News Page

Wrestling could be equitable after all

Dec 12, 1999

Nancy Clark

What if Friday night's Iowa-Iowa State wrestling showdown had been a
doubleheader, with fans packing Hilton Coliseum to see the women's
teams wrestle before the men took the mat?

I'll pause for a minute to let that sink in, and to let you finish
snickering, chortling and thinking up tasteless jokes.

OK, better now? Then let's get serious.

Women's freestyle wrestling could be a popular sport in a couple of decades.
It's already growing rapidly across the country.

There aren't any college varsity teams yet, but there is a United States
team, and it won the world championship in September. Women's world
championships have been sanctioned by FILA, the international wrestling
federation, since 1987, and the U.S. has put forth a team since 1989.
The sport is being considered for inclusion in the Olympic Games, beginning
in 2004 in Athens.

The number of girls participating in high school wrestling has increased
from 112 in 1990 to 2,361 in 1998, according to the National Federation
of State High School Associations. Most of the girls competed on boys'
teams, but Hawaii and Texas had state- sanctioned high school
tournaments for girls.

Also, according to USA Wrestling, Michigan has a nonsanctioned tournament
that has more than 100 competitors a year, and Pennsylvania
started a nonsanctioned meet last year. The national high school
championships for girls have more than 300 competitors.

USA Wrestling has developed a proposal to create women's freestyle wrestling
programs on the college level. The season would be in the
spring, meaning facilities and equipment possibly could be shared with men's
programs.

Obviously, there is a groundswell of support for women's wrestling. So why
hasn't the idea taken hold here? Why not in Iowa, the Mecca of
wrestling?

My guess: Iowa's wrestling leaders are purists, too traditional for such a
radical departure.

Occasionally, an Iowa high school girl will compete on a boys' team, usually
at 98 pounds or another lower weight. But only a couple girls take
the mat in a year.

"Nobody has even asked us about girls' wrestling," said Troy Dannen,
associate executive secretary of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic
Union. "We've had more interest in rodeo and bowling."

There hasn't been much interest on college campuses, either.

"We feel we are meeting the needs of the athletes with the programs we have
at this time," said J. Elaine Hieber, senior associate athletic director
at Iowa State. "There aren't many high schools with girls' wrestling, and
we'd need more high schools to participate in order to have a successful
college program."

And, Hieber pointed out, women's wrestling is not even on the NCAA's list of
emerging sports, a designation that leads to sanctioning.
Guidelines for emerging-sport status include the existence of 20 or more
college varsity teams or clubs and high school sport sponsorship.
Recognized emerging sports include archery, badminton, bowling, equestrian,
ice hockey, squash, synchronized swimming, team handball and
water polo.

But, Hieber said, don't rule out women's college wrestling in the future.

"They probably laughed at college basketball for women 20 or 30 years ago,"
she said.

But Hilton Coliseum was nearly sold out for Saturday's Iowa-Iowa State
women's basketball game, wasn't it?`

---------------------------

San Rafael Girls Wrestle With Stereotypes
Four teammates take challenge all the way to the mat

Friday, December 17, 1999

San Fransisco

The San Rafael High School wrestling team is a case study of how the once male-dominated sport is changing: Four of its 20 members are girls. Sophomores Orianna Orsi, Angie Monette and Alex Navarro and junior Jessica Pevey represent a significant shift in high school wrestling, which now showcases all-girls tournaments.

The San Rafael girls will compete against boys in Marin County Athletic League meets and wrestle at the North Coast Women's Classic in San Jose on Tuesday and the Brute Napa Valley Girls Classic on January 22.

``They need a place to compete against one another, which is why we started this tournament last year,'' said Carl Murphree, director of the Napa tournament.

The Napa meet drew 70 girls last year and expects to draw about 180 next month.

Girls from Terra Linda, Vintage, Tamalpais and Novato high schools will attend the meet, along with girls from Nevada, Oregon and Southern California, including 20 from Thousand Oaks High School.

``California is probably in the top three in terms of the number of female participants,'' said USA Wrestling Women's National Team Coach Mike Duroe, who estimates that between 3,500 and 4,000 girls wrestle nationally.

``They encourage it more, and more coaches and clubs are being open-minded in terms of allowing women to come in and try it,'' he said. ``It's a very popular sport for those girls who want to develop their body physically and build their self-confidence in a one-on-one, quote-unquote combat sport.''

The presence of girls in prep wrestling is bolstered by Title IX, passed in 1972, which prohibits discrimination against women by federally funded educational institutions.

At San Rafael, the Bulldog girls are busy preparing for the season.

``They're all really dedicated, and I think they need to succeed at this point,'' said first-year coach David Perry. ``But I just think for them to come out shows a lot of courage, especially in the beginning; there's a certain disadvantage in strength when wrestling boys, but they have a lot of upper-body flexibility they can work with.''

Orianna says she initially felt animosity from boys on the 2-5 team, which she joined to prove to a male teammate she could last more than an hour on the mat.

``They would just give me attitude and not really help me with moves,'' said Orianna, 15, who wrestles in the 119-pound weight class. ``But when I won my first match, this one guy said, `You're a real wrestler now,' and that made me really happy.''

This season, Angie, a first-time wrestler, described a different environment.

``You'd think they'd coach down to you, but they don't, which is really encouraging,'' said Angie, 15. ``They want to see you succeed, whether you're a guy or a girl.''

Angie's aunt, Ann Monette, whom Angie lives with, recalled her reaction to Angie wrestling.

``I thought she was crazy,'' she said. ``I was a little taken aback that she was interested in wrestling, but once she started, she loved it. I thought it was really great exercise, and we really support her.''

Bulldog sophomore Buddy Robinson, 15, said that what initially seemed off-beat to the males now has become the norm. ``At first, I thought it was kind of weird that they were trying to be manly, but I think it's kind of cool,'' he said.

Perry avoids fostering resentment by not giving the girls any preferential treatment. ``I try to treat them the same as the boys, because they have to wrestle boys,'' Perry said. ``They have to do the same push-ups and exercises as everyone else, because when you're sweating and working out with someone, you come to respect them.''

Where the girls differ is in what they hope to accomplish this season.

``I'm not even desperately looking to win a match, but to be decent competition and get better for myself,'' Angie said.

``I want to try my hardest to go to states,'' said Orianna, who plans to wrestle in college and return to San Rafael to help coach.

Alex, 15, said the increased popularity in wrestling among girls signals a social shift.

``A lot more girls want to be active and do physical sports -- just how it is in society, where women are getting more involved,'' she said.

--------------------------------------

High school wrestling is no longer just for boys

Sunday, December 12, 1999, in the Miami Herald

ELENA CABRAL
ecabral@herald.com

``This is not a push-up,'' barked coach Dana Sorensen, a massive figure amid a
circle of grunting athletes who were following his every move.

``I see about four of you doing this every day. You know who you are.''

At the start of the two-hour daily wrestling practice at Hollywood's
McArthur High
School, it was already clear no one was getting any special treatment.

At first glance, Amanda Geus and Jaime Bennett, both 15, were not readily
spotted in the jumble of teenagers working at a grueling regimen -- push-ups,
sit-ups, jumping jacks and long strides, called power steps, from one end of
the matted floor to the other.

From a distance, only their ponytails gave the girls away. As the only two
females on the wrestling team, both were determined not to miss a step.

As more and more women are being recognized for their success in sports long
dominated by men, from professional basketball to soccer, Amanda and Jaime
are among the latest legion of young women to take on the most ancient of
sports, a one-on-one competition considered one of the most demanding tests
of endurance, speed and stamina.

``It's one of the hardest sports that you can master,'' Amanda said. ``It's
mostly dominated by guys, so I figured I might check it out.''

Young women competing in high school wrestling is not a new phenomenon in
Broward County. According to Ron Shulz, director of the Seahorse Wrestling
Club and a coach for the past 25 years, the first matchup between two girls took
place in 1987 in a meet between Hollywood Hills High School and Nova High School.

``From day one, we knew we had to accept it,'' Shulz said. He estimates that
there are between 15 and 20 girls on high school wrestling teams in Broward
County. For the girls, the rules of play are the same, and they are not
prohibited from wrestling boys in their weight class.

Amanda, a former cheerleader, played on a girls' flag football team and got
into the sport partly to stay in shape. When she showed up at the first meeting
of the wrestling team last year, she noticed some surprised looks among her male
teammates.

``Some of them were afraid at first. They didn't want to hurt me,'' Amanda
said,adding that Sorensen has always set the record straight with his team.

``Coach said there's no such thing as girls or guys, only wrestlers,'' she said.

Jaime, a Senior Girl Scout who is involved in a group called Police
Explorers, said wrestling came naturally.

``I always wrestled with my brother,'' she said. ``It's something I've
always done,so I wanted to do it in school to prove I could do it.''

At McArthur High, which has won four state championships, the coach says he
expects the same level of performance from everyone. ``If you show any kind
of leniency, then they won't get respect,'' Sorensen said.

Last year, Amanda won her first match against another girl from Deerfield
Beach in the 125-pound division, pinning her opponent with a maneuver called a
powerhalf.

In preparation for the team's first meet against Western High School on Dec. 1,
Amanda cultivated new takedowns, pins and escape maneuvers. She hopes the
moves will come in handy throughout the year.

``I'm going to beat some guys this year,'' she said.

The girls say their families are cautious but encouraging.

``My mother would rather have me doing something where I didn't come home
with bruises all over, but they support me,'' Amanda said.

``My brother just thinks it's the greatest thing in the world,'' Jaime said.

Most of the team members seem oblivious to the girls.

``I've been beaten by her quite a few times,'' said Chris Stuve, 14,
recalling the first time he wrestled Jaime.

``I didn't know how she'd take it,'' he said. ``She wanted to be treated
like all the other guys, so I wrestled her like a guy. She was even tougher.''

-------------------------------------------

Davison rules County mat

Sunday, December 19, 1999

Team scoring and legend - 1. Davison (DA) 368.5; 2. Lapeer West (LW) 235.5; 3. Fenton (FE) 195.5; 4. Carman-Ainsworth (CA) 152.5; 5. Durand (DU) 143.5; 6. Goodrich (GD) 130.5; 7. Montrose (MO) 127.5; 8. Swartz Creek (SC) 121.5; 9. Flushing (FL) 110; 10. Linden (LI) 92.5; 11. Beecher (BE) 91.5; 12. Mt. Morris (MM) 86; 13. Clio (CL) 79; 14. LakeVille (LV) 72.5; 15. Southwestern Academy (SWA) 66.5; 16. Kearsley (KE) 58.5; 17. Lapeer East (LE) 55; 18. Central (CE) 50.5; 19. Lake Fenton (LF) 43; 20. Grand Blanc (GB) 40; 21. Bentley (BT) 35; 22. Bendle (BD) 32; 23. Owosso (OW) 17.5; 24. Powers Catholic (PC) 15; 25. Northern (NO) 6; 26. Northwestern (NW) 0.

Individual results

103

Championship: John Whitman (DA) d. James Ranger (LW) 8-2.

3. Lance Byers (MO); 4. Brad Gardner (MM); 5. Keristen LaBelle (DA); 6. Eric Putnam (LE); 7. Justin Straley (FL); 8. Coby Carpenter (KE).

112

Championship: Lambros Kottalis (FE) d. David Schloud (LW) 8-7.

3. Shawn Newton (DA); 4. Cory Fernelius (GD); 5. Lester Dixon (SWA); 6. Nick Pipitone (MM); 7. William Wolverton (MM); 8. Tom Ruddy (LF).

119

Championship: Scott Walker (FL) d. Jason Fellows (LW) 15-0.

3. Brandon Carter (SC); 4. Kevin Hall (BE); 5. Zacariah Pyles (GD); 6. Tony Ward (DA); 7. Jason Dodge (CL); 8. Chris Young (FL).

125

Championship: Chase Metcalf (DA) d. Scott Pushman (FE) 7-6.

3. Jesse Reader (LW); 4. James Nemcek (DU); 5. Matt Ferguson (KE); 6. Eluterrio Gonzalez (BE); 7. Alex Sivil (FL); 8. Chris Durbin (CL).

130

Championship: Joe Whitman (DA) d. Nick Oertel (GD) 3-2.

3. Bill Domako (FE); 4. Josh Freeman (LI); 5. Don Miller (SW); 6. Jerry Walworth (CL); 7. Carl Bastien (CA); 8. Derek Inman (KE).

135

Champimonship: Ryan Tripp (GD) d. Rory Mdeina (LW) 8-5.

3. Russ Perrin (DU); 4. Mitch Sackett (LV); 5. Steve Payne (FE); 6. Joshua Moore (BE); 7. Joe Broderick (SC); 8. Steve Bauer (KE).

140

Championship: Kris Perrin (DU) d. Chad Roush (DA) 10-6.

3. James Kish (LW); 4. Dave Vennie (CA); 5. Jon Freese (SC); 6. Josh Klumpp (LI); 7. Mike Pickhover (FE); 8. Montrell Lewis (BE).

145

Championship: Steve Mosley (MM) d. Nick Sierakowski (LW) 11-0.

3. Jimmy McFall (DA); 4. Chad Abbey (BD); 5. Andy Warner (LI); 6. Dustin Wells (DA); 7. Chad Hope (DA); 8. Justin Lampin (DU).

152

Championship: Zemaior Pittman (CA) d. Brett Fillmore (LV) 18-6.

3. Joe Funsch (CL); 4. Tim Polidan (DA); 5. Shawn Tate (SC); 6. Clint Galvas (MO); 7. Jason Coliadis (GB); 8. Markant Claiborne (CE).

160

Championship: Roger Kish (LW) d. Casey Streeter (DA) 16-5.

3. Mike Hiler (LI); 4. Josh Langlois (LF); 5. Mike Murphy (BT); 6. Larry Jacques (FL); 7. Kyle Brotherton (CL); 8. Ricky Ellis (CA).

171

Championship: Ed Magrys (MO) d. Jon Phillips (DA) 12-6.

3. Jim Shurlow (FE); 4. Brandon Martin (FL); 5. Dean Brazelle (LE); 6. Aaroy Hoyt (LI); 7. Antanee Charles (SW); 8. Gordon McMillian (BE).

189

Championship: Jeremy Cochrane (MO) d. Washington Jackson (SWA) 8-2.

3. Eric Hagler (SC); 4. Justin Kane (LE); 5. Mike Foguth (FE); 6. Adam Wilmoth (DA); 7. Dan Bell (CA): 8. Zendon Robinson (FL).

215

Championship: John Webb (DU) d. Garrett Potter (CA) 3:54.

3. Brian Nicholson (LV); 4. Chad Ewing (FE); 5. Derek Lehr (DA); 6. Josh Shonts (PC); 7. Nick Neu (GB); 8. Dan Mothershed (CA).

275

Championship: Nick LaFear (DA) d. Mike Delorge (CA) 4-1.

3. Jon Herstein (FE); 4. John Brown (CE); 5. Joe Eddy (GD); 6. Chet Brown (BT); 7. Caleb Woodworth (DU); 8. John Bunting (OW).

------------------------------