MOORESVILLE, Ind. -- Women and girls are becoming more involved in the sport of wrestling in recent years, since female wrestling debuted as an Olympic sport back in 2004.

Three years later, Indiana has the highest number of female wrestlers it has ever had, 6News' Emily Gimmel reported.

A new wrestling club hopes to pin many existing stereotypes to the ground. Only a few weeks old, the Mooresville Girls Wrestling Club is the first all-female group in the state.

"When I first started wrestling, my friends thought it was kind of weird. But one of my friends, she watched the high schoolers and she said it actually looked kind of fun," said Kristin Metz.

Coach Beth Lybarger said wrestling is a sport that allows girls to be in control, something she said is appealing to them.

"I think any girl that has the least bit of competitive edge to her will enjoy wrestling. It is very physical, so you have to be in shape and … that makes you feel good if you are in shape," Lybarger said.

The sport is not for sissies. The rules are the same as men's wrestling, but the women wear slightly different uniforms.

The Mooresville group has about nine members between the ages of 5 and 18. Ashleigh Lybarger is the team's leader. She placed fourth in a recent national competition.

"I don't look at it as a guys sport or a girls sport. It is just a sport. Girls can do it," Ashleigh Lybarger said. "Just like if a girl wanted to join a boys football team, they could do it."

Nationwide, many coaches think young girls can dominate the elementary age because girls have a better center of balance, more flexibility and they develop motor skills faster.

Females still have a long way to go to match their male counterparts in sheer number. About 150 female wrestlers are registered with the Indiana State Wrestling Association. About 9,000 boys are involved.

Several states, including Texas and California, have women's high school teams and some universities are beginning to offer wrestling scholarships to women.

"I would really like to see us get more girls. I think if we get more girls, I think more of the schools will be willing to have girls teams that compete in the school year like the boys do," said Beth Lybarger.

Wrestlers need a USA competitor's card to participate in any wrestling club in Indiana. They can be purchased for $30 through the ISWA.

Mooresville's team practices on Tuesday and Thursday nights at the high school.

See Emily Gimmel's journal for more contact information.