News Page
Meg Hewings 11/4/04
McGill wrestler Hana Askren wins tournaments but meets opposition
|
Most women freak out when they're groped by strange men, but McGill's Hana Askren willingly submits to dudes on a mat on a regular basis - and often flips the equation on its head.
Askren is a rising star in the world of women's wrestling, easily familiar with the primal intensity of the sport. And if it were up to her and coach David Mendelsohn, women and men would lock bodies on the mats on a regular basis. An L.A. native, the elite wrestler arrived in Montreal six years ago and hasn't stopped to breathe since. Askren's got stamina in spades - in between a dozen weekly training sessions and working on her master's in Arabic and Islamic studies, she writes for the school paper and coaches the rest of the squad. She is ranked seventh in the U.S. and has dreams of making the Olympics in 2008.
She may be short, and a mere 130 pounds - hardly your stereotypical beefy, thick-necked wrestler - but she's tough. Flashing a sly smile beneath warm eyes, one framed by a mean shiner, she says it's all about instincts.
"Great wrestlers come in all shapes and sizes," Askren explains. ''Testosterone is only one piece of the physical puzzle. Wrestling is a very mental activity, and different skills and strengths have their own advantages. On the mat, everyone becomes just another person."
Askren's explosive power, exacting technique and personal grit have served her well on the mat. Barely a few weeks ago, in Beachwood, Ohio, Askren won her 50-kilo weight division at the U.S. Maccabiah trials - a competition
restricted to men only.
Held every four years, the World Maccabiah Games are the third largest international sporting competition, after the Olympics and the Pan American Games, supported by FILA and USA-sanctioned wrestling. While women's wrestling is not a Maccabiah-hosted category, the victor in each of the men's divisions wins a spot on the U.S. national team, headed for next year's competition. But due to convoluted FILA weight class rules and Maccabiah sanctions against mixed gender competition, Askren won't be able to make the trip to Israel - her gold medal and team member status were rather unceremoniously awarded to the man she pinned to the mat.
Maccabiah Games bigwigs didn't respond to Hour's inquiries by press time, but Ryan Peters, the wrestling co-chair of Maccabi USA, admits that there was some confusion regarding Askren's application. "Even though she wasn't really supposed to wrestle, we made an exception and set up exhibition matches for her," he explains, adding that, as a supporter of women's wrestling, he hopes there will be a space for the fairer sex at the Maccabiah Games someday. In the meantime, like many wrestlers and non-wrestlers, Peters is adamant that women shouldn't wrestle with men.
"Everyone except my coach expected me to lose," Askren admits. "It made the win greater. And I feel like I scored a victory for women's wrestling simply by entering the tournament. Normally I'm shy and inconspicuous at competitions. This was the first time I thought, 'I'm a wrestler and I belong here.'"
Mendelsohn concurs. "Although some guys didn't know what to think, many coaches and athletes were excited for her. Sure, people will make excuses [one example: Hana's competitor was a high school senior], but she won the match with a pin down and three points and wrestled tough. It was a great performance."
Hanging out after a hard-fought tourney at Loyola campus - this time in the women's division, won by Askren in three successive matches - it's clear that Mendelsohn and Askren ascribe to a shared philosophy about wrestling and life. First, facing fear is part of learning about oneself (and about wrestling); second, that great achievement comes only after taking risks and accepting challenges.
Mendelsohn doesn't agree with the oft-repeated excuse that women shouldn't compete with men because there's a higher risk of injury. Good technique and coaching, he insists, limit injuries regardless of gender.
"I push Hana to enter competitions like the Maccabiah Games because I know she can win. There are few competitive international tournaments where an elite athlete can gain experience and really challenge herself."
As a former world-class competitor, he can identify with the deep-seated fear men encounter when they face the prospect of facing a female opponent. "I understand the double bind. Just think of how we insult guys who lose: 'Don't be a girl, don't be a pussy,'" he offers. "It takes guts to compete against a woman, especially if she's tough."
The reticence toward mixed wrestling may also stem in part from the current gender politics playing themselves out in wrestling programs across North America. When women's wrestling was introduced at the Olympic Games last year, three weight categories were eliminated for men, leaving many championship wrestlers without an official weight class in major competitions. The effects have reverberated for boys and men on a grassroots level, as general wrestling programs now face the plight that has always plagued women wrestlers: being strapped for cash, lacking depth and failing to generate interest in the sport.
Askren still believes everyone could gain from the experience of mixed wrestling, even in practice. "Women will improve, men will have new partners with different styles, and in the long run, both will earn more respect from each other," she insists. "Wrestling is about pushing yourself and rejecting the boundaries set by others, but I see both women and men passively accepting the limits set for them by society.
"Maybe it's my hippie mom talking, but wrestling at its best is a transcendental experience - things just flow, instinct takes over, you don't think, you do. Today everything is mediated, from sports on TV to personal desires. Wrestling is one of those rare, real, hard experiences. It reminds me I'm alive."
------------------------------------------------
Eureka Native Combats Her Way To Olympic Training
by Diane M. Batley 11/4/04
The Eureka Reporter
Al Elrefai |
Eureka native Kaci Lyle has wrestled her way to a free education, international travel, great friendships and free room, board and training at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Kaci Lyle started wrestling when she was a 15-year-old freshman at Eureka High School. When she began she was the only girl on the school’s wrestling team.
She said her freshman year the wrestling team started with 100-120 people. By the middle of the season, 60 men and Lyle remained.
Lyle said when she first tried out, guys would try to get her off the team by not showing her any respect or helping her out.
She stuck with it.
She said coach Ron Perry noticed and started paying attention to her.
During her high school years, Perry would take Lyle to compete in competitions around the country.
“My coach was a role model. He inspired me and was supportive. He took me to a lot of competitions. He’s still someone that I talk with. He helps me out a lot,” Lyle said.
“I encourage Kaci to share her story,” Perry said. “It’s one of the most amazing sports stories in the history of Humboldt.”
Perry said Lyle joined the team and distinguished herself by working harder than everyone in the room. He said she worked her way into becoming a great wrestler.
He said Lyle wanted the team to approach her as a wrestler, not as a female wrestler.
Perry said her senior year, Lyle beat out two senior boys who wrestled for four years in the 152 lbs weight class. She was elected captain.
The team won the league that year.
Perry said Lyle was competing against guys throughout high school.
He said it was interesting to see the reaction people had to Lyle wrestling males. Perry said there seemed to be a real bias in the county about a female wrestling on a team with mostly males. Perry said there was a real negativity surrounding it. Perry said his attitude was that if a person came in and did the work than they should be treated the same as anyone else.
He said Lyle took wrestling seriously and everybody on team respected her a great deal.
Perry said Lyle is one of the top two or three wrestlers in her weight class in the country. He said this is quite a feat since there are only four weight classes in Olympic wrestling.
He said her high school experience changed who she was and who she became. Perry said Lyle is one of the most respected athletes in the country.
He said his experience coaching Lyle has been one of the legacies of his time coaching.
“I’m just really proud of her,” he said.
He said Lyle earns an income for wrestling, she is in national ads for products and six years out of high school, she is still wrestling.
“She’s taken the mindset that hard work pays off — that no obstacle is too hard to overcome,” he said.
“It’s been really fun to see how she’s doing. I think more of the community should embrace her,” Perry said. “It’s just jaw dropping in terms of the magnitude of her accomplishment.”
“I was the only girl on the wrestling team the first two years,” Lyle said.
She said during her last two years of high school she encouraged other girls to join the team. She said she did wrestling demonstrations that encouraged several girls to try out.
“It was really good to have other girls on the team,” she said.
Her senior year, Lyle had a winning record and made the varsity wrestling team in the 145 lb. weight class in collegiate- or folk-style wrestling.
She said during her senior year in high school, women’s wrestling programs were developing at colleges — she had eight colleges to choose from.
Lyle decided she wanted to go to Missouri Valley College to wrestle. She said MVC had the best program in the United States in 2000.
She said she received partial scholarships to wrestle. Women’s wrestling is not sanctioned as an NCAA sport.
In college Lyle started wrestling freestyle, which is Olympic-style wrestling and the only style of wrestling offered in college.
Lyle said college-level wrestling has seven weight classes and the Olympics have four weight classes.
Lyle left Missouri and transferred to Forest Grove University in Oregon, which started a women’s wrestling team.
“We (her and six of her teammates) were pioneers for that program,” Lyle said.
Lyle said it was announced in 2002 that women’s wrestling would be in the 2004 Olympics.
A resident program opened up at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. This complex allows athletes to train for the Olympics. Lyle lives at the complex and attends school at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. She said the college is near the training center.
Lyle has a paid scholarship, because she is an Olympic athlete.
She competes all year long. She said the biggest competitions are held in April and May. In April, she will compete in national competition in Las Vegas. In May the World Team Trials are held.
Lyle has taken first place at nationals every year since 1998. She currently wrestles in the 63 kg weight class.
“I definitely love the intensity of the sport. I love that it’s one-on-one,” she said.
“I definitely recommend it for other young girls. I think it helps. Being a wrestler for me has helped me accomplish a lot. I get to finish school for free, travel around the world and develop great friendships,” Lyle said.
She is pursuing a degree in international business and marketing.
Lyle said she plans to keep wrestling until 2012.
“My ultimate goal is to make the Olympic team in 2008,” she said.
Lyle took third place at the Olympic trials. She needed to capture first to go to the Olympics in 2004.
Her third-place finish qualified her for the national team which enabled her to get a monthly stipend. She was also able to go on a winter overseas tour.
She said in order to compete in other overseas competitions; she has to come up with the money herself.
“I’m trying to raise money to go on overseas tours to compete in tournaments to participate in international competitions,” she said.