Des Moines' new girls wrestling head coach aims to inspire, expand program
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Kendric Birden (third from left) along with athletes from the 2022 state girls wrestling tournament. Photo: Courtesy of DMPS
A new head coach is leading the Des Moines Public Schools' girls wrestling team, and his sights are set on making the program one of the most competitive in the state.
Why it matters: Wrestling is a big deal in Iowa and Kendric Birden's program aspirations include ways to support the sport's majority low-income athletes.
Context: Currently, the district has only one women's team for its five high schools, but the Hoover alum hopes to eventually expand and establish a program at each school.
How it started: Birden grew up in a wrestling family. He also has arthrogryposis — a muscular disorder that prevented his calf muscles from developing, he tells Axios. He still uses a wheelchair.
- His family didn't treat him any differently — his cousins wrestled him and he joined their club, "House of Pain."
- "My family, everybody, they never gave me that chance to say, 'I can't,'" Birden says.
Yes, but: When Birden joined Hoover's wrestling team in 1999, "everybody was scared" on the school staff, and he wasn't allowed to compete. That changed his sophomore year when Mark Johnson, Hoover's then-new coach and wrestling state champion, took over and let him compete. Birden reached varsity by his senior year.
- "He spent so much time with me, and he helped me figure out different ways to wrestle," Birden says. "He's the one that actually changed my life."
State of play: Now, Birden says he brings that mentality to his own coaching style. He has trained students for nearly 20 years, including from North, Roosevelt and Hoover.
What's next: Birden is seeking sponsors who can help girls in need to afford competitions, equipment and transportation. Attending tournaments is the first time some of the athletes have ever left Des Moines, he says.
- "We only went to Cedar Rapids and it was like we went to Disney World," Birden says. "A few kids never even stayed at a hotel with a swimming pool."
