 2003 with the help of Ron Tirpak’s extensive coaching experience. She graduated from Haverford College with a degree in psychology and is currently completing her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Arcadia University.
Angela Quinn, one of the first girls to wrestle in a high school meet in Pennsylvania. She graduated from The University of Michigan where she trained and competed in women’s events earning a #2 ranking in the 48 Kg (105 pounds) weight class. Coach Quinn holds a Bronze level certification from USA Wrestling.
Additional national and internationally renowned clinicians will periodically conduct sessions. Several members of the USA Women’s Team have committed to appear.
