Photo illustration by John Palmer Gregg
Fitzgerald
Rogers
Snead
News Page
Tough girls wrestle with the guys. And, yes, they do win.
By Blair J. Parker/staff
bparker@newsleader.com
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Photo illustration by John Palmer Gregg
Fitzgerald
Rogers
Snead |
For all the guys out there who believe they're tough, three high school girls have a message: If you are going to step on the wrestling mat with them, be prepared for a tough match.
Stuarts Draft has two girls wrestling varsity spots: sophomore Savannah Fitzgerald, who competes at 112 pounds, and freshman Petya Rogers at 103. Just a few miles down the road, Wilson Memorial has returning varsity wrestler junior Jessica Snead, who wrestles in the 103-pound weight class.
"Every day I tell her (Snead) that 'you're not a girl, you're a wrestler,'" said Wilson coach Steve Geiman. "She always corrects me, but that's how I look at the situation."
"I have never coached or even had girls on my team, but it's been a pleasure to coach them (Rogers and Fitzgerald)," Draft wrestling coach Chip Campbell said. "These girls do everything the guys go and do everything that is expected of them."
Despite the coaches' praises for their female wrestlers, there are still many concerns about mixed-sex wrestling because of wrestling's nature as a contact sport.
Wrestlers frequently engage in pretzel-like contortions, such as forcing their head between an opponent's legs while struggling to turn him on his back, and that makes some people question whether boys and girls should compete against each other. But that is not the opinion of many.
"When I was in eighth grade last year and was wrestling, there were some people who opposed it and thought we couldn't do it, but we are showing them every day that we belong," Rogers said.
About 90 percent of wrestling holds involve grabbing the upper body or pelvic area. This can become uncomfortable for both female and male wrestlers, but Rogers and Fitzgerald think it's no big deal.
"Other than the obvious uncomfortable positions, when you have mixed genders you have to be conscious of certain things," Campbell said. "But the key is to not let the uncomfortable feeling affect the way you approach the sport or the way you have to teach the kids."
All three female wrestlers had to convince their families before they could compete.
For Snead, it took a year before she could get her mom on board with the idea of wrestling and convince her that it is an acceptable sport for girls. She also had some trouble getting her father to come to grips with the idea of his little girl getting on the mat with boys.
"My dad supports me very much, but he still doesn't like it that I'm wrestling with and against guys every day," Snead said.
Much like her Wilson counterpart, Fitzgerald ran into a little resistance from her parents when she told them that she wanted to wrestle on a boys' team.
"At first my mom thought I was joking and she didn't believe me, and my dad said I could do it, as long as I didn't kill myself," Fitzgerald said.
Rogers' experience was quite different when she broke the news to her mother about wrestling.
When the Rogers family lived in Iowa, wrestling was a staple in their lives, whether they were watching it on television or cheering in the stands for her brother, who used to wrestle.
"My mom likes the fact that I am wrestling," Rogers said. "I mean, of course she had some doubts at the beginning, because it was so uncommon for girls, but she is very proud of me."
Despite the doubts, questions and disbelief, all three wrestlers are determined to prove that they have every right to compete in a sport they love.
According to the National Federation of High School Associations, the number of girls who compete in wrestling is up dramatically. With the growth in girls' interest in the sport, many schools find themselves literally wrestling with the question of how to accommodate both sexes in a traditionally male sport.
Waynesboro wrestling coach Rick Palmer had two female wrestlers on his team until late December when both decided to leave the team.
"There is still a lot of resistance out there, and some coaches won't even let their guys go up against girls," Palmer said. "Things are getting better, but there is still a lot of sexism in the sport."
The Little Giants' head coach thinks the two girls had different objectives for being on the team. According to Palmer, one of the girls was more of a tomboy and was interested in learning technique and improving her skills, while the other female wrestler was not as serious. He thinks she was more interested in flirting and goofing off.
"The boys on the team responded a lot better and accepted the wrestler who was more interested in getting things done," Palmer said. "Everyone out here takes this sport very seriously, and the guys are accepting of anyone, whether boy or girl, who feels the same."
Rogers' validation and proof that she is for real took place last Saturday when the Draft wrestler earned the first pin of her career.
"It felt so good to see what I could accomplish and to see that I'm getting stronger," Rogers said.
The full support of her teammates and coaches has kept Fitzgerald smiling this season, but the best moment was when she got to wrestle in her first match, she said.
The crowning moment of Snead's young career was the first time the referee raised her hand in victory over a boy. She's now 10-10 with four wins by pin.
"All I remember is that my teammates and coach were yelling and screaming for me, and I got a feeling that all my hard work had paid off," Snead said.
There will always be doubters and pessimists, but the Wilson and Draft female wrestlers said they aren't going to worry about that. In the meantime, these three young women seem determined to take their place on the mat, despite the many obstacles.
"The guys are so much stronger," Snead said. "But I try not to think about that. It's like when I'm running cross country. I say to myself, 'What's stopping me from putting one leg in front of the other? Nothing.'"
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Female Wrestlers Racking Up Wins at Fredonia HS
Posted by: Matt Pearl, Sports Reporter
Created: 1/17/2007 8:07:34 PM
Updated: 1/17/2007 8:43:48 PM
Perhaps you've heard this one before: Girl sees sport, girl sees only boys playing sport, girl plays sport anyway.
Normally that's where the story ends, but Fredonia High School has two girls who don't just compete on the mostly boys wrestling team; they win ... a lot.
Channel 2's Matt Pearl has the story. To watch, click on the video link below.
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Notebook: Samuell junior finds release on mat
08:10 PM CST on Wednesday, January 17, 2007
By KEITH WHITMIRE / The Dallas Morning News
If it weren't for wrestling, Tanzanecia Hogan figures she would be in anger management classes.
Hogan, a Samuell junior, said she started wrestling as a ninth-grader to control her temper.
"I wouldn't get into fights, I'd just go off real quick," Hogan said. "Instead of taking it out on other people, I decided to take it out on the mat."
Hogan's opponents might disagree. She's 25-2 this season in the 128-pound class with all but one win by pin.
Hogan won a match at the UIL state meet last season but did not place.
"I felt that I did good to make it as a sophomore," Hogan said. "I was going up against real experienced people."
Hogan was named the outstanding girl wrestler at the recent DISD meet. Now she's recognized for her wrestling skill and not her temper.
"I know how to control it now instead of letting it go," Hogan said. "I feel people looking up to me."
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Lady Vikings second at NWCA Duals
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
By Chris Allen/Sports Editor
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The nemesis of the Missouri Valley College women's wrestling team continued to afflict it Saturday during the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals at Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The Lady Vikings won two of three matches, but was unable to do much against the virtual all-star team assembled by Cumberlands (Ky.), which won the championship contest by an impressive 30-2 score.
Valley only won two rounds against the Lady Patriots (8-1): senior Tanya Miyasaki (48 kilograms) taking the middle set of a 4-0, 1-2, 1-1 loss to junior Melissa Girard -- ranked eighth among Senior women by TheMat.com -- and junior Courtney Martell (55) getting off to a strong start before dropping an 0-4, 1-0, 1-0 decision to No. 7 junior Sandy Do.
Eighth-ranked MVC senior Samantha Schuman (51) gave a spirited battle to No. 6 junior Jessica Medina, but otherwise the Lady Patriots (8-1) were in command -- ending three of the eight matches with pins.
The Lady Vikings opened the meet with a 23-11 victory over the U.S. Olympic Education Center squad from Northern Michigan, but that was due primarily to four defaults. Of the four matches, Valley's only win was by freshman Desiree Memea (80) over No. 7 freshman Dallas Monreal-Berner, 2-1, 1-0.
The OTC (3-4) opened with a painful 2-0, 2-0 win by junior Sadie Kaneda -- a former Valley grappler -- over Miyasaki. Freshman Nikki Darrow downed Martell, 2-0, 1-0, and sophomore Dany Hedlin -- No. 6 at 55 kilograms -- defeated ninth-rated junior Erika Chew (59), 6-0, 8-0.
The Lady Vikings did get a clear-cut victory over Menlo (Calif.), 25-12, taking four of seven bouts.
Schuman pulled away from sophomore Carla O'Connell, 3-1, 6-0, Martell stopped freshman Katherine Fulp-Allen in 1:49 and freshman Amberlee Ebert (67) and sophomore Lacy Novinska (72) both won by fall -- Ebert beating freshman Linda Hernandez and Novinska pinning sophomore Monique Cabrera.
The Lady Oaks (0-4) got wins from No. 4 senior Sara Fulp-Allen -- pinning Miyasaki in the second period -- junior Laurin Lane-Daniels over Chew and sophomore Ashlee Evans-Smith against freshman Samantha Fee (63), both in two-set decisions.
In fairness, Valley (5-3) didn't have all of its ranked wrestlers available -- with seniors Brooke Bogren and Stephany Lee and junior Emily Rinehart among the missing.
The young season now starts to pick up steam for the Lady Vikings, who compete in the Guelph (Ont.) Open this weekend.
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Klein's Brooks sets wrestling tourney record
By Terry Carter 1/17/07
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
Two-time state champion Lindsey Brooks of Klein pinned Waller's Amanda Hicks in a tournament-best 13 seconds during the Houston Challenge girls tournament at Sam Houston on Saturday. But even the unstoppable Brooks could not haul in another Most Valuable Wrestler honor as Houston Lee's Nathalie Mendoza broke a five-way tie for the award with five consecutive pins.
Katy Taylor's Courtney Hole notched a 7-2 win over Cy-Fair's Julie Smith in the 102 championship to earn several MVP votes. Bobcats state qualifier Courtney Weiser scored four pins at 110 pounds before winning in the final over Klein's Taylor Busboom by injury default.
Additional winners included Waller's Alex Elliott at 119 pounds, Waller's Amanda Kelso at 128, Waller's Whitney Disotelle at 138, Katy Taylor's Adele Kurt at 165, Taylor's Venus Barron at 185 and Waller's Karon Scott at 215.
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Published: January 18, 2007
Last Modified: January 18, 2007 at 04:00 AM
Class 4A State Rankings
As of Wednesday
112 -- 1) Anthony Ricketts, Service; 2) Kyle Wilson, Colony; 3) Ben Daigle, Homer; 4) Aaron Boss, Colony; 5) Michaela Hutchison, Skyview.
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Pacific Women Wrestlers Head to California This Week
Salem-News.com SPORTS 1/18/07
The Boxers dig into the meatiest part of their schedule with a trip to California and some of North America's top teams at the Lady Oak Duals and Lady Oaks Open |
FOREST GROVE - While much of the Pacific women's wrestling schedule has been sparse, the Boxers are in the meat of the most competition-heavy part of the slate with four competitions in January and three in February.
The Boxers compete on Friday at the Lady Oak Duals, followed by Saturday at the Lady Oaks Open.
OREGON CLASSIC:
Titilope Lawani (Jr., Rialto, Calif.) led the way for the Boxers by capturing outstanding women's wrestler honors at the Oregon Classic, held Saturday at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond.
Lawani went 2-0 to capture honors in the combined 673-72 kg. weight class as the Boxers swept the championships in the tournament's three combined classes.
Candace Sakamoto (Fr., Kaneohe, Hawaii) captured top honors in the 48-51 kg. class and Summer Scott (So., Castro Valley, Calif.) won the 55-59 kg. class for her second straight tournament victory.
ABOUT THE LADY OAKS TOURNAMENTS:
Hosted by Menlo College, the Lady Oak Duals and the Lady Oaks Open will feature some of North America's top women's wrestling programs.
The biggest benefit will be the dual meet tournament, where the Boxers will be able to add two matches to their schedule.
Joining the Boxers and host Oaks will be Cumberlands (Ky.), Simon Fraser and the Spartan Club team from San Jose State University.
The Boxers went 1-1 at last year's Lady Oak Duals, beating Menlo 26-5 before losing to Simon Fraser 25-10.
At last year's Lady Oaks Open, the Boxers set a milestone for the program by winning their first ever open tournament.
Stacey Martell, Michelle Ludwig (Jr., San Diego, Calif.) and Megan Richardson (So., Santa Paula, Calif.) each won individual titles to lead Pacific to a two-point victory over Simon Fraser.
BOXERS IN NORTH AMERICAN RANKINGS:
The Pacific women's wrestling program debuted in the 10th position in the season's first North American Women's College Poll, released by TheMat.com on Jan. 5th.
The Boxers received 53 of a possible 100 points.
Pacific ranks third among U.S. teams in the poll, topped only by Cumberlands (Ky.), ranked second, and Missouri Valley, ranked fourth.
The University of Calgary received all four first place votes to take first place in the poll.
Kapua Torres (Jr., Kahuku, Hawaii) is the only Pacific wrestler to earn an individual ranking.
The 2005 collegiate and junior national champion opens the season ranked No. 1 at 51 kg.
NO U.S. POLL:
To date, TheMat.com has not released a Women's Wrestling U.S. Poll. The last U.S. poll came out on Mar. 30, 2006, with the Boxers finishing third.
PACIFIC TO HOST WOMEN'S COLLEGIATE NATIONALS:
The Pacific Athletic Center will be the site of the 2007 National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships, which will be held Mar. 9th-10th.
The event will feature all of the nation's current college women's wrestling programs along with women affiliated with men's programs from across the nation.
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