News Page
By JENNA MARINA
Alligator Contributing Writer
Kristin Nichols / Alligator 12/1/05
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They lift weights, run miles and count calories in order to cut weight. They practice half-nelsons and escape maneuvers twice a week during practice. Come competition day, they put on their uniform and knee pads.
And then they apply their lip gloss.
"I think when people think, 'female wrestler,' they think: masculine girl - kind of butch," said Kayte Susse, captain of the UF womens' wrestling team. "It couldn't be farther from the truth. I'm really girly. I wear makeup to wrestling tournaments."
An accomplished wrestler, Susse placed second in the women's state wrestling tournament in both her junior and senior years of high school and took eight place at the national tournament in 2003.
Don't let her "girly" exterior fool you, though. Susse pulls a Bruce Banner-Hulk transformation when she steps out on to the wrestling mat, competing not only against women, but against men as well.
She started wrestling in 1999 during her freshman year of high school. She, along with a friend, were the only two girls on the team.
"I've always really liked contact sports," she said. "I did karate for four years, and I've always kind of liked fighting, so it was right up my alley.
"I remember in high school, I didn't wrestle a girl until my second year. By the time I saw a girl, it was like I already stepped myself up because I was so used to these guys who were so big and fast."
However, her male opponents are not always accepting of the fact that they will be wrestling a woman.
In the Florida College Championship Wrestling Tournament at the University of South Florida on Nov. 19, Susse was supposed to wrestle the defending national champion in her weight class. Instead, the Pensacola Christian Academy star forfeited the match, claiming his religion prevented him from wrestling a female.
While Ricky Rieck, president of the UF wrestling club, has never had to wrestle a women in a match, he exhibits a different mentality about his female colleagues.
"At practice I just look at them as another wrestler," he said. "They work just as hard as everyone else does.
"Most guys think it's an easier win, but that's not the case. They can do really well and show some of these guys up, especially in the smaller weight classes."
Some people may view the womens' participation in the sport improper or inappropriate, but Susse just shrugs it off.
"I used to care a lot more what people thought in high school about the way I was supposed to act," she said. "But I don't really care anymore."
The womens' team, which boasts eight active members, consists of a wide variety of wrestlers, from the experienced to beginners.
Although she only began wrestling several months ago, it seems freshman Lexi Douglas was destined to wrestle. Her father wrestled in high school and college, and she used to be the head manager of her high school team.
But when she came to UF in the summer, she decided to stop being a spectator and get in on the action.
"I've been around it enough that I've seen the moves, and I could tell someone if they're doing the move properly," Douglas said. "But when I get on the mat and try to do the move, I can't watch myself do it, so I'm relearning the moves from my perspective."
She used to condition with the boys in high school, and even though it took a little time, they began to respect her abilities.
"Of course, the first week is always different because they're like, 'Oh, there's a girl,'" Douglas said. "But when you keep up with them with push-ups and sit-ups and you can outrun them on the track, then they start to think, 'Oh, wow, she's serious about this.'"
Because Douglas is only a novice, she has yet to wrestle a male in a match. Nevertheless, she is determined to get to an advanced skill level so that she can eventually go head-to-head with the men.
"I've been a tomboy and been around boys my entire life, so I'm definitely not intimidated by them," she said. "My mentality has always been the bigger they are, the harder they fall."
Rieck has found the women's participation, both on and off the mat, invaluable to the club.
"Any task that we give these girls," he said, "they'll do it and not only do it, but do it well."
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Girls show off competitive side
By George Witkowski, Independent Newspapers 11/30/05
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Phoenix residents Caroline Cotton (61 pounds) and Amanda Alejandro (65 pounds) look like any other 11-year-old grade-school girls that are good friends. Fact is, put them on a wrestling mat and it spells trouble for their opponent, boys included at Deer Valley Middle School.
The two are just a growing number of girls who wrestle with the boys and maintain a strong status.
Not only are the two tough wrestlers but they are also national champions. At the 2005 U.S. Girls Wrestling Association Folkstyle Championship in Lake Orion, Mich., this spring, the two were champions in their respective weight classes.
Caroline, who was also the 2005 Fila Bodybar National Freestyle Champion in San Diego, has been wrestling for two years. She began wrestling through family influence and added being yourself at what you are doing is best and not to let others influence you.
“My brother Daniel wrestled,” she said. “I just thought you could be feminine but still wrestle boys. There’s one group that thinks girls wrestling is bad, but most are supportive and cheer on both of us.”
Amanda, who took first place at the Boys and Girls Freestyle Matches this year at Sunrise Mountain High School, echoes the same sentiments about having to wrestle boys, but with a twist.
“The toughest competition on the mat? We still have to play each other,” Amanda said, referring to Caroline. “We’re enemies on the mat, but best friends off the mat.”
Caroline and Amanda faced each other at the 2005 Girls State tournament at Deer Valley Middle School and the victorious Caroline was named Best Girl Wrestler.
Amanda, who got interested in the sport from watching her brother Steven and uncle Andy Alejandro, attended a summer wrestling camp this year at Arizona State University and thought wrestling a boy would be difficult, but she was pleasantly surprised as the matches progressed.
“It was tough wrestling a boy, but it was easier than I thought,” she said. “It depends on how good the wrestler is. I think about what I’m going to do and who’s going to be there. I think about my hardest and toughest opponent.”
She said her biggest competition comes from Desert Sky Middle School, Pueblo and Mountainside elementary schools and the Chain Gang from Yuma.
Eric Boucher, head wrestling coach at Deer Valley Middle School, 21180 N. 27th Ave., said the trend of girls in wrestling is not new to the Northwest Valley.
“Since ‘97, I’ve seen girls wrestle here at the school and we’ve had several state champions, including Katie Severn, Natasha Zunck, Caroline and Amanda,” he said. “This year we’re down, because of grades, from 100 (in 2004) to 44 this year, and if it wasn’t for grades we would have had 125. The kids know the tradition and for the past four years we’ve dominated the North Valley Middle Level Conference.
“We’ve got a good lineup of kids who have a lot of experience and we should do well in tournaments and my initial reaction to the girls wrestling is ‘go for it’,” Mr. Boucher said.
Caroline’s mother, Candace, said she had no problem with her daughter wrestling although she said wrestling parents feel the stress.
“If your child wants to do something, you just have to support them,” she said. “Her toughest opponent is her friend (Amanda) and I didn’t worry about her having to wrestle boys because children are fearless. However, wrestling is one of the most emotionally tough sports on a parent.”
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Ex-wrestling star wins praise from her boys team
BURTON - THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Thursday, December 01, 2005
By Chad Swiatecki
cswiatecki@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6237
BENDLE - Despite her petite frame, green sweater and heeled boots, Keristen LaBelle's wrestling knowledge becomes apparent as soon as she begins shouting instructions to one of her athletes.
"Tommy, keep your head up!" LaBelle, 21, yells while crouching forward on the mat, coaching Bendle Middle School seventh-grader Tom McKay on how to escape his opponent's hold.
LaBelle's position as the middle school's new wrestling coach might surprise newcomers to the sport, but she has quickly impressed parents and earned the respect of her 13 wrestlers.
"I walked in and some of them said, 'Where's our coach?' and when I said I was, they kind of looked around like they couldn't believe it," LaBelle said.
"It took a week to really get them listening, but they're dedicated, even if guys have more of a tendency to slack off than girls do."
LaBelle's name is a familiar one in local wrestling circles, and few followers of the sport are surprised to see her coaching.
Wrestling for Davison and Lapeer West in high school, she qualified for the state finals, won a Big Nine title in her 103-pound weight class and won three national female titles.
She's also in her second year coaching 8- to 18-year-old girls for the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association program out of Lake Orion.
Her resume impressed parents like Frank Allen of Burton, who sought her out when former coach Mike Balance took a government job in New Orleans.
"There was no hesitation about her being a girl because Keristen is gifted as a wrestler, and she gets the guys working really hard," said Allen, whose son, Sean, 14, wrestles for LaBelle.
"She's a better coach and a better wrestler than some of the coaches
we've had. ... The guys really respect her."
After coaching a match, LaBelle talks with the wrestler - in a voice
far more diminutive than when she's yelling instructions - and makes sure
they run to stay loose between matches.
Her practices that stress live wrestling are more grueling - two team
members quit early on because they said practices were too hard.
"She's worked us really hard so we learn respect and think of her just
as a coach, not a girl who's with the team," said Zac Holmes, 13.
"I've known her for a while, and I knew she was a good wrestler, and
she's made us better this year."
While the team has succeeded - the wrestlers had a 49-14 record through
the team's first four meets - LaBelle's presence also has brought the
program more attention among students, more than doubling its membership.
That's led some to speculate she won't be with the school long once she
starts to get consideration for high school jobs.
"I'm hoping she'll be around for a while, but we know she probably
won't," Frank Allen said. "If she's going to go somewhere else, we're glad we
were able to be a part of that."
For the time being, however, LaBelle is content with her position as
one of the only women - if not the only - coaching boys wrestling.
"It's amazing what she's doing, and I'm very proud of her," said Steve
LaBelle, a Davison resident and wrestling aficionado who introduced his
daughter to the sport.
"Once she was through wrestling, she discovered coaching, and coaching
at this level lets her get on the mat to compete with the guys and show
them what to do."
And even though leading women's wrestling programs like Kentucky's
Cumberland College still knock on the door with scholarship offers,
LaBelle said she's staying put.
"They still call, but I've got a son to take care of, and I'm done as a
wrestler," said the single mother of 10-month-old Bryse. "I like
coaching more than I liked wrestling anyway.
"When (Bendle officials) first called me about the job, I thought it
was just because they needed someone fast, but I found out it was because
lots of people wanted me, and I'm glad to be where I am."
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Talented trio bridges gender gap for Windjammers
By Ken Waltz
Sports Editor 12/2/05
ROCKPORT (Dec 2): When a team has won six straight state Class B championships and has a 30-year history of mat excellence, young student-athletes not committed to carrying on that tradition should not waste their time by joining the team.
That focus on excellence has attracted hundreds of the finest male student-athletes who have attended Camden-Rockport High School and Camden Hills Regional High School to the wrestling program the past three decades.
First-year Windjammer wrestlers, from left, Chianne Simmons, Logan Rich and Kristi Pearse, will compete in practice together at 103 pounds. Pearse is one of the best in the state in the weight class, while Rich and Simmons are coming off standout junior high wrestling careers. (Photo by Ken Waltz) |
Now that squad has three schoolgirl athletes willing to pay the price to experience what one of Maine's most successful high school athletic programs has to offer.
Each year, the popularity of wrestling for girls has increased in Maine. Many teams have had a few girls on their squad, but the Windjammer program has never had female athletes stick with the team for more than a short time.
That should change this winter because sophomore Kristi Pearse and freshmen Logan Rich and Chianne Simmons are the "real deal," said veteran Windjammer coach Patrick Kelly. All three have extensive wrestling experience and have made the choice to stick with a sport that has traditionally been dominated by males.
All three will grapple at 103 pounds, which is a positive because they can practice together. It also means, however, that two of them will not get the opportunity to compete in varsity meets.
Last year, as a freshman, the talented Pearse finished third in the state Class C meet at 103 pounds for Wiscasset High School. She also has placed among the top 10 in a national girls wrestling tournament. She transferred to Camden Hills this fall.
Chianne Simmons. (Photo by Ken Waltz) |
Rich of Hope and Simmons of Appleton were successful members of the Hope-Appleton-Lincolnville junior high team the past three and four years respectively. Both have placed among the top four in the Pine Tree Wrestling League regional and state meets in recent years, with Simmons finishing first in the regional competition as an eighth-grader.
All three girls have the skill and desire to be among the best grapplers in the state in their weight class and will start that process by training with one of the state's most storied teams.
"These girls are wrestlers through and through," coach Kelly said. "They fit perfectly with the style of the program. In fact, they enhance the quality of the team immeasurably. Chianne Simmons, Logan Rich and Kristi Pearse are very well respected and accomplished wrestlers. The entire program benefits because of the type of individuals they are and the love they have for the sport of wrestling."
Kelly gave the trio perhaps the most fitting compliment when he said, "They are wonderful wrestlers that happen to be female. I can tell you that they fit right into the practice room and they have a tremendous work ethic. Truthfully, they are very experienced. I like to look at them as solid individuals that happen to be wrestlers. Chianne Simmons, Logan Rich and Kristi Pearse will be making a name for themselves in the very near future. They are the future of this program."
All three girls have wrestled for years. Pearse wrestles year-round and the winter is her time to seriously hit the mat. Simmons and Rich are also solid basketball players; however, both have made the difficult decision to give up their court dreams for mat competition this season.
Rich said she likes both basketball and wrestling equally, but coach Kelly made an effort to talk to her before the season to see what she wanted to do. That convinced her to wrestle.
"It was a hard decision, but now that basketball has started up I think it was a good decision," Rich said.
"The first year I did [wrestling] because I thought it would be just cool to try it," she said. "Then I've always liked it better than basketball, but I miss basketball in a way."
Rich said at HAL she and Simmons were accepted as part of the team because they had been members of the squad for several seasons. "Now we are trying to get reaccepted," Rich said. "I think it is going pretty well because the guys already know [that we wrestled]."
Rich, Simmons and Pearse said they take pride in being able to work hard and keep up with the boys during drills and on the mat. "Sometimes I try to work a little bit harder because I'm new and everything," Rich said. "I want to show that I'm really going to do this."
Kristi Pearse. (Photo by Ken Waltz) |
Simmons said she is motivated to wrestle by many things, including that "people are always saying girls can't wrestle. So I just wanted to prove to everyone that I could — and I have."
Simmons started wrestling in fifth grade, essentially to show her older brothers, Donald and Josh, that she could succeed in a sport they participated in. Last year competing for HAL, she was first at regional and fourth in the states. She also competed in the New Englands.
"They work just the same as the guys," said junior Cody Laite, a three-year varsity wrestler. "When we are pushing hard and driving, you don't notice they are there. But when we are running and hearing them talk it is a little different than hearing other guys talk. They are quality and can hang with some of the guys on the team. That is pretty impressive."
Rich said the atmosphere in the workout room can be "a little strange," especially since she attends school with all the other wrestlers. When she competed for HAL, she only attended school with the Hope Elementary School students and only saw the Lincolnville Central School or Appleton Village School participants during practices or meets.
"It is a little different atmosphere," said senior Derek Young, a four-year member of the team. "You sort of have to act a little different in the practice room. But it shows a lot for our team because not many other teams have a lot of girls and we have [three] quality wrestlers. I think it will help us out in the long run."
Pearse said she no longer is bothered by having mostly boys on the team. For many years she was the lone female grappler on her squads, so having Rich and Simmons on the team is a bonus.
Rich said the three girls should be able to push one another since they are in the same weight class.
Pearse, who finished second in the regional as an eighth-grader, started wrestling in fifth grade. She said growing up with male cousins and not having many female relatives meant she was always around the sport. "We always just wrestled around," she said. "So when I found out I could do the sport, I did. I thought it would be fun and then I got hooked on it."
Logan Rich. (Photo by Ken Waltz) |
Pearse said making the transition from junior high to high school wrestling — something Simmons and Rich will do this season — was not as difficult as she thought it might be. She found the sport to be "a lot more serious" at the high school level. "I made sure I was in better shape going into wrestling my freshman year," she said. "So it wasn't too much harder for me."
Pearse has competed in national tournaments, placing eighth in her weight class in one last year. She also had competed in freestyle/Greco roman tourneys. "I wrestle all year round," she said. "I just love it. I can't explain it. It is like an addiction. It keeps my stress level down."
None of the girls have problems wrestling boys. In fact, Pearse finds it easier to wrestle boys. "Girls have a better center of balance, better hip placement and they are more flexible," she said. "I got used to wrestling guys and how they work. Girls just wrestle differently."
Rich said the key to her success on the mat is sound technique. She said that technique helps her make up for some lack of upper body strength.
Pearse said that while most boys are stronger than their female opponents, she is naturally strong and sometimes stronger than her male foes.
While Pearse said she enjoys succeeding on the mat, she has a more important reason for loving wrestling. "I love the sense of family that wrestling has," she said. "Wrestling is like a separate family for me. It is one of the most personal sports. I love how you can contribute to the team, but separately you can also make your own goals."
Young said the three new female members of the Windjammer wrestling squad work as hard as the male athletes and are held to the same high standards.
Said Laite, "I don't think they get treated any different either. [Coach Kelly] doesn't treat them any different just because they are girls. They have to have the same work ethic if they are going to be on our team. They know that and have to put forth the effort."