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Ready for the big fight

Sunit Dhawan 5/2/05

Geetika Jakhar: Wrestling to go places

WRESTLING as a sport is normally not associated with the fairer sex. They are very late entrants to a sport which was a also a part of the ancient Olympics. At the Athens Olympics women’s wrestling finally made its debut.

Haryana has been a wrestling stronghold, sending many a man to the Olympic arena. Now women have stepped forward to storm the strong male bastion.

Geetika Jakhar, a promising local wrestler,is one such woman. At a young age she has already won a number of national as well as international events. A student of CRM Jat College here and belonging to HAU SAI hostel, Geetika has set her sights on the Asian Games in 2006.

The young wrestler has many achievements to her credit. She won the gold medal in the 63 kg weight category during the Commonwealth championship in Canada last year. Before leaving for Canada, she had won the silver medal in the 22nd senior Asian championship in Delhi.

Geetika won the gold medal in the 67 kg category in the junior Asian championship in Kazakhstan in June this year. She was given the title of Bharat Kesari and adjudged the best wrestler, besides being honoured with the prestigious Bhim Award by the Haryana Government.

She has also been recommended for the Arjuna Award, the highest national honour in sports.

She added another feather to her cap recently by winning the Rajiv Gandhi Gold Cup tournament held in New Delhi from August 16 to 19. As many as 450 wrestlers from all over the country participated in the meet. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit honoured Geetika with a cash award of Rs 1 lakh and a gold cup.

Geetika, who comes from a family of sportspersons, was encouraged by her father to pursue the sport. She is confident of winning a gold medal in the Asian Games. Her ultimate aim is to represent the country at the grandest stage of all — the Olympics.

Apart from being a committed sportsperson, Geetika is also a bright student. She had scored creditably in the matriculation, plus two and BA part one examinations.

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Alaina Berube wins title in Las Vegas

Dennis Grall - dgrall@dailypress.net 5/2/05

ESCANABA - Alaina Berube was in her room at Cumberland, Tenn. College Sunday. At least part of her was there.

The junior from Escanaba, fresh from winning the senior women's national wrestling championship, was trying to get some sleep and trying to figure out when she would study for a series of final exams.
Berube won the 63 kilogram (138 pounds) title Saturday night at the Las Vegas Convention Center. She beat Kaci Lynn of the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, taking a 2-0 decision in the first period before recording a second period pin.

She beat a Cumberland College teammate 6-0 and 7-0, then won her next match 7-1 and 6-0 to reach the finals.

"I knew that once I scored a couple of points they would have to come after me," said Berube, who was drousy after being awakened by the telephone call late Sunday afternoon.

"I just used that to my advantage. I tried to keep my offense going and keep scoring on them."

Berube earned a bye into the finals of the world team trials June 18-19 in Ames, Ia. The seven other qualifiers must compete to get the berth opposite Berube.

The winner in Ames will qualify for the World Championships Sept. 27-Oct. 3 in Budapest.

"I plan on reviewing some tapes of the girls I might have to wrestle and prepare to do what I do," said Berube. "It feels good to win. It is a big bonus to not have to wrestle that whole tournament (in Ames)."

Berube said she had a good week of practice leading up to the nationals. "That was my goal, to win it," she said. "I worked on refining my techniques and making sure that I was ready for whoever I had to wrestle."

Berube is ranked first in the nation at 63K and Cumberland is ranked first as a team. She won the Dave Schultz Memorial Open and the Missouri Open earlier this year.

The Cumberland team arrived in Las Vegas at 3 a.m. Thursday and did not get to the motel until 6 a.m. The team arrived home Sunday noon, leaving Vegas about 10 p.m. Saturday after Berube had the requisite drug testing and an interview.

She missed two finals Friday and must make them up this week. An education major, Berube has her three toughest tests today, biology lab, American Literature and psychology. She has two more exams Tuesday and one Wednesday.

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Champions quotes from Day 2 of U.S. Senior Nationals

4/30/2005
John Fuller/USA Wrestling

Women’s Freestyle: Sara Fulp-Allen, El Granada, Calif. (Menlo College), 48 kg/105.5 lbs.
On a pin in the finals:
“I dreamed it, because the last three times I’ve wrestled her, I’ve pinned her and then once teched her. I knew she’s gotten a lot better than last year. I could imagine a fall, but I knew it was going to be a tough match.”

On her dad and coach, Lee Allen, being honored as a past World Team member before her match:
“It means a lot, especially since I was about to wrestle right after him. This is the fourth time I’ve been here and the fourth time I’ve seen him do this. But it was really neat to have him go up there right when I was warming up, right when I was ready to go out there and wrestle my national championship match.”

Women’s Freestyle: Tina George, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC), 55 kg/121 lbs.
On her motivation since losing in the Olympic Trials:
“Indianapolis last year was a really bad memory for me. I’ve used it to help me every morning when I get up at 7 and I drill extra and I come in and do the weightlifting. It makes a difference to me to help shape me and mold me as a wrestler. As disappointing as it was and as much as it still hurts, I think it’s definitely made a real serious impact on my wrestling and how I take my training.”

Women’s Freestyle: Alaine Berube, Escanaba, Mich. (New York AC), 63 kg/138.75 lbs.
On her pin:
“She shot in, I stopped her and put her to her back. There really was nothing more to it.”

Women’s Freestyle: Iris Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army), 84 kg/185 lbs.
On if this is her best win:
“I don’t care how many victories you have, because the way you just one is always the best.”

On Toccara Montgomery’s possible return:
“I would love to see her come back. I’m just looking forward to her coming back, cause I love to wrestle her.”

On how to keep improving:
“I just need to get more experience. I am getting better, but I need to get more experience.”

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Past World champion Henson, Byers win gold medals at U.S. National Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, Nev., April 30

4/30/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling

Repeating as the women’s champion at 55 kg/121 lbs. was Tina George (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC), who defeated Marcie Van Dusen (Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids), 4-0, 2-1. It was George’s third career U.S. Nationals title. George is a two-time World silver medalist.

Iris Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) won her fourth career U.S. Nationals title, stopping Ali Bernard (New Ulm, Minn./Univ of Regina) in the women’s 72 kg/158.5 lbs finals, 4-2,4-0. Smith’s last U.S. Nationals title was in 2002. Bernard was a 2004 U.S. Nationals champion at one weight class below, at 67 kg/147.5 lbs.

Capturing a first U.S. Nationals title in the 63 kg/138.75 lbs. division was Alaina Berube, (Escanaba,Mich./New York AC) who pinned Kaci Lyle (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at the 1:36 mark of the second period. Berube won the first period 1-0, then put Lyle away with a fall in the second period. Berube is a college wrestling star at Cumberland College, and was second at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Berube was named Outstanding Wrestler in the women’s division.