‘All the coaches are helping us’

Provini, Limpar already building something special with Northampton

Gina Limpar spent many nights growing up at Northampton wrestling matches with Dana Rohn, daughter of legendary coach Don Rohn.

“You either understand [wrestling] and love it,” she said, “or you're like, ‘No way.'”

Limpar never wrestled but is more involved in the sport than ever. Her two children — son Ryder, 9; daughter Hayden, 5 — are competing in the Northampton youth program. Her husband, Marty, is a youth coach.

But no one in the family has a better seat for the high school varsity matches than Limpar. She's an assistant coach for the Konkrete Kids' first-year girls program.

“I was curious when I heard about a girls program coming to Northampton,” she said. “My husband was in contact with [Northampton head] coach [Joe] Provini, then somehow my name got tossed in there. I'm like, ‘No way.'

“We both work full time. Both kids wrestle. My husband coaches. But we can stick that in there. It is the first year of Northampton girls wrestling, so I have to do this. So, I was in.”

Northampton, like many other area schools, scrambled to generate an opportunity this season for girls to wrestle after the PIAA last spring sanctioned the sport. There were so many logistics to work out.

Athletic director Shaun Murray, administrative assistant Patricia McGee and Provini teamed to make it happen with the Konkrete Kids.

Provini talked up girls wrestling to his social studies classes at the high school, then held a meeting once the sport was officially approved by the school board for the 2023-24 season.