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Regional Olympic Team Trials Qualifier coming to St. Joseph, Minn., March 12-14, 2004

3/9/2004
Amy Ufnowski/USAW

USA Wrestling will conduct a Men’s Regional Olympic Team Trials Qualifier in St. Joseph, Minn., at the College of Saint Benedict in Clemens Field House, March 12-14, 2004.

Minnesota residents can experience all of the excitement of Olympic competition right in their own community without having to travel to Athens, Greece.

Many potential Olympians will be participating in these Regional tournaments seeking to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wrestling in Indianapolis, Ind. May 21-23. Others will use this event as a tune up for the U.S. Nationals April 8-10.

Champions in each weight class in both Greco-Roman and freestyle will qualify for the challenge tournament at the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis.

Talented wrestlers from across the nation as well as wrestlers from the state and region will be participating.

The Body Bar Women’s Nationals will be held along with the Men’s Regional. This includes the University Nationals, FILA Junior Nationals, and FILA Cadet Nationals plus High School folkstyle and freestyle Nationals.

Witness history in the making, for the first time in the Olympic Games, women’s wrestling will take center stage as the only new sport in the Games.

Champions in each weight class in Women’s University Nationals will also qualify for the challenge tournament at the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis.

“It is a historic year for women’s wrestling, and I believe it is the most important being this is the first year for women to qualify for the Olympics in freestyle wrestling,” said event director Larry Allen.

Since these qualifiers are open tournaments, a list of potential wrestlers cannot be complied at this time. Wrestlers may wish to participate in any of the five qualifiers throughout the country.

Men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman preliminaries will start at 8:00 a.m. on March 13. Medal matches and finals for both Senior men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman will start at 3:00 p.m. on March 13 as well.

University and FILA cadet women preliminaries will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday March 13. University and FILA cadet women preliminaries and medal matches will continue at 3:00 p.m. till 5:00 p.m.

Girls high school folkstyle and girls freestyle preliminaries will begin at 12:30 p.m. Girls high school and girls freestyle preliminaries and medal matches will begin at 5:00 p.m. One round of the FILA Junior women preliminary matches will being at 7:30 p.m. on March 13, and continue on March 14 at 9:00 a.m.

Tickets are available at the door. Prices are as follows:
All Session Ticket - $10
Single Session Ticket - $7
Single Session with college ID from St. Ben’s or St. Johns - $3
All Session ticket with college ID from St. Ben’s or St. Johns - $5

Olympic Trials Qualifying Regionals for men will also be held in Laramie, Wyo. (March 25-27), Battle Ground, Wash. (March 26-28), Brockport, N.Y. (April 16-18), and Kenner, La (April 22-24).

Olympic Trials Qualifying Regionals for women will take place in three other cities: Battle Ground Wash. (March 26-28), and Kenner, La (April 22-24), and Brockport, N.Y. (April 16-18).

For complete event information, please contact Larry Allen, tournament event director, via email at lwallen@earthlink.net or visit www.themat.com.

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“one dream one shot.” Be apart of history and the road to Olympic glory.

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wrestling are May 21-23 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Tickets and hotel accommodations are available. Visit www.trials2004.com for more information.

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Girls given chance to compete

All-girl wrestling meet starts Sunday

By Justin A. Rice,
Staff Writer Daily Oklahoman. 3/6/04
,
TULSA -Robert Stokes doesn't have to endure another road trip this weekend
in order for his daughter to .wrestle against other girls.
He does, however, have to set up and break down his
own tournament.Stokes is the director of the second annual Oklahoma
Girls State Wrestling Championships Open, which starts at 10 a.m. Sunday at Tulsa East Central High School. The
meet, hosted by the United States Girls Wrestling Association, is open to girl wrestlers
ages 5 to 18.
"We're used to the traveling," said Stokes, a volunteer wrestling coach at Tulsa East
Central and a referee. "We travel all over. It's nice to stay, yet it's still a lot of work
when your host a tournament Me driving eight hours is easier than putting one of
these on."It's all for the girls, to give them an opportunity to compete. That's what it's all
-about" It's worth it for Stokes' "daughter, Cheyenne, who was 2-5 against boys as a freshman at Tulsa East Central this season.Cheyenne, who travels to about eight all-girl tournaments a year, said wrestling against other girls is a nice
change of pace, especially ,.when she doesn't have to travel to do it
"It's a lot easier to be able to sleep in your own bed,"
she said.But ifs those matches against boys that allow her to be so successful against
girls."Its more equal," she said. "Sometimes because they're so much stronger its harder
to realize that they're supposed to be stronger. (Wres- tling against boys) helps your mental mind-set that you can win because you've got more experience against guys."
Robert Stokes got the idea to start a girls wrestling tour- nament in Oklahoma after meeting USGW A founder Kent Bailo at the National Championships in I.ake Orion, Mich."Basically Kent needed someone to host it," Robert Stokes said. "Since I have a girl (wrestler) and Tulsa is large enough to host some- thing like that and the school was cooperative for us to use
their facilities -so it kind of all worked out for us. The
whole thing would never be possible without (wrestling coach) Gary Roberts at East
Central." Bailo who is also a wrestling referee in Michigan, held his first all-girls local
tournament ill 1997 and began to spread to other states
in 1998 by recruiting people like Kent Bailo now has tournaments
in 35 states, including 12 other state championships this weekend.

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Teen still wrestling with league officials over right to compete

By MATT MURPHY, Sun Staff 3/8/04

GROTON Amanda Ayotte's wrestling career at Lawrence Academy may be over, but the league she played in will not soon forget her name.

Ayotte, a 17-year-old senior at Lawrence Academy, brought as much passion and energy to the mat as she did to her spirited, but unsuccessful, campaign to allow girls to wrestle in the Independent Schools League.

Following her junior season on the wrestling team, Ayotte was named one of three co-captains. At 5 feet 1 inch, Ayotte wrestled in the 125-pound weight class and held her own against her male counterparts, coaches said. Yet even as a team leader, the league would not let her wrestle for points in league matches because she's a girl.

"A lot of people doubted what I could do. They said, 'She's a girl. She won't even put up a fight.' But I did, and I pinned them," Ayotte said.

Ayotte challenged the league rules but ultimately lost last spring, when the league's executive council, made up of headmasters, athletic directors and some coaches, voted not to allow Ayotte to wrestle in official league matches.

They issued a statement explaining their decision: "The ISL strongly supports athletic opportunities for all boys and girls. The league continues to have extensive, regular thought and discussion to insure the best support of female athletics. While different schools can and do have varying views on how best to do that, the league, at its recent meetings, concluded that, for the present, protecting gender specific programs was ultimately the best way to provide the best opportunities for girls."

Throughout the struggle, Lawrence Academy's athletic staff, coaches and administration supported Ayotte 100 percent.

"My school has been very accepting," Ayotte said. "I've been very lucky from what I've heard talking to other girls."

Lawrence Academy's athletic director, Ed Green, said he has a great deal of respect for Ayotte and what she accomplished on and off the wrestling mat. While he fought for Ayotte and her right to wrestle, Green said the league was put in a tough position, and he supports its decision.

"It's tough for us. We want to see Amanda rewarded for all her hard efforts," Green said. "I think girls should be given every opportunity boys are given. I think girls should wrestle."

That said, Green also understands the conference's reluctance to allow coed wrestling and said he and Lawrence Academy would support the ISL's decision.

"It's such a tough situation, but as an institution, we're in a position where we're supporting our conference," he said.

"We always seek to change things where we don't agree through the mechanisms that are in place," he added.

Lawrence Academy Headmaster Scott Wiggins, a member of the executive council, also supported Ayotte's fight to participate in the league, though he did not return calls for comment.

The school's former headmaster, Steve Hahn, voted in Ayotte's favor while at the academy, but in the past has said allowing girls to wrestle would open the door for boys to participate in girls athletics a policy change that would take time and money and apparently was not something the league was willing to do just yet.

Ayotte is disappointed by the ruling, but she takes it in stride. She continued to train hard for her team and fought for every opportunity she could to wrestle competitively.

"I always think that's funny. They didn't have a problem with me wrestling the boys. It was me wrestling for points for my team that was the problem," Ayotte said.

During her career, Ayotte was allowed to wrestle other fighters if both coaches and players agreed, but the outcome of the match never counted towards her team's total points. Ayotte, however, was prepared to take whatever opportunity she could get.

As her senior season came to a close, Ayotte said she was in tears walking out of the gym. But she realized she had one last chance to make a stand for female wrestling before leaving Lawrence Academy. Her school's final match was against Milton Academy, a team that happened to have three girls. The league championship tournament was around the corner, and Ayotte saw no reason that the girls in the league should be excluded from participating.

Once again, she petitioned league officials to allow the female fighters to wrestle each other in the year-ending Graves-Kelsey Tournament on Feb. 28. A few days before the tournament, Ayotte said her coaches called her to tell her the league decided against her again.

Determined not to be denied, Ayotte and her parents called anyone they knew who could help lawyers, judges and even the American Civil Liberties Union. Armed with the threat of legal action, one of Ayotte's teammates and co-captains made a plea on her behalf, and the league gave in. Females were allowed to wrestle each other in exhibition matches during the tournament, as a "one-time favor," a league e-mail read.

Unlike public schools, where Title IX dictates that girls must be allowed to try out for and participate on any team they want if there is no alternative female team, private schools can decide for themselves. Ayotte likens female wrestling to the growing popularity of women's hockey. Before there were enough girls to field an all-women team or league, girls had to fight to play on the men's team, she said.

Though she'll be headed to college in the fall, Ayotte said she will keep in touch with the school, and she hopes other girls will pick up where she left off.

"I'm really glad that I've been able to do something like this," she said. "I don't think many girls get a chance to wrestle, let alone lead this type of crusade."

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Faces in the Crowd: Rachel Billerbeck(Texas)

Copyright Austin American Statesman Feb 27, 2004

Rachel Billerbeck

Pflugerville senior, wrestling

What was the first sport that you played?

Tae kwon do, when I was 6.

How did you get involved in wrestling?

There was a first-year program at school, and they were pushing it on
all of the athletes. I was in cross country and I decided to try it.

How tall are you?

5-6.

Do you have a nickname?

"Binky." My dad's called me that ever since I was born.

What's your all-time favorite sports movie?

I like the "Rockys," I through IV.

Do you have a favorite pre-match snack or meal?

Anything really. When you're cutting weight, water's good. But I like
peanut butter and honey.

What is your signature move?

I shouldn't let that out before the state tournament!

What move do you least like to be put in?

Anything that hurts.

In a one-on-one match against Brian Kendall, who would win?

(laughing) It'd be a close match. Brian would choke me out though. He's
got a pretty tight headlock.

If you could invite any four people, living or dead, over to your house
for dinner, who would they be?

I know this sounds sappy, but they'd all be family members: my mom, my
aunt, my grandmother and my great-grandmother. My aunt passed away my
freshman year, and my grandmother and great- grandmother both passed away in the
last eight months. And then my mom would have to be involved, too. We'd have
a little family reunion.

How many times have you seen "Vision Quest?"

Quite a few. Five. Six? And I've only been wrestling for three years.

Do you think that movie's reflective of the sport?

I like it because it shows the pain and the weight cutting, and just
getting out there and leaving your heart on the mat. It brings it down to
reality and lets everyone else know what you face.

What do you think people understand least about the sport of wrestling?

I think people look at it as a man's sport. People need to realize that
every sport's equal. People focus just on the men, and they're wrong.
And it's unfair that there are only seven universities that offer wrestling
for females.

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Princeton girls make IKWF state history

By Kevin Hieronymus BCR Sports Editor 3/9/04

DIXON -- It will be ladies day in the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation state meet in Rockford this weekend.

Sisters Annie and T.J. Dumyahn of Princeton's Tiger Town Tanglers made IKWF history by becoming the first pair of females and sisters to qualify for state from the same team. Both secured third-place finishes to join TTT stalwart Ty Taylor, a four-time state qualifier, and first-timer Daniel Rucinski in Rockford.

"The excitement on the mat, especially with the two sisters, was great. The whole gym was behind them to keep them moving. It came down to the wire for both of them and when they both won, the entire place erupted," Tiger Town coach Tim Taylor said.

The sisters said it was "cool" getting all the attention from everyone, almost being a little scary.

"I didn't know we were that popular," T.J. Dumyahn said.

"You think that stuff only happens in the Olympics," Annie Dumyahn said.

Annie, 14, got into wrestling at age eight just to have something to do "instead of sitting home reading books." T.J. got back into wrestling this season after taking two years off because she was bored going to tournaments to watch Annie and "not doing anything."

They both have found it to be a blow to a young boy's ego to get beat by a girl.

"I try my best not to make the boys cry," T.J. said.

Taylor, 14, who started wrestling at age 4, was the only Tangler to qualify with little drama. He won the the Senior's 108-pound title in a breeze by a 12-0 shutout.

"Ty wrestled the way we expected him to wrestle and pretty much walked through the brackets with his ability," Tim Taylor said.

The three other Tanglers made their bid much more exciting. Rucinski went into overtime to secure third place at 108 pounds in Novice (11-12s) with a 4-2 decision. It brought his father, Dave, to tears.

"It was so great to watch Dave Rucinski get so emotional. Both of them put their heart and soul into the sport," Tim Taylor said.

The Dumyahn sisters also qualified with third-place finishes. T.J. was down 6-1, but won by fall with 22 seconds remaining at 101 pounds in Novice. Annie beat the same opponent as last year for third place, this time by fall in 1:48 at 101 pounds in the Senior Division to earn her second state berth.

"We had so much fun," Tim Taylor said. "All the kids wrestled as well as they've wrestled all year. I think they're peaking at the right time. Their motivation is unbelievable and they listen so well. That's why they won. They paid attention and made it happen. It makes a nice team when the coach can see something and they executed it."

The Tanglers advance to state competition at the Rockford Metro Centre. The Grand March is at 9 a.m. Friday with prelims at 10 a.m. T.J. Dumyahn will wrestle Taylor Schuck of the Central Wrestling Club (Northern Chicago) and Rucinski faces Ron Gallison of the Panther Wrestling Club (Southwest Chicago). In Seniors, Annie Dumyahn will wrestle Chattman Olson of Rockford while Taylor awaits the winner between St. Joseph's Mickey Speckman and Tinley Park's Mark Augle.