Jennifer Johnson takes insturction from Coach Scott Tankersley.Steven Line/Globe-News
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Caprock's girls making their mark in wrestling
Jennifer Johnson takes insturction from Coach Scott Tankersley.
Steven Line/Globe-News
By DREW BUTLER
Globe-News Sports Writer
Tori Adams can remember going along with her older brother Justin, watching him wrestle at the Maverick Wrestling Club.
Watching Justin, Tori always had this thought: "If he's doing this, why can't I?"
Both eventually went to Caprock. Justin wrestled for the Longhorns and was a state medalist at heavyweight and was one of the top wrestlers in the area before he graduated in 1997. Now, Tori is making her mark at Caprock.
Like her brother, it's as a wrestler.
Adams is the unquestioned leader of the Caprock girls wrestling team. Girls wrestling? Shake your head in disbelief, if you want.
But would it surprise you to know that Adams is currently rated second in the country in her weight class? Yes. Would it surprise you that after one girl wrestler competed at Caprock last year, the school will have from 9-12 girls working out after school in a given week? Probably.
The answer to the next question is no. It's not a fad.
"People are like, `No, there can't be a girls wrestling team,' " said senior Norman Garcia, who finished third at a tournament in Dallas last weekend. "But I tell them to come watch us."
You can watch them this weekend at the Re gion I Wrestling Championships at the Caprock Activity Center. The girls championships are set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
When wrestling was approved as a University Intercollegiate League sport in Texas last year, it not only created boys wrestling but girls wrestling as well.
The first girls' national high school tournament was held last year - Adams placed third there. Colleges are starting to add female wrestling clubs and teams and women's wrestling will debut as an Olympic sport at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
"(The girls) came out at first and said, `I don't know if I want to come out, this is scary, I've never done that before,' " said Adams, who wrestles in the 148-pound class. "I just told them that you're going to get good, if you practice."
Across the country, more and more girls are taking up the sport. An article in the Wall Street Journal said that about 1,900 girls took part in organized high school wrestling last year, up from 219 in 1991-92.
At Caprock, the number is up from one last year to around 15 this year. Adams was the lone girl who wrestled last season and that made it tough to find people to work out with.
"Last year, I got to go to state and nationals and that was it," she said. "I didn't have any other tournaments or matches. This year, I've practiced more than I've wrestled last year. Last year, I got third at nationals and this year, I plan on winning it."
When wrestling was approved as a UIL sport, Adams and other girls expressed an interest in competing in the sport.
"This year, three girls went out and got 12 more," said Caprock wrestling coach Scott Tankersley.
The girls at Caprock were drawn into wrestling by a local attraction: shootfighting.
"A lot of the girls wrestle because they like to go to the shootfights," Tankersley said. "I told them, `I can't teach you to shootfight, but I'll teach you to wrestle.' "
No one is probably more surprised about the emergence of girls wrestling than Tankersley, who almost everyone calls "Coach Tank." The first-year Caprock coach had never been a full-time high school wrestling coach before and, now, has had to try and rebuild a Caprock program that had been a state power in the 1970s and 1980s when they were having state title teams.
People tend to forget that the Longhorns won two state titles in the '80s (1986 and 1988) and two in the '70s (1974 and 1975).
Add to that the request to coach girls in wrestling. It was hard to deny them, especially when Caprock has produced the most numbers of almost any school north of Dallas.
It was almost too much for Coach Tank to handle.
"When I first started, I didn't know what I was getting into," he admitted. "I never dreamed that I'd coach girls. The girls came up to me and said they wanted to wrestle. The philosophy of the school is that everyone can participate if they want.
"Everyone has been very supportive, from the administration to the boys. I'm blessed to be with the people I have to support it. Everyone's attitude has been so good."
The difference between Texas and other states is that other states permit girls to wrestle against boys in what is called "co-ed wrestling." It seems that each state deals with girls' wrestling differently.
The South Dakota High School Activities Association prohibits mixed-gender wrestling teams. Wyoming has granted at least one girl a waiver to wrestle. The Lutheran High School Association in Detroit, Mich., forces male wrestlers to forfeit matches against girls.
In 1996, a discrimination lawsuit was filed after the Texas Wrestling Officials Association decided to boycott co-ed matches and later disbanded for a short time, citing the fear that the group could be sued for discrimination when members refused to officiate boy-girl matches.
Now, the UIL prohibits boys and girls to compete on the mat together. Rules don't even permit boys to practice with the girls.
At Caprock, the wrestling practice room is divided as the boys occupy one part of the room and the girls use another.
When Coach Tank wants to demonstrate something to the girls, he gets one of the boys on the mat and goes through what he wants the girls to work on as the girls watch.
Across the Caprock wrestling room, the background of the girls differ. Adams is on the school's varsity basketball team. Others run track, but not all of them play on other teams. There are also four members of the cheerleading squad who went out for wrestling.
"Maybe they can't play volleyball or basketball or soccer, but they can wrestle," Coach Tank said.
"The workouts are awesome," said team member Marisa Paver, who also runs track in the spring. "It's a lot more intense than some of the others. It's hard, but it's fun. I tried to do it last year and I couldn't. This year, I found time and it fit in my schedule. I really wanted to do it."
Finding people to wrestle at other schools has been a problem. In El Paso, Lubbock and in Amarillo, most schools have two or three at the most.
"It's something new," said Caprock assistant coach Ronnie Johnson. "Some schools responded very well, but others aren't ready for it. It's something new."
Maybe that's what scares people.
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Caprock's Adams thought about national title from day one
By DREW BUTLER
Globe-News Sports Writer
Tori Adams was always focused on winning the national title.
Last year's third-place finish at the United States Girls Wrestling Association National Championships wasn't good enough for the Caprock athlete.
So much so that just about every time she stepped onto the mat this season, she had thoughts of the national tournament in the back of her mind - only positive thoughts.
"If you think negative, then it's going to become part of your attitude," Adams said. "If you think you can't, then you can't.
"Every time I stepped on the mat, I thought about nationals and said, `I've got to win nationals'."
It was more than just positive energy that propelled her to a perfect record and a first-place finish in the 149-pound weight class at the second annual national tournament during the weekend in Lake Orion, Mich.
It was clear that she was the best in the field. The junior went 5-0 in the division and was named the most valuable performer in the tournament. She pinned four of her five opponents in the two-day tournament, including a pin in the final against Toccars Montgomery of Ohio in 3:17.
In the one match in which she didn't record a pin, she suffered an ankle injury but won 6-0 against Tina Arndes of Arizona. Arndes, who is a starting linebacker on a high school boys' football team, wasn't a victim of a quick pin as were Adams' first three opponents.
"I had to put that out of my mind," Adams said about the injury. "When I step on the mat, the pain goes away for me. I was thinking that I worked all year long, got this far, so I just had to step up and do it."
She recorded pins in times of 1:17, 1:16 and 1:07 in her first three matches.
The outstanding performer award marked the fourth time this year she has been so honored, capturing awards also in the District 5, Region I and state tournaments.
Team Texas, comprised of 23 athletes, was fourth in the team standings behind Michigan, Hawaii and California. Ten members of the team were from Amarillo and immediately made a name for themselves.
"The tournament was excellent and the competition was a very high level," said USGWA director/founder Kent Bailo. "Everyone thought the Texas bunch was well-received. They were good wrestlers. The fact that they have a girls' state tournament works in their favor."
Amarillo High's Marci Richardson was the only other Amarillo participant earning All-America status. The top nine wrestlers in each class were declared All-Americans. Richardson, a senior, was fifth at 149 pounds.
Norma Garcia was 12th at 122 pounds, Brooke Pillow was 11th at heavyweight, and Miny Garcia was 13th at 130. All are from Caprock.
Adams, Norma Garcia, Paver and Richardson all won titles at the state tournament in February.
"The team did great," Adams said of Team Texas. "We had a lot of first-year wrestlers and a lot of seniors that won't be back next year. We did great. Getting fourth out of 42 is great, even with first-year wrestlers."
In last year's tournament, believed to be the world's largest girls' wrestling event, 272 athletes from 38 states competed. A little more than 300 wrestlers from 42 states competed this year.
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Caprock girl national champ
Monday, March 29, 1999
LAKE ORION, Mich. - Caprock's Tori Adams won all five of her matches and captured the 149-pound-division title in the National Girls Wrestling Association National Championships on Sunday night.
Adams was voted the most valuable wrestler after pinning four of her five opponents in the two-day tournament. She pinned Toccars Montgomery of Ohio in 3:17 during the final.
It's the fourth time this year Adams has been named the outstanding performer of an event - capturing the honor also at the University Interscholastic League District 5, Region I and state tourneys.
The 23-member Team Texas was fourth in the standings behind Michigan, Hawaii and California. The top nine wrestlers in each weight class were named All-Americans.
Amarillo High's Marci Richardson also achieved All-America status by placing fifth at 149 pounds.
Caprock's Norma Garcia finished 12th at 122 pounds, Caprock's Brooke Pillow was 11th at heavyweight, and Miny Garcia was 13th at 130.
There were 42 states represented in the second annual tourney.
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Girls place in wrestling championships
Wrestlers who competed in the AISD middle school girls wrestling championships on Feb. 25 at Austin Middle School included, front row from left, coach Phillip Schmidt, Michelle Barrera, Knealie True, Erica Stewart, Cathleen Hommel, Candi Campbell, Teresa Callas, Jennifer Brantley and Houston Shepard; middle row from left, Kelli Clements, Katie Phipps, Heather Treece, Lindsey Mumau, Hailey Speer, Destiny Brooks, Christy Troutman, Brittany Sanchez, Megan Spencer, Brittany Briones and coach Chuck Bailey; back row from left, coach John Molzahn, Tera Richardson, Callie Williamson, Beth Garvey, Jennifer Rodriguez, Marissa Hollar, Kim Drumm, Melinda Franklin, Heather Perez, Julie Russel, coach James Anderson and coach Corey Quebedeaux.
Houston Shepard of Stephen F. Austin Middle School was named the most outstanding wrestler following the first Amarillo Independent School District middle school girls wrestling championships on Feb. 25 at Austin Middle School.
Shepard won first place in the 121-pound division, edging out Austin's Beth Garvey and Fannin's Jennifer Rodriguez.
Other results from the tournament included:
72-pound division
1. Michelle Barrera, Austin
2. Candi Campbell, Crockett
3. Erica Stewart, Fannin
80-pound division
1. Hope Jones, Bowie
2. Jennifer Brantley, Austin
3. Demetrica Ruiz, Bowie
92-pound division
1. Teresa Callas, Crockett
2. Cathleen Hommel, Crockett
3. Knealie True, Austin
97-pound division
1. Marissa Hollar, Austin
2. Brittany Sanchez, Austin
3. Hailey Speer, Austin
100-pound division
1. Destiny Brooks, Austin
2. Megan Spencer, Austin
3. Heather Treece, Crockett
106-pound division
1. Christy Troutman, Austin
2. Lindsey Mumau, Fannin
3. Heather Perez, Crockett
110-pound division
1. Melinda Franklin, Crockett
2. Katie Phipps, Austin
3. Kim Drumm, Crockett
121-pound division
1. Houston Shepard, Austin
2. (tie) Beth Garvey, Austin
2. (tie) Jennifer Rodriguez, Fannin
3. D'Nissa Adams, Fannin
140-pound division
1. Tera Richardson, Austin
2. Brittany Briones, Austin
3. Callie Williamson, Austin
Heavyweight division
1. Julie Russel, Crockett
2. Kelli Clements, Crockett
3. Becky Albritton, Bowie
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Area wrestlers enter nationals
Competitions scheduled this weekend for boys and girls
by DREW BUTLER
Globe-News Sports Writer
Area boys and girls wrestlers will be going for national titles this weekend, but with very different motivations.
For the boys - all seniors - it will be one of the last high school tournaments. For some of the girls, it is more of a proving ground - a measuring stick for next season.
The boys will wrestle in the National High School Wrestling Championships in Pittsburgh, Pa. and the girls will compete at the United States Girl's Wrestling Association National Championships in Lake Orion, Mich.
Five area boys wrestlers, all seniors, will be competing in today's first round at Duquesne University in what some call the toughest wrestling tournament of the year.
"I believe it is the toughest high school tournament around," said Tascosa coach Johnny Cobb. "The quality is incredible. There could be 50 guys in a weight class and all of them are state champions or state runners-up."
To qualify for the tournament, wrestlers have to be either state champions or a state runnersup. The top eight finishers in each weight division are crowned as All-American.
The Panhandle-area group has four state champions and one runnerup.
Tascosa's Buck McLamb, Aaron Baker and Brett Robinson, along with Caprock's Monty Eakin and Randall's Matt McCormick will all be making the trip. McLamb is a three-time state winner, while Baker and Robinson won two titles each. McCormick is a two-time state runner-up at heavyweight and Eakin won the 180-pound state title as a senior.
"I've been wanting to go to this tournament ever since I've known about it," Robinson said. "I've been training extremely hard for it lately. Hopefully, I'll wrestle as hard as I can and place in the top eight."
McLamb, the top-ranked heavyweight in the country, has a chance to become the first Panhandle wrestler to win his class in the national tournament. At least one wrestler from the area has gone to nationals every year of the 10-year history of the tournament.
"It's going to be huge tournament," Eakin said. "I didn't know how good I was. After regionals, I've been practicing hard and pushing myself. I've got a chance to do something that no one else from Caprock has done and that's be an All-American."
"All of the guys have an excellent shot," Cobb said. "I'm excited about all the guys going up there. It's an incredible feat to finish in the top eight of that tournament."
For the girls, 10 wrestlers will be competing in only the second girls' national championships, which begin Saturday.
Last year, Caprock junior Tori Adams, who won a state title this past February and was named the tournament's top wrestler, placed third at nationals last season and has been ranked second in the country at 160 for most of the year.
Adams is one of nine Caprock wrestlers competing. Adams, Marisa Paver, Brooke Pillow, Norma Garcia, Miny Garcia, Jennifer Johnson, Stephanie Olivas, Deedra Puentes and Marie Hernandez are the other Caprock wrestlers.
Adams, Norma Garcia and Paver all won titles at the UIL Wrestling State Tournament in February. Amarillo High state champion senior Marci Richardson joins the others to make up Team Texas.
But unlike the boys, most of the girls going to the tournament from Caprock will be returning next year. Six of the nine are either sophomores or juniors.
So the team will mostly be looking for experience for the second season of girls wrestling in the University Intercollegiate League. Henry Bargas / Globe-NewsMatt McCormick, Monty Eakin, Aaron Baker and Brett Robinson, from left, will be shooting for national prep wrestling titles this weekend in Pittsburgh, Pa.
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