News Page
Student of the week: Bridgette Kathleen Larsen
Junior at Sabino High School
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.09.2007
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Age: 16
Parents: Nadia and Peter Larsen
Inside the classroom: Ever since first grade, Larsen has been very disciplined, her mother said. When she arrives home from school, she does her homework immediately.
Her grades are all A's and B's, Bridgette Larsen said. "I manage to keep my grades up. I don't know how," she said, displaying her characteristic sense of modesty and humility.
"She is very quiet and polite, and she has a maturity that others her age don't have," explained Kathy Lackow, her intermediate algebra teacher.
"Her attention to detail is very evident in her homework. It is always very clear and thorough. … Classmates like working with her because she not only understands the material, but she can explain it so others can understand it as well."
Outside the classroom: From the runway to the track to the wrestling mat, Larsen is active outside the classroom.
A graduate of the Barbizon Modeling Center, Larsen recently modeled at the graduation fashion show for Tucson Design College.
For two years, she's run on Sabino's varsity track team. Her events are the 100, 200, 4X100 and 4X400 meter races.
And she's also the only girl on the school's wrestling team.
On wrestling: On Feb. 17, Larsen is scheduled to wrestle in the state girls' championship.
"I think that's where she's going to shine," coach Rich Ortiz said.
Larsen was one of three girls who went out for wrestling, though she's the only one still doing it. The boys responded "pretty good" when they found out they'd have a female teammate, Ortiz said. The young men were supportive without cutting her any slack.
"It's disrespectful if you take it easy on them," Ortiz said. "I told the girls 'I'm not going to coddle you, I'm not going to treat you any different.' "
With a 4-2 record, Larsen has yet to wrestle another girl.
Her mother said Larsen got into wrestling after completing a self-defense class for women.
"She said, 'I want to show the boys I'm just as good, if not better than them,' " Nadia Larsen said.
Her daughter is much more nonchalant. "I just wanted to try something new," she said. "I wanted to see if I could do it."
Favorite class: "I really like math. I'm really good at math," Larsen said.
College plans: Larsen said she's thinking about attending the University of Arizona and will either major in business or engineering. She hasn't decided if she wants to continue with athletics at the collegiate level.
Sound bite: "Whenever I tell people about my daughter, they always say 'Wow, what a contrast — modeling and wrestling,' " Nadia Larsen said.
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By Bruce Campbell Staff Writer 1/9/07
Facing Woodward in a dual tonight, the Enid Plainsmen wrestlers have some momentum after 215-pounder Shane Perosi and heavyweight Justin Glenn recently became Enid’s first-ever champions at the Geary Tournament.
The dual with the Boomers begins at 7 tonight at Mark Price Arena. A junior high dual will precede the match at 6 p.m.
Perosi had two technical falls in winning his first-ever championship at the Geary Tournament. Glenn had four pins in winning the George Walker Award for the most pins in the least amount of time.
“They just didn’t win, they dominated them,” said Enid coach Shane Kerr. “That was the best tournament Shane Perosi’s ever had. When your big guys are wrestling like that, it pumps up the rest of the guys.”
Three of Glenn’s falls came in the first period. Two were in less than a minute. He didn’t report to practice until Dec. 11 because of football.
“It wasn’t that difficult,” Glenn said. “I’ve wrestled all of my life. It doesn’t get away from me. I just have to shake the rust a little. Shane works out with me a lot. He makes all the heavyweights better.”
Bonus points for major decisions, superior decisions, technical falls and falls will be at a premium tonight.
“They (Boomers) are a lot like us,” Kerr said. “They have three to five tough kids. A lot will depend on bonus points. We can’t give any up, and we have to get ours when we can.”
The Boomers are led by Zach White, the nephew of Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith, a two-time Olympic gold medalist. White is ranked No. 1 in 4A at 160 pounds by the Oklahoma Wrestling Web site. White took the 171-pound championship at the Watonga Tournament last weekend.
Woodward had two other champions in 112-pounder Matt White and 145-pounder Ramon Marin, who is ranked No. 4 at 140 pounds by Oklahoma Wrestling.
Other Boomers who placed were Joey Miller, fourth, 119; Jake Ruble, third, 125; Carlos Aguirre, fourth, 140; Derek Branson, second, 215; and Kevin Tapia, third, heavyweight.
Miller is the first female to place at the state tournament. Kerr has opted to forfeit to her in the past.
Clifton Barker is scheduled to wrestle at 119 pounds for the Plainsmen, if he makes weight.
“It just depends on the situation,” Kerr said about wrestling Miller. “She’s a tough wrestler.”
The rest of the EHS lineup will have Michael Wilson (0-1) at 103; Ian Layne (0-1) at 112; Paul Rojas (1-2) at 130; J.B. Stuart (8-4), Brice Benge (1-5) or Zac Layne (0-0) at 135; Kia Castor (4-4) at 140; Greg Siegfried (0-0) at 145; Brayden Daniels (5-3) at 152; Dakota Druse (3-4) or Lane Singer (2-3) at 160; Singer or Jake Keeling (1-2) at 171; and Clint Dodds (0-3) at 189.
Enid’s wrestlers will go to Watonga Thursday, Blackwell on Friday and the Mid-State Tournament Saturday.
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BHS Wrestler a Pioneer for female Athletes.
Jan 8 2007 7:25PM
KXMBTV
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Bismarck High School has been THE Class "A" wrestling school for decades.
And it only makes sense they are leading the way in terms of opportunity.
The Demons have not just one, but TWO FEMAle wrestlers on this years team.
"Paige Perry is one of many female athletes in the country competing in the sport of wrestling. She watched her little brother compete in Mat-Pac motivating her to give the sport a shot.
And she measures up pretty well.
Paige:
Well the guys in my weight class, there's some really good ones like Trevor Johnson and everything but I think I do do ok like against the beginning wrestlers and stuff.
As an Olympic sport and with many college's adding womens wrestling to their schedule, Paige and others have an opportunity to continue competing.
Scott:
There is a spike nation wide in the number of participants uh in college there are a few female teams not many but uh just a few short years back there weren't any female teams.
Paige:
I think I'm gonna continue with wrestling for awhile I think it would be nice to possibly get a scholarship for college but if that isn't possible I'd still like to go out for a college team and maybe not get on the like starting spot but at least still wrestle for the team.It's not popular in North Dakota, but Paige and others are trying to change a few minds.
Paige:A lot of people don't like how girls are in wrestling cause they think it's more of a guys sport, but I think they should give girls a chance and like I think if girls work as hard as guys do that they can do just as well. "
Perry is joined on the BHS junior varsity by Amanda Bennes from Horizon Middle school.
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Stereotypes take a fall
Girls wrestling in male-dominated sport
By Eliav Appelbaum/Sports Writer
Article Launched: 01/09/2007 06:41:37 AM PST
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Adam Wight showed the twins the poster that was in his classroom.
"I expect both your pictures to be on here one day," he said as he handed it to them.
The poster has pictures of All-American wrestlers - All-American wrestlers who happened to be girls. That poster now hangs in Alannah and Aislinn Talbot's room at home.
The Talbot twins are a unique pair at Vacaville High School. They are two 14-year-old freshman girls who wrestle.
Although they answer to "Twins" during roll call, these identical twins have their own style. Alannah has stylish short hair and wears rock metal band shirts and jewelry. Aislinn has longer hair and dresses a little more conservatively.
"We called them Good Twin and Bad Twin," Wight joked. "Now
they're just the Twins."
Although wrestling for girls has become a bigger sport nationally and in California - the California Interscholastic Federation formed a girls regional tournament last year - wrestling at Vacaville is a different beast.
No girl has ever wrestled all four years with the Bulldogs. Some girls have wrestled for a few years, then quit or switched schools. Others have transferred in from other schools.
"I think our room is just a little tougher, a little more demanding,"
said former Bulldog coach Rich Penaluna. "Not only would it be hard for girls (to wrestle at Vacaville), the wrestling that we do is tough on guys physically and mentally.
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"It's a very physically demanding sport, especially on a girl. I'm not being sexist but it's such a body contact sport. Football's an impact sport. You get him, bam and it's over. But in wrestling, if you're taken down then it's just a grind."
Wight, Vacaville's co-coach with Clint Birch, likes how the Talbots have responded and meshed with their teammates.
"We told them up front that everyone's treated the same," Wight said. "We treat them like all the other guys. We have a policy of equality on the team. They wrestle with each other, they wrestle with everyone on the team. I think so far, they've done great. They're both tough and they don't mind getting in there with the guys and rustling it up."
The twins, who ran for Kay Nekota's cross country team in the fall, love mixing it up on the mat.
"I push myself more than any other sport I've done before," Aislinn said. "I like competing... and beating guys. That's fun."
At Will C. Wood, senior Amberly Safreno is the first four-year female wrestler in school history, according to head coach Thor Jensen.
Safreno nabbed fourth at the first ever CIF Girls Wrestling Northern California Regional Tournament at Rocklin last January. She went 5-2 with four pins at 138 pounds.
Last Wednesday, Safreno won in a first-period pin against another girl from Napa in the Monticello Empire League dual meet opener. Bubbly and energetic, Safreno warmed up by putting a couple moves on a friend, culminating with a quick body slam.
Safreno, 18, picked up the sport when she took a joke seriously. Beating boys in arm wrestling was a telling clue as well.
"I never did any sports before," said Safreno, who has wanted to be a firefighter since she was 7. "People said I looked like a good wrestler. They were jokingly saying it and I took it seriously. I signed up in the gym at the end of eighth-grade."
Wrestling fits her personality just fine.
"I tried golf," Safreno said, "but they said I was too aggressive. They said, 'Well, it's not hockey.' I put all my hard work into wrestling."
The senior Wildcat hopes to wrestle at the varsity level before the year is up, but either way, Safreno enjoys herself. At the first MEL dual, Safreno, radiating with energy, cheered her teammates on and talked to her friends in the stands.
Needless to say, Safreno has enjoyed her wrestling endeavor at Wood, even if it didn't start well, with boys teasing her when she was a freshman.
"Wrestling has been a lot harder than I expected. Looking back, I'm glad it was that hard. It was for me," said Safreno, who also throws the shot put and discus for the track and field team in the spring. She also wants to try the pole vault this year.
As for wrestling boys or girls...
"I like wrestling boys," Safreno said with a wily smile. "When I beat them, they used to cry.
"I enjoy putting all my hard work out there," she said, pointing to the mat. "It's a test."
The Talbots are just beginning their test. But after picking up the sport as eighth-graders at Willis Jepson Middle School, they have started this season strong.
At a recent Lady Lancers Tournament in Manteca for girls, Alannah went 5-0 with four pins for first place at 114 pounds. Aislinn, at 118 pounds, finished 4-1 and finished second.
Although Safreno had to fight for respect when she joined the Wildcats, the Talbots said they get along well with their teammates.
"We don't feel out of place," Aislinn said.
"Everyone treats us the same as the guys," Alannah added.
Their work ethic has something to do with that.
"In the summer, they would bike to cross country practice, stick around for wrestling and then bike home. You can imagine how tired they'd be biking home after all that," Nekota said. "I know they are so enthusiastic about wrestling. I'll run into them at school and we'll talk. I'll ask them about wrestling and their eyes light up."
The Bulldogs hope the Talbots stick with wrestling.
Wight thinks the twins have a chance to make it all four years. Make that a really good chance.
"I think they've got great potential," Wight said. "At first Clint and I were apprehensive (about the Talbots joining the team). We're not sure how it would affect our team dynamic. Obviously, the wrestling room has a real macho atmosphere. I thought it might be a hard transition. The guys have accepted them as part of the team. It helps that the twins work hard and wrestle hard. I think they earn a lot of respect that way."
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Scott's Title Leads Women At Portland State Open
Summary:
The junior wins her first tournament as a member of the Pacific women's wrestling team, leading five placers at the Portland State Open
PORTLAND - Summer Scott (Jr., Castro Valley, Calif.) earned her first tournament victory in a Pacific singlet Sunday, leading five Pacific placers in the women's bracket at the Portland State Open, held at the Stott Center on the Portland State campus.
Scott, who transferred to Pacific from Lassen CC last fall, swept all five of her matches in the combined 55/58-kilogram weight class to earn the Boxers only title of the afternoon. Scott earned two of her victories by pin and allowed her opponent to score in only one match.
Titilope Lawani (Jr., Rialto, Calif.) finished second in the combined 59/64-kilogram class, going 4-1 on the afternoon. Candace Sakamoto (Fr., Kaneohe, Hawaii) placed third at 50 kg., Valerie Prise (Jr., Diamond Bar, Calif.) was third at 53 kg. and Alenna Nilsen (So., Petersburg, Alaska) placed third in the 55/58 kg. bracket.
Scott proved dominant in the round-robin bracket, scoring pins over Nilsen and British Columbia's Dawn Stickings. In her first round, Scott shut out British Columbia's Saran Mortan in a pair of quick round, 6-0 and 7-0.
Lawani appeared ready to claim the title in the 59/64 kg. class, winning her first three matches before losing in a first round to Calgary's Laura McDougal. The Dinos' McDougal, ranked No. 2 in North America at 59 kg., went on win the class with a 5-0 record. Lawani secured second with her only pin of the day, over teammate Kisha Milfort (Fr., Miami, Fla.)
Sakamoto, Prise and Nilsen each won three matches to secure their third place finishes. Prise's total included a pair of first round pins over British Columbia's Neville Berard and Douglas' Ella Rabalaski.
Pacific returns to action on Saturday, taking part in the Oregon Classic at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond.
PORTLAND STATE OPEN - PACIFIC RESULTS
CANDACE SAKAMOTO (50 Kg., 3-2, 3rd)
Round 1: def. Saveh Polani (British Columbia), 8-1, 2-1
Round 2: lost by fall to Emily Meeks (Simon Fraser), 2nd Round
Round 3: win by fall over Johanna Levy (British Columbia), 2nd Round
Round 4: lost to Allison Solski (unattached), 3-5, 3-6
Round 5: def. Gina Carpenter (British Columbia), 3-0, 6-0
VALERIE PRISE (53 Kg., 3-2, 3rd)
Round 1: lost to Jenna Robinson (Simon Fraser) 0-6, 0-7
Round 2: win by fall over Neville Berard (British Columbia), 1st Round
Round 3: win by fall over Ella Rabalaski (Douglas), 1st Round
Round 4: lost to Sarah White (Simon Fraser), 0-3, 2-9
Round 5: beat Lindsey Belisle (British Columbia), 6-0, 5-0
SUMMER SCOTT (55/58 Kg., 5-0, 1st)
Round 1: beat Sarah Mortan (British Columbia), 7-0, 6-0
Round 2: beat Savannah Toft (British Columbia), Forfeit
Round 3: win by fall over Alenna Nilsen (Pacific), 2nd Round
Round 4: beat Raissa Dickenson (Simon Fraser), 2-3, 3-0, 1-1
Round 5: win by fall over Dawn Stickings (British Columbia), 1st Round
ALENNA NILSEN (55/58 Kg., 3-2, 3rd)
Round 1: beat Dawn Stickings (British Columbia), 2-0, 4-0
Round 2: lost to Raissa Dickenson (Simon Fraser), 0-3, 0-2
Round 3: lost by fall to Summer Scott (Pacific), 1st Round
Round 4: win by fall over Sarah Mortan (BC), 2nd Round
Round 5: beat Savannah Toft (British Columbia), Forfeit
MICHELLE LUDWIG (59/64 Kg., 1-4, DNP)
Round 1: lost to Laura McDougal (Simon Fraser), 0-6, 0-7
Round 2: lost to Kayla Bordignon (Simon Fraser), 4-0, 0-4, 0-2
Round 3: lost to Katarina Spotzl (Simon Fraser), 0-2, 0-2
Round 4: lost to Titilope Lawani (Pacific), 0-3, 0-1
Round 5: win by fall over Kisha Milfort (Pacific), 2nd Round
TITILOPE LAWANI (59/64 Kg., 4-1, 2nd)
Round 1: beat Kisha Milfort (Pacific), 3-0, 3-0
Round 2: beat Michelle Ludwig (Pacific), 3-0, 1-0
Round 3: beat Katarina Spotzl (Simon Fraser), 0-0, 3-0, 1-0
Round 4: lost by fall to Laura McDougal (Calgary), 1st Round
Round 5: beat Kayla Bordignon (Simon Fraser), 1-0, 2-0
KISHA MILFORT (59/64 Kg., 0-5, DNP)
Round 1: lost to Titilope Lawani (Pacific), 0-3, 0-3
Round 2: lost by fall to Katarina Spotzl (Simon Fraser), 2nd Round
Round 3: lost by fall to Laura McDougal (Calgary), 2nd Round
Round 4: lost by fall to Kayla Borddignon (Simon Fraser), 1st Round
Round 5: lost by fall to Michelle Ludwig (Pacific), 2nd Round
MEGAN RICHARDSON (65 Kg., 1-3, DNP)
Round 1: lost to Ashley McManus (Simon Fraser), 0-5, 0-6
Round 2: lost to Taylor Dick (Simon Fraser), 1-2, 1-5
Round 3: lost to Susan Meehan (Simon Fraser), 0-2, Injury Default
Round 4: beat Sally Madison (Simon Fraser), Forfeit
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