This duo plans to takedown one of female wrestlers’ most ‘mortifying’ foes: the wrong kind of exposure

Two women-owned Kansas businesses are teaming up to ensure that female wrestlers don’t get pinned by a wardrobe malfunction mid-match, shared Deb North and Frankie Elder-Reedy. It’s a pairing that shows for these sole sisters, entrepreneurship is more than an individual sport.

Topeka-based Yes! Athletics is going to the mat with the Apex high-impact sports bra, developed by Pleasanton-based Wrax, a sports bra company founded by Elder-Reedy to provide women the freedom to move their bodies with strength and confidence.

Apex high-impact sports bra by Wrax

“This is so innovative that there’s nothing else out there like it,” said North, who founded Yes! Athletics in 2019 to provide young women involved in the male-dominated field of wrestling with shoe (and now more gear and apparel) options.

“I’m excited about being able to get these kids in equipment that actually supports their goals,” Elder-Reedy added.

After spending time with North at a wrestling meet listening to female wrestlers and their parents, Elder-Reedy was surprised to hear how many of the young women struggled with full coverage from their singlets, she noted.

“They had their boobs literally come out the side of their singlet while they’re wrestling,” she explained. “They’re in a position where they need to be focused on what they’re there to do on the mat, but instead, they’re distracted with trying to bring it back in or readjust because they’re afraid of a wardrobe malfunction. It’s incredibly distracting for these young athletes.”

“I cannot imagine how mortifying that would be if I put myself back into my 16-year-old self and think about that happening,” added Elder-Reedy, who is a member of the 2025 Pipeline Fellowship.

Click here if you’re a female wrestler interested in being a product tester for the Apex sports bra.

Better control, fewer injuries

North — who was recently one of five KC-area entrepreneurs honored with the 2025 Enterprising Women of the Year Award from Enterprising Women Magazine — said Yes! Athletics offers other compression sports bras, but they don’t always work for those who need extra support.

Deb North, Yes! Athletics, and Frankie Elder-Reedy, Wrax, at a wrestling tournament; courtesy photo

“There needs to be better options,” she continued. “So (Wrax) is a great solution for those athletes. She’s got a sports bra now that makes a lot of sense for my athletes because they can’t have any clasps or anything that could endanger another athlete.”

“What makes Wrax unique is that it’s the only sports bra in the world that has multi-directional control, meaning we’re going at this a totally different way,” Elder-Reedy added. “We’re offering a product that has better physics control.”

North and Yes! Athletics — which is also the first company to offer a singlet with period protection — recognizes that these female athletes don’t have what they need and are doing something about it, Elder-Reedy added.

From the archives: Beating the boys club: Mother of three hits the mat with girls wrestling shoes

“She’s a fantastic listener and she’s giving these athletes the things that they need to be able to participate in the sport that they deserve to be able to be fully focused in, as well,” she continued.

“When athletes have the proper gear and apparel, the injury risk goes down by 50 percent,” North added. “So it’s a big deal.”

Another form of support

Elder-Reedy and North first met at an event a couple of years ago, thanks to Elder-Reedy’s simple black wrestling shoes, they shared. 

Frankie Elder-Reedy, Wrax; courtesy photo

“I’m kind of embarrassed to admit I sort of obsessed about what I should wear,” Elder-Reedy explained, “because I’m not familiar with the world of networking as well as I would like to be. Wanting to look professional — but wanting to be comfortable — I finally decided to just wear a branded Wrax T-shirt, jeans, and my wrestling shoes. I’ve worn wrestling shoes for years. My dad was a high school wrestling coach. So I grew up in a wrestling environment.”

North noticed the wrestling shoes and approached her at the event.

“I appreciate so much how welcoming she was,” Elder-Reedy continued. “I immediately fell in love with her, because she’s like, ‘Well, I happen to make wrestling and shoes for girls,’ and I was just enthralled, like, ‘You do what? I didn’t know that existed. I didn’t know that was a thing.’”

“I think I was more bold and was like, ‘You really need cuter wrestling shoes and I can help,’” North joked.

The two became fast friends, they said, especially after they were both chosen for the same NXTUS cohort in Wichita.

“She’s just doing all the amazing things,” Elder-Reedy noted of North. “She’s so supportive and generous with her time and knowledge. I feel like an infant sometimes in the stage of the business that I’m in and it’s hard to be an entrepreneur. Everybody that’s been an entrepreneur has a common thread of conversation amongst us about how hard it is. But having allies makes a huge difference. I just am super appreciative of her willingness to be supportive and helpful.”

“It’s just so serendipitous that we met and then we ended up with some cohort,” North added, “like, ‘Wait, I know you, you’re the wrestling shoe girl, right?’ We’re just two ladies out there setting the world on fire.”