Des Moines' new girls wrestling coach aims to build next generation

A new head coach is leading Des Moines Public Schools' girls wrestling team, and he wants to make it one of the most competitive programs in the state.

Why it matters: Wrestling is a big deal in Iowa and Kendric Birden plans to pump up Des Moines' program and support its majority low-income athletes.

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State of play: While the entire district has just one women's team right now for its five high schools, Birden hopes to expand it someday so that each school has its own program.

How it started: Birden grew up in a wrestling family. He also has arthrogryposis — a muscular disorder that caused his calf muscles not to develop, 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 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."

Kendric Birden (second from right) coaches during a wrestling meet at East High School in 2023. Photo: Courtesy of DMPS