Nicole Woody
(Mike Buscher: Special to The Sun)
Jan 26, 2007
News Page
U.S. Olympic Education Ctr. (USOEC)Newsletter
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University of Western Ontario women capture OUA wrestling team title, men place third
By: - Josip MRKOCI 2/21/07
Toronto, CANADA - The 2007 Ontario University Wrestling Championships for men and women were held at the University of Toronto campus in front of large crowd of spectators on Saturday, February 17th. The battle for the team standings started at the weigh in time day before as a number of male wrestlers did not make weight which reflected in the final team standings. This year's women's and men's wrestling was very competitive which resulted in matches being decided on clinches and wrestling a third and deciding round. The Canadian Universities utilize the Olympic Free-style wrestling in their competitions and use the latest FILA rules as opposed to USA Universities which use the Folk style of wrestling.
The University of Western Ontario (UWO) women won the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Wrestling championships defeating defending champions, Brock University, who held a six-year streak on the women’s team title. The UWO women won three gold, three silver and one bronze, and finished with 59 points ahead of Brock’s 48. It was the first title for the UWO's women's wrestling team who finished second behind Brock the last three years. Lakehead University placed third with 40 points. UWO made history when all of their women ( eight) and men (10) were wrestling in the medal rounds either going for gold or bronze medals.
The battle for the overall team title for women was close and up for grabs throughout the entire tournament. It came down to the final medal matches and the UWO women clinched the title when, ironically, Stephanie Szmiett, a Brock transfer now in 3rd year nursing at Western, won a head-to-head final against Brock’s Emily Filmore in the 48 kg division. Stephanie dominated her opponent.
Western’s other individual gold medalists were, Laura Skopelianos (51 kg) who defeated Brock’s Liz Martindale in a hard fought final, and first year Kinesiology student, Jessica Belchos (72 kg) who defeated Steph DeVries (Guelph). Laura's win was a sweet revenge as Martindale defeated her at an earlier competition during the season. Laura's whole family was in full force to support her including her brother Dave, a former mustang wrestler himself.
Western captured individual silver medals by Jill McCallum (63 kg), Jessica Fitzgerald (67 kg) and Lauren MacDonald (82 kg). Katrina Huszarik (59 kg) took Western’s lone individual bronze, while Lesley McCallum (55 kg) took 4th. Jill, last year's OUA champion met in the finals her old nemesis from Lakehead University, Tasha Eadey who won the gold medal this time.
" The women's team came on strong to win the OUA championships and the difference was that we won the head- to- head matches against the Brock University in the finals" stated UWO coach Ray Takahashi.
The seven UWO women medallists qualify to the Canadian (CIS) University Wrestling Championships in Saskatoon, March 2, 3. The women’s team placed 5th overall at the 2006 CIS Championships.
The mustang men took third place overall with 50 points, one behind second place McMaster University and the winner Brock University with 67 points . Six UWO men mustangs qualified to the CIS Championships in Saskatoon. Four mustangs took individual silvers in their respective divisions – Jeff Werden (54 kg), Steven Ko (72 kg), Ryan Stewart (90 kg) and Ian Patton (130 kg). Josh Dawson (68 kg) and Vi Nguyen-Huu (82 kg) both placed 3rd and also advance to the CIS Championships. " It was a solid performance for the men's team as all of our men wrestled in the medal rounds" said coach Josip Mrkoci.
Head coach of the UWO wrestling team, Ray Takahashi received Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Women's Coach of the Year Award as the UWO women won the OUA team Championships.
OUA Women’s overall Team Standings:
Western 59
Brock 48
Lakehead 40
Mac 27
Guelph 25
U of T 5
Queens 4
OUA Wrestling Championship Women’s Individual Results
48kg
1 Stephanie Szmiett WESTERN
2 Emile-Joy Filmore BROCK
3 Raechel Bandurchin GUELPH
4 Tanya Cormier LAKEHEAD
51kg
1 Laura Skopelianos WESTERN
2 Liz Martindale BROCK
3 Cara Yu GUELPH
4 Jessica George LAKEHEAD
55kg
1 Jesse Bondy BROCK
2 Caitlyn Goodfellow MCMASTER
3 Shannon Mullins QUEEN'S
4 Lesley McCallum WESTERN
5 Tessa Botticella TORONTO
6 Alexandra Demars LAKEHEAD
59kg
1 Michelle Fazzari BROCK
2 Leah Dougherty LAKEHEAD
3 Katrina Huszarik WESTERN
4 Megan Bryden MCMASTER
63kg
1 Tasha Eaday LAKEHEAD
2 Jill McCallum WESTERN
3 Gaya Arathmeiser MCMASTER
4 Natasha Matijasic TORONTO
5 Golda Parahoo BROCK
6 Shannon Westgarth QUEEN'S
67kg
1 Stef Howorun MCMASTER
2 Jessica Fitzgerald WESTERN
3 Meaghan Wilton GUELPH
4 Emily McCauge LAKEHEAD
5 Krista Lewis BROCK
72kg
1 Jessica Belchos WESTERN
2 Stephanie de Vries GUELPH
3 Debra Jehu BROCK
4 Kateyn Proulx LAKEHEAD
82kg
1 Nicole Plummer LAKEHEAD
2 Lauren MacDonald WESTERN
3 Jenn Hanson BROCK
4 Catherine Wilson GUELPH
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Wrestling gives Oklahoma City admissions edge
By Michael Rand Feb. 21, 2007, 11:54 AM ET
Special to ESPN.com
The juxtaposition is not lost on Oklahoma City University president Tom McDaniel. One of his school's claims to fame is the fact that it has produced three Miss Americas, and to say the world of pageantry is pretty different than the world of women's wrestling -- competitive comparisons aside -- is probably an understatement.
But in making the announcement last week that OCU is adding women's wrestling this fall as a varsity sport, becoming one of just six schools in the country to offer the sport at that level, McDaniel and others at the school sent clear messages: Why limit yourself or give in to skepticism? Why not think differently? And, most of all, why not be a few years ahead of the curve rather than a few years behind it?
"I don't know where it will lead us," McDaniel said, "but I frankly don't think it can be a mistake if you give young women a chance to get a great education."
If early indications are worth anything, the bold move was hardly a mistake. In fact, it could be another major boon for a school that added a rowing program a few years back and turned it into a major selling point by filling a niche few schools around it could match.
Archie Randall, the coach of the men's wrestling team, which was started in 2006, will also lead the women's program. He has been playing hot potato with his phone ever since last week's announcement.
"Phone call after phone call after phone call," Randall said, adding four more "phone calls" after that. "I've had such a response, it's been unreal. Parents. Kids. I've had calls from six of the top girls' wrestlers in the nation."
Therein lies the beauty of the move. There are about 5,000 girls wrestling in high school nationwide -- and somewhere approaching half of them compete on the 180 teams in neighboring Texas. But their college options are seriously limited. So here comes OCU, which will have eight scholarships to offer (same as the men's team) and have an immediate chance to become a national powerhouse and a destination school. Randall said he knows of a handful of other schools thinking about adding women's wrestling.
"We were talking and talking, and finally we decided we might as well get it out there and be ahead of everyone," he said. "I guess you could say I'm just a wrestling advocate. I'm obsessed with all types of wrestling, and this just seemed like a logical step for us. Our school strives for success, for being the best in everything, so why not add a sport that gives us that opportunity?"
That appears to be the basic motive, which is a refreshing notion. Jim Abbott, OCU's athletic director, said the school was already in Title IX compliance before adding women's wrestling.
"Either consciously or subconsciously we try to maintain a balance," said Abbott, who was lauded for starting a men's wrestling program at a time when a lot of schools are cutting the sport. "With women's wrestling, that gives us seven women's sports and six men's sports. It had more to do with the opportunity to begin a sport and immediately be at the forefront. And for me personally, the experience with rowing gives you a lot of courage to do things."
Abbott brought up rowing a lot during the course of the conversation, and for good reason. The school added men's and women's rowing four years ago, taking advantage of a city plan that turned what was essentially a drainage ditch into a river that flows through Oklahoma City's downtown area.
"They cleaned it up and made a river," Abbott said, "and by accident they created a world-class rowing facility."
This fall, Oklahoma City hosted a regatta that drew more than 30,000 spectators, making it an unlikely center of the rowing world.
"We see rowing very much in the same way we see women's wrestling -- a niche that has proven to be an incredible boon to our university," Abbott said. "I'm not saying that in four years we're going to be hosting a women's wrestling tournament that will draw 30,000 people. But I'm also not saying we can't."
Of equal or greater importance, though, are the opportunities the program's creation will afford female wrestlers. Eventually, the school hopes to have a women's wrestler become an Olympic champion. That's Randall's vision, and he will be plenty busy trying to see it through.
The women's season will run somewhat concurrently with the men's season, though the competitions are often open tournaments instead of duals. Recruiting and coaching two sports full time, however, will certainly be a challenge. When reached on the phone recently on a Sunday evening, Randall sounded like a man who needed to catch his breath -- but also one who's so deeply embedded in what he's passionate about that the amount of work doesn't seem to matter.
"I wouldn't have done it without him," Abbott said. "If there's one person who can do this, it's Archie Randall."
OCU currently competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics -- where it has won 28 national championships in the past 19 years -- but the school has designs on eventually competing in the NCAA at the Division I level. Freddy Sanchez, last year's National League batting champion, played at OCU. The men's wrestling program, in its first season of competition, will have eight wrestlers competing at the NAIA Championships on March 2-3 in Sioux City, Iowa.
That's a track record for success with which it's hard to argue. And hey, don't forget those three Miss Americas. Oklahoma City University hasn't forgotten that part of its past, even as it heads toward the future.
Said Abbott, only half-jokingly: "Why couldn't we be the first school that has an Olympic women's wrestler who's also a Miss America?"
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Nicole Woody, Arundel, wrestling
Girls Athlete of the Week
Originally published February 21, 2007
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Nicole Woody |
The 103-pound junior became Maryland's first female wrestler to win a district title when she pinned South River's Curtis Taylor in 5 minutes, 42 seconds at the Anne Arundel County championships on Saturday. Woody also scored a 28-second pin in her first bout, and won her semifinal, 9-1, to raise her record to 28-3 this season.
Woody has been around wrestling "since I was 6 months old," first wrestled at 9 and is 63-18 for her career. She has qualified for the past two 4A-3A state tournaments, the first girl to do so, and last year became the first girl to pin a boy at the state meet.
In August, Woody was the only American, boy or girl, to win a junior world championship, at 97 pounds. Woody, who has a 4.0 grade point average and will graduate high school in June after just three years, is considering a scholarship offer from the United States Olympic Education Center in Marquette, Mich., where she would be able to continue studying while also training for a shot at a berth in the 2008 or 2012 Games.
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Feb 21, 2007 04:30 AM
Varsity Girls Wrestling - Individual Champions - 44k - Frida Goltsman, Vaughan; 47.5k - Alex Nikolakakos, Maple; 51k - Alessandra Seca, Father Bressani; 54k - Annie Nikolakakos- Maple; 61k - Shani Demain, Maple; 64k - Katie Lemay, Bayview; 67.5k - Elianna Voskakis- Father Bressani; 72k - Julia Carere- Father Bressani, 77k - Tania Trambits, Maple; Heavyweight - Natasha Mantione- Father Bressani;
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Wrestlers take down the notion of novelty
By Dennis Knight
Mercury News 2/21/07
Pauline Lubens / Mercury News |
When Tina Linshamout began high school wrestling three years ago, male opponents would sometimes step onto the mat wearing a smirk.
And leave with tears streaming down their cheeks.
Last year, Linshamout became the first female wrestler to earn a medal in the 40-year history of the Central Coast Section tournament, taking sixth in the 103-pound class. The Silver Creek senior is part of a growing population of female wrestlers in California high schools -- the number has more than doubled in the past decade.
``I got hooked on the sport after my first loss,'' said Linshamout, who began wrestling in junior high, following in the footsteps of her older brother. ``I wanted to come back and show what I had in me.''
After women's wrestling was introduced as an Olympic sport at Athens in 2004, its popularity surged, even at the high school level.
The National Federation of State High School Associations reported that 4,975 girls wrestled in 2005-2006, an increase of 14.8 percent from the season before. The CIF said there were just 494 female wrestlers in 1998. That number shot up to 1,230 in 2005.
But some are uncomfortable with the idea of boys grappling with girls. The King's Academy, a private school in Sunnyvale, has a policy that bars its wrestlers from competing against girls. The wrestler must instead forfeit the match.
``There isn't anything in the Bible that talks about wrestling,'' Principal Bob Kellogg said. ``But there are scriptural principals about being modest and respecting the dignity of the opposite sex. We just don't think body-to-body contact is appropriate for high-school-age boys and girls.''
It can be awkward for boys. Overfelt sophomore Josh Go lost his first meeting with Linshamout (15-11) this season but defeated her at the Blossom Valley Athletic League tournament.
``I felt a little weird the first time I had to wrestle her, and when I lost, I heard about it,'' he said. ``I definitely wanted to beat her the second time, but I approached it like any other match.''
Former U.S. Olympic Coach Lee Allen, who started a women's team at Menlo College six years ago, makes another case against mixing genders on the mat.
``Too many times people judge female wrestlers by how many boys she has beaten,'' said Allen, whose daughter, Menlo's Sara Fulp-Allen, is ranked No. 1 among North America female college wrestlers at 105.5 pounds by TheMat.com. ``I think a better measure of their ability is how they do vs. other girls.''
Kent Bailo, director of the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association, agrees.
``Some girls like wrestling against boys thinking it's a bigger stage,'' he said. ``But you don't see that in other sports. We don't expect the best female basketball players to go up against guys.''
It is getting easier to find girls competitions. There were 11 such tournaments in Northern California this season, including the CIF-sanctioned Northern and Southern California regionals. There's no state tournament in California -- though an unofficial one has been held for two years -- but Texas, Hawaii and Washington hold all-girls state competitions.
But Linshamout and close friend Michelle Jimenez, an Oak Grove junior, say competing against boys forces them to be versatile in their styles, relying on speed and technique instead of trying to outmuscle an opponent.
``I got used to the rush,'' said Jimenez (31-12). ``Going against girls is OK, but I like the challenge of wrestling the guys.''
Both girls took third place at the BVAL tournament, Linshamout at 112 pounds and Jimenez at 103. Both are ranked No. 7 in the CCS by the California Wrestler Newsletter.
The girls have faced each other once, in last year's 103-pound BVAL third-place match, and Jimenez won 12-10. Linshamout said that loss motivated her to work for her historic finish at CCS.
``That was the smallest medal I ever won, but it meant the most because I had to work so hard to get it,'' she said.
The girls have outside shots to medal at the CCS tournament Friday and Saturday. For Linshamout, it could be her last high school tournament, though she hopes to wrestle in college.
``Wrestling is part of me now -- I want to take it as far as I can go,'' she said. ``I know if I could get through four seasons of this, I can get through anything.''
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2/21/07
Brampton's Stef Howorun and Chris Camarata were gold medallists on the weekend at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) wrestling championship at the University of Toronto.
Howorun, from McMaster, captured the women's 67 kilograms title. It is the fourth consecutive OUA medal and third gold for Howorun. She is hoping to improve on the silver she won last year at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championship next week at the University of Saskatchewan.
Howorun, a former winner of the Ken Giles Award as Brampton's Amateur Athlete of the Year, who has also competed internationally in judo, has put her judo career on a hold while she concentrates on her studies and on wrestling, hoping to earn a spot on the 2008 Olympic team.
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Oklahoma City Univ. signs its first women's wrestler, Junior Nationals runner-up Cheyenne Stokes
Christine Dillon Oklahoma City Univ.
02/21/2007
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University will sign Cheyenne Stokes as its first women’s wrestling recruit ever, and the first in Oklahoma, at a ceremony 10 a.m. Thursday at East Central High School, 12150 E. 11 St. in Tulsa, Okla.
Stokes will become the first to ever sign with an in-state women’s wrestling program in Oklahoma at the main office inside the principal’s conference room on the West side of the high school.
As a junior, Stokes was named TheMat.com/ASICS high school girls all-American last year. USA Wrestling Magazine ranks Stokes as the top 126-pound girls wrestler in the nation. She is anticipated to be a 130-pounder when she joins the Stars.
Stokes was second at the 2006 ASICS/Vaughan Junior Women's Nationals last year at 128 pounds, and was a 2006 FILA Cadet Nationals champion at 123.25 pounds.
“We’re pleased that our first signee is not only one of the top recruits in the nation, but also an Oklahoman,” OCU coach Archie Randall said. “She grew up in Oklahoma, and unlike the other states that have girls wrestling, she’s wrestled boys and beaten them. That’s her advantage. She’s really skilled, tenacious and tough.”
OCU announced the addition of women’s wrestling as a varsity sport Tuesday, Feb. 13, becoming the 13th varsity team OCU has. OCU will begin competition in spring 2008 as the seventh women’s college wrestling program in the United States.
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High schools - On Further Review: Washougal's Eakin claims third in state
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
compiled by Columbian staff
In addition to its two state champions and one state runner-up, Clark County also had a third-place finisher in the state's first girls wrestling championship last weekend in Tacoma.
Chelssea Eakin, a freshman from Washougal, pinned Lindsey Vigil of Tumwater in 55 seconds to capture third place on Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.
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By Michaell Dashiell
Staff Writer 2/21/07
Sequim senior wrestlers got one last taste of the state championships, and they made the most of it.
All five seniors scored at least one win and four earned a spot on the medals stand, led by Pat O’Sullivan, the 215-pounder who took fourth overall at the MatClassic 2A wrestling finals in Tacoma Feb. 16-17.
Nick Dickson (189 pounds) and Zeb Frongello also took their places among the best of Washington state, each taking fifth place overall.
And, in the first girls wrestling championship in state history, senior Summer Steenberg took second place overall, coming within four points of the 135-pounder’s title.
“It was a great season. We wanted to break into the top 10 and we weren’t that far off,” Sequim coach Steve Chinn, noting the Wolves’ 15th-place finish among 54 2A teams.
O’Sullivan, a state wrestler who didn’t place last season, overcame a tough rival and a chipped tooth to earn a spot in the semifinals, then nearly beat eventual champion Scott Johnson of Mount Baker.
O’Sullivan went 1-1 in the consolation round to take fourth place.
O’Sullivan’s match with Elma’s Justin Whitney in the quarterfinals was both retribution and high drama. With a chance to take the medal stand with a win, O’Sullivan was down 4-1 before simply bowling over the Elma rival. Whitney had beat O’Sullivan earlier this season, but the Sequim senior out-muscled his opponent. Whitney eventually had to retire to injuries. O’Sullivan was all smiles afterward, despite a chipped tooth during the match.
“Pat could really overpower him,” Chinn said. “When (Pat) is going, he’s real explosive.”
O’Sullivan went on to battle Johnson in a classic, tying the score at 5-5 with less than a minute before falling 9-5. It was Johnson’s only MatClassic match in he did not earn a pin. O’Sullivan finishes the 2006-07 season with a 29-4 mark.
O’Sullivan wasn’t alone in his high placing. Dickson bagged four wins in six matches, capped off with a pin of Centralia’s Colton Wesen (1:40). He finished the season with a 33-5 mark.
At 171 pounds, Frongello earned a tough draw right off the bat, falling 6-3 to John Capen of WF West. Sequim’s grappler responded with four wins in five consolation matches. Two of those matches were one-point victories.
Capen went on to win the 171-pound weight class. His match with Frongello was Capen’s closest contest all tourney long.
Steenberg fought off a cold for much of the weekend but still managed to pin Blythe Peterson of North Kitsap and down Rebecca Johnston of Chewelah 5-2 to get to the finals.
There, she locked up with Hoquiam’s Alex White. Chinn said she was nervous about throwing her patented fireman’s move, so Steenberg earned two stalling point penalties and lost 5-2.
“The biggest part (of her loss) was nerves,” Chinn said.
Sequim’s Trent Drabek earned a win in the 140-pound bracket, taking down Hoquiam’s Drew Gwinn, but was bumped out by Bellingham’s Cameron Brearley.
MatClassic proved to be tough for Sequim’s four Sequim’s sophomores — Nick Grinnell (112 pounds), Taylor Gowdy (119), Joe Hutchison (125) and Anthony Drabek (130) —each of whom lost two matches on the first day and missed the medal round.
Three of them lost leads late in their consolation matches.
“A lot of it is pressure,” Chinn said. “They’re ahead and they can’t change up; they go out and risk stuff. It’s a real freshman, sophomore kind of thing. When they take a lead, the strategy changes. They have to think, ‘I can give up one or two (points) but not the big throw.’”
Still Chinn said he likes the future of Sequim wrestling, not only with the four sophomores with state experience presumably coming back but also with grapplers like Ethan Hinton and Keller Batson. Both wrestlers nearly qualified for state as well.
“(The tourney) gives motivation to the younger guys, Chinn said. “Even for our alternate, Keller, he sat there and saw that Pat had the ability to win. Keller can be there (at state). For the younger guys, they see there’s not much difference; they can get there.
“Our shortcoming is depth, especially at the light weights,” Chinn added. “To compete we have to get two deep in every weight. We’re going to have to get more kids out.”
It was a tough season for Sequim wrestlers, many of whom had seasons cut short or marred by a series of injuries. Despite some setbacks, grapplers like Anthony Drabek rebounded and still qualified for state.
“The real positive thing about it was even the kids that were injured that had to come back a tad early wrestled really tough,” Chinn said.
Tourney notes:
Olympic League 2A wrestlers (Sequim, Port Townsend, North Mason and Klahowya) went 5-15 in the first round and an 18-44 overall record by MatClassic’s end … Port Angeles wrestlers went 2-6 at state, with Wyatt Davidson (152 pounds, 1-2) and Steve Valadez (189, 1-2) each getting wins in the consolation round. The Roughriders placed 46th overall out of 64 … team titles went to Lake Stevens (4A), Sedro-Woolley (3A), WF West (2A), Royal (1A), Reardan (1B/2B) and Hoquiam (girls). For Sedro Woolley, it was their sixth consecutive MatClassic 3A crown … Olympic's Camie Yeik (103 pounds) became the third girl in state history to place at the state tournament, taking eighth overall. Yeik was the only girl competing in the 3A boys event.
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A 95-pound weakling? Not this PD rookie
By Jeremy Heath 2/21/07
jeremy.heath@amarillo.com
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Five months ago, Palo Duro's Sabrina Plasencio had never been on a wrestling mat.
She will be on the mat Friday morning against Arlington Lamar's Desiree Funk in the first round of the state meet at the Delco Center in Austin.
"When she showed up, she said, 'I know I don't look like I'm tough, but I really want to wrestle.' She said, 'I'm not good at any other sports,' " Palo Duro head coach Steve Nelson said. "We needed a 95-pound wrestler anyway, so the other coaches and I welcomed her to the team thinking at least we have someone to fill the spot."
Nelson gave the wiry sophomore a chance, but he assumed her pleasant disposition and the fact that she had not participated in any other sports would hinder her ability to adapt to a combat sport.
State Wrestling Meet
** When/Where: 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Delco Center, Austin.
** Who's In: List of Amarillo-area qualifiers, Page 3D
"I didn't think she would last long because she just seemed too nice for such a rough sport," Nelson said. "But after a couple of weeks, I knew there was something different about her. She was never late and never had an excuse not to work out. I knew those two factors alone would play to her advantage."
At 95 pounds (soaking wet), there aren't many sports to which Plasencio is naturally suited. She knew the weight divisions in wrestling would allow her to compete with athletes her size. She also knew the physicality of the sport would allow her to change some perceptions.
"I wanted to prove I wasn't just another girly girl like all my peers viewed me," Plasencio said. "I wanted to show everyone I could be a good athlete as well. I knew I could do it as long as I was dedicated enough. And I figured wrestling would be the perfect sport for me. I wouldn't have to be too tall or too strong, too fat or too thin. I could just be me."
Plasencio's natural athleticism served her well in the beginning, but she quickly realized athleticism will take a wrestler just so far. She started setting personal goals in the weight room and in the mat room.
"The hardest part in training for me is having to push yourself to make yourself stronger because no one else is going to do it for you," Plasencio said. "You have to earn this yourself."
Plasencio went 15-3 during the regular season, gaining momentum and confidence along the way. As the season went on, her technical skills started catching up with her athleticism.
"When she steps in the practice room, she is there to learn how to wrestle," Nelson said. "When I teach technique, you can see her studying every intricate part. She is very methodical when she wrestles. She is constantly thinking and knows very well how to use her strength. Sabrina wrestles without fear. She doesn't just think she will win. She believes she will win. That's the kind of attitude that makes a fierce competitor."
That attitude helped her win the District 6 title three weeks ago at Hereford. It also helped her capture the Region I title two weeks ago at Randall. She enters the state meet 19-3.
"When I first started wrestling, I wasn't sure what to expect," Plasencio said. "All I thought about was trying my best to win. I never really imagined getting this far, but now that I have made it, I will try my hardest to win. Even if I don't do too well at state, I'll be back next year for sure."
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2/21/07
Title nine was a major improvement in the fight for women’s equality stating, “no person could be denied the benefits of a federally funded educational program or activity on the basis of their gender” (“Top”). This clause seeks to give equal opportunity to women in education, work, and sports among other things. Unfortunately, people have found a way to get around this and the rights of women are still denied every day breaking this act of equality for women.
A place most open to vulnerability and inequality for women is the sports scene, a place that is most often wrongly seen as men’s only territory instead of a women’s. For example, “certain sports are still not offered for women competitors” (Daniels) including the sport of football. In college, wrestling is not a common playing field for women because it is so highly populated by male athletes. Society would not look the same on a female wrestler as they would on a male. This stereotyping of women’s contact sports discourages women to play most of these sports. Where is the equality in not offering the same sports to women that are offered to men? On the other hand, every sport that is offered to women is also offered to men, very unsurprising. The reply that women are not interested is untrue. If women can have the right to play rugby, why can’t they play football?
A policy in Title IX claims that schools can “gauge female students’ interest in athletics by doing nothing more than conducting an email survey to claim… a failure to respond to the survey shows a lack interest in playing sports” (Honawar). This shows a lack of effort in the clause, which seems to cover up the truth instead of finding a way to solve it. More bogus is shown in Title IX as colleges are forced to work against males in favor of females if necessary. People oppose Title IX because it rids of teams in college sports if the number of women and men are unequal (Gable). This is not what females want. Most want equal representation in favor of all. It is unfair to disadvantage the male gender and deny them of sports in college athletics as well as it is unfair to disadvantage women in favor of men.
When the common occasion comes that a woman athlete or sports figure makes an accomplishment or great feat in her sport or competition, it is “chalked up to Title IX, even though the law played no role in many of those sterling athletic careers” (Gable). Many women and girls have been able to push through the disbelief and discouragement brought on by many outsiders that say that women have no change in athletics. They have fought through on their own without the help of the law stating that they must be given the right. This law needs to be changed so that it better represents women in their search for equality for all, not matter what gender.
Works Cited
Daniels, Danya B. “You Throw Like a Girl: Sport and Misogyny on the Silver Screen.”
Film and History. Cleveland, OK: 2005. Vol. 35, Iss. 1; p. 29.
Gable, Dan. “Grapppling with Title IX.” The Weekly Standard. Washington: Aug. 30,
2004. Vol. 9, Iss. 47; p. 11.
Honawar, Vaishali. “Congress Urged to Act on Title IX Guidance.” Education Week.
Washington. 8 Feb 2006. Vol. 25, Iss. 22: p. 24.
“Top Web Results for ‘Title IX’”. Dictionary.com. Lexico Publishing Group, LLC.
2007. 21 Feb. 2007 .
Posted by Dissident Media- Emily at 1:57 PM
1 comments:
SexistRobot said...
This is a perfectly fine post except for one thing, your pinpointing of the sport of wrestling. When you say that women do not have the opportunity to wrestle in college, you're simply not looking at the facts. First of all, there are 7 exclusively female wrestling teams in the NCAA (the most recently added having been instated just last week). It's not a very large number, but the field is growing. Secondly, if a college does not offer a female wrestling team, but has a wrestling squad it is not a "men's" team, it is co-ed. If a woman walked into the American University wrestling room tomorrow and asked to join the team, she'd be given the same chance as any man who did the same thing. Unfortunately, there (i)is(/i) a social stigma faced by female wrestlers as you stated, but it is becoming a thing of the past as the number of women in wrestling continues to grow. Also, anyone, be they male or female faces a certain amount of social stigma due to their involvement in wrestling. Unfortunate, but true.
