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Newslab publishes photo report about World Freestyle and Female Wrestling Cup in Krasnoyarsk
3/27/2007 12:24:00 PM
Newslab publishes a photo report about World Freestyle and Female Wrestling Cup held on March 22-24 in I. Yarygin Sport Palace in Krasnoyarsk.
The cup opened with a sport show by junior wrestlers, followed by congratulations of the organizing committee. 11 countries participated in the World Freestyle and Female Wrestling Cup: the USA, Iran, Canada, Germany, China, Japan, Belarus, the Ukraine, Georgia, Uzbekistan, and Russia. The teams of Russia, the USA, Iran, Georgia, the Ukraine and Uzbekistan took part in the freestyle wrestling competition.
In women's wrestling the national teams of Russia, Japan, China, Canada, Germany and Belarus struggled for the world cup.
Krasnoyarsk Territory Vice-Governor Lev Kuznetsov, head of Wrestling Federation of Russia Mikhail Mamiahsvili, FILA head Rafael Martinetti, and junior sportsmen of Krasnoyarsk high sport wrestling school named after Dmitry Mindiashvili participated in the opening ceremony.
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The Mining Journal 3/27/07
MARQUETTE — United States Olympic Education Center women’s freestyle wrestlers brought home six medals from the Missouri Valley Showcase last weekend at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo.
Three USOEC wrestlers won gold in the senior division.
Northern Michigan University freshmen Alyssa Lampe (Tomahawk, Wis.) at 48 kilograms, Shyla Iokia (Maui, Hawaii) at 59 kg and graduate student Jenna Pavlik (Lewes, Del.) at 80 kg.
Other top finished by USOEC wrestlers include NMU freshmen Cherae Pascua (Oahy, Hawaii) and Whitney Conder (Payallup, Wash.), who took silver and bronze, respectively, at 55 kg.
NMU freshman Dallas Monreal-Berner (Niles, Ill.) finished with silver at 80 kg. USOEC teammate and NMU freshman Amanda Breezely (Midland, Ohio) placed sixth at 80 kg.
Women’s wrestling head coach Shannyn Gillespie was pleased with the team’s performance.
“The USOEC got valuable experience while earning medals in this competition,” he said. “Now, we will begin our final practices before the national tournament season.”
Members of the women’s team will travel to Livonia Friday through Sunday for the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association National Championships.
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3/27/07
State championships? Yes (Bakersfield). Outlook: The event outgrew its longtime confines in Stockton four years ago. There continues to be a contingent that would like to expand to two divisions. Continuous since 1973. There is also a move to add girls wrestling as a separate sport.
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Lady Vikings pick up four gold medals
Monday, March 26, 2007
By Zach Sims/Staff writer
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Lady Vikings won four out of the eight weight classes during the Missouri Valley Showcase of Women's Wrestling meet on Saturday, March 25.
Valley junior Maika Watanabe of Napa, Calif., took the 51 kilogram division, winning all three matches of the round-robin in her class. Sophomore Christina Varland (2-1) finished second and freshman Mary Shamblin (1-2) took third.
Junior Courtney Martell of New Haven, Vt., beat Charae Pascua of the United States Olympic Education Center (USOEC), by fall during the third period to take the 55 kilogram crown for the Lady Vikings.
Freshman Amberlee Ebert (63 kilogram) of Reedsville, Wis., won finals by injury default over her Valley teammate, sophomore Jennifer Germany. Freshman Samantha Richardson placed third for an MVC sweep of the top three places.
Former Valley and current Olympic Training Center wrestler Ashley Sword took the 67 kilo division, beating Lady Vikings junior Emily Rinehart by a fall in the second match.
Valley senior Stephany Lee of Honolulu, Hawaii, earned "outstanding wrestler" honors on her way to winning the 72 kilo division. Lee beat two-time world champion Kristi Marano of the New York Athletic Club, for the championship (0-1, 2-0, 1-0). Sophomore Lacy Novinska took third place for the Lady Vikings.
Other Missouri Valley wrestlers who placed included seniors Tanya Miyasaki and Angelee Homma -- second and third, respectively, at 48 -- junior Erica Chew and freshman Shamaine Danner of Richmond took second and third respectively in the 59 kilo division and freshman Desiree Memea with third at 80 kilograms.
The Lady Vikings will head to Lake Obion, Mich., Sunday for the annual Can-Am Open.
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For Arundel's Woody, History Comes Second
By Ryan Mink
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, March 8, 2007; Page AA10
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As Nicole Woody walked into the University of Maryland's Cole Field House for Saturday's second day of state wrestling finals, a car full of boys cruised past, rolled down the windows and hollered, "Good luck!"
Woody then turned to Arundel Coach Bill Royer. "I bet you've never had a group of guys cheer for one of your wrestlers before," she said.
Woody was the tournament's main attraction. She entered having set three historic marks for girls' wrestling in Maryland, becoming the first female to win the county and region titles and last year a match at states.
She set one more Saturday, becoming the first Maryland female wrestler to advance to the finals. The entire arena, besides two wrestlers competing on the opposite mat, focused on the 103-pound junior during her final. Coaches and wrestling Hall of Famers stopped to watch as 11 photographers lined one end of the mat.
Woody lost to River Hill sophomore Scott Mantua, 6-2. She didn't become the second girl to win a state title (Alaska's Michaela Hutchinson accomplished the feat last year). But she still received a standing ovation as she left the mat in frustration.
Afterward, Woody admitted what she has accomplished finally did start to sink in.
"I'm disappointed with the way I wrestled, not the way I finished," Woody said. "I just laid there and pinned the mat with my face. It was like I was in la-la-land or something. . . . I'm sorry to disappoint people. I think I was thinking about it too much."
The crowd went into a tizzy when Woody escaped from Tuscarora junior C.J. Savage in overtime of the semifinals, earning a 5-4 decision. Woody, clad in her pink socks and bright-green headgear, sprinted off the mat before resting against a wall far from the mat.
She always had left the attention and the accolades in the other corner. Woody wanted to be seen on the same level as someone else, but on this stage it was almost impossible to shield herself.
"I normally don't [hear the crowd], but I did this time," Woody said then. "I still haven't quite realized what I did."
It wasn't until Woody went back to her hotel to rest that she started reflecting on her feat before falling asleep. When she awoke, it was out of her mind again, and Woody was back concentrating on her match at hand.
Mantua controlled Woody for nearly the entire match after beating her once earlier this season. Mantua entered the final with a 35-1 record, and Woody was 34-3.
"I think in a few months or a few years I'll be proud," Woody said before being asked what she'll remember about the state tournament. "It was pretty cool how everybody was cheering for me, for people who don't even know me to be rooting for me."
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Putting down the pom-poms, and putting on a singlet
By Bill Gates
(posted 02/16/2006)
This space is reserved for my rebuttals to anyone who took offense at last week's column. If you're reading this, it means no one had a problem with it, or couldn't be bothered to address their complaints to me.
High school wrestling in Carroll County, where I worked for 10 years as a sportswriter for the Carroll County Times, is huge. We're talking gyms packed with fervent crowds, and cheerleaders lined up along the edge of the mat.
Last week during a match between Dundalk and Patapsco, the cheerleaders were in the center of the mat.
Yeah, I know. Girls on high school wrestling teams barely merit mentioning any more. Two girls qualified for the Maryland state tournament last year. A girl just won a state title in Alaska (considering her brother won his fourth state crown at the same time, it's obvious this young lady probably developed her skills in self-defense). Arundel's Nicole Woody could win a Maryland state title next month.
But I'm going out on a limb here and saying there probably haven't been too many girls who've moved from the cheerleading squad to the wrestling team. Although, ironically, Patapsco's Eric Hood was beaten in the state finals a couple of years back by a guy who started the season as a cheerleader.
Hmmmm. To be a cheerleader, one needs to have strong legs, strong arms and incredible flexibility. Think that translates well to the wrestling mat?
“Yes,” said Patapsco coach Will Richter, who recruited sophomore Alickka Edwards when he heard she no longer intended to cheerlead after Patapsco changed cheerleading coaches in November.
“Alickka works hard. She just gives up some muscular strength,” Richter said. “When she loses a little weight and gains a little muscle, she'll win some matches next season.”
Jenna Lewis of Dundalk is a senior who has been a fixture of the Owl cheerleading and softball teams.
“Everyone said, since I'm so flexible, I could probably do pretty good as a wrestler,” Lewis said. “I've always been interested, and I didn't want to graduate with any regrets, so why not try?”
Of course, while girls with a cheerleading background bring with them strength, endurance and flexibility, their male opponents still tend to be stronger, not to mention usually backed up by many more years of wrestling experience. Edwards' only victory this season has been against another girl, Dundalk's Kristi Leyden, while Lewis has won only forfeits.
But, if Lewis had started as a freshman, who knows how far she could have progressed?
“Everyone says I have a nice bridge [a wrestling move],” Lewis said. “When I say it comes from being a cheerleader, they're surprised. It's unusual, because most cheerleaders don't wrestle. Most people give me props for trying.”
(By the way, I still have a problem with girls being allowed to wrestle while guys can't join girls' field hockey or volleyball. But I, too, believe in giving credit where it is due.)
Edwards isn't the first female wrestler at Patapsco. Jennifer Duarte wrestled the past two seasons, but was sidelined by an injury this year.
“I thought about wrestling last winter, when Jenny wrestled,” Edwards said. “I plan to wrestle for the rest of my high school career, and my goal is to at least place [in the top six] in counties next year.”
Now, some people may wonder if this means I'm changing my attitude toward cheerleaders. Well, no: I've always said that cheerleaders are athletes. Maybe not back in my high school days, when all they did was stand on the sidelines and chant. But one can't watch a current cheerleading routine and not be amazed at the impressive strength, agility and physical coordination and skill that is required.
My position has always been that cheerleading is a performance art, not a sport (that's also my position on figure skating, ice dancing, rhythmic gymnastics, synchronized swimming, and most of the events at the X Games). But, people who practice selective reading comprehension then proceed to lecture me on how much athleticism is required in cheerleading, when, yeah, I already stated that myself.
With that athleticism matching up so well with wrestling, Edwards and Lewis might just be the start of a trend.
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'Aiea's Yamashitas form a sister act like no other
By Wes Nakama 2/28/07
Advertiser Staff Writer
Freshman Joy Yamashita, left, and senior Ren became the first sisters to win O'ahu Interscholastic Association wrestling titles in the same year.
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Ten years after Hawai'i became one of the nation's pioneers by holding a wrestling state tournament for girls, the sport is thriving.
But like many girls, O'ahu Interscholastic Association champions and sisters Ren and Joy Yamashita were not immediately swept away by the sport.
"My friend Kristal (Kiyuna) dragged me into it," said Ren, an 'Aiea High senior.
When dad, Gary, jumped in to suggest she might have had an interest in trying the sport anyway, Ren quickly corrected him.
"No — she dragged me," Ren said.
Joy Yamashita, a freshman, said she had to get over the "gross factor" before giving the sport a chance.
"At first I didn't want to," she said, "but then I just wanted to try it."
Last Saturday, the Yamashitas became the first sisters to win OIA individual titles in the same year, according to 'Aiea coach Rick Williams. Ren won the 103-pound crown, and Joy took the gold medal at 114 pounds.
Each will try to win a state championship starting with Friday's preliminary rounds at Blaisdell Arena.
For Ren, just winning the OIA title was a big accomplishment. She participated in judo as a freshman, and then Kiyuna — a state wrestling champ at 130 pounds in 2004 — recruited Yamashita into coming out for wrestling.
Ren took fifth place in last year's league championships and lost to Mililani's Brandie Dela Rama, 4-3, in the OIA Western Division finals two weeks ago. She then edged Dela Rama, 8-6, with a takedown in overtime last Saturday to capture the title.
"I wanted (the OIA crown) more," Yamashita said.
Williams said Ren made great strides from when she started as a sophomore, and especially this season, in which she is 15-1.
"Ren had always been a good wrestler, but until this year she probably was at the 'B' level," said Williams, in his 10th season as 'Aiea's head coach. "This year, she became an 'A.' "
Williams said Joy is a quick study in wrestling and also has natural ability. She lost to Kapolei's Chaelyn Tan, 6-0, in the OIA West finals two weeks ago but came back to defeat Tan, 11-6, in last Saturday's league championships.
"It was evident quite early that Joy was going to be an 'A' wrestler," Williams said. "We started her out on the JV, but she was doing so well, I thought we were just wasting her time having her at that level. Even on the varsity, she didn't lose until the West finals."
Of course, that does not include a 12-5 defeat to sister Ren in the preseason.
When asked why they wrestled each other at 114 pounds, Joy said, "Because she got fat!!"
Despite jabs like that, the sisters limit their sparring matches to the wrestling mat instead of the living room floor.
Gary helps keep things civil in Na Ali'i's program by organizing the parents and running the concession stand during home meets.
"Its a great family," Williams said.
EXTRA POINTS
Hawai'i High School Athletic Association executive director Keith Amemiya said for a long time, Hawai'i and Texas were the only states to hold state tournaments for girls wrestling. Washington recently became the third. "Every year, I'm asked about our program by other states," said Amemiya, who attends at least three or four Mainland conferences a year. "Supposedly California is close to putting one together." ... Kamehameha brothers Kazden and Mykenna Ikehara won Interscholastic League of Honolulu individual championships last Saturday at 215 and 275 pounds, respectively.
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Female wrestling club created at Lock Haven University
Michelle Thilges USA Wrestling
03/27/2007
Lock Haven University is forming a female wrestling club that will start during the 2007-08 academic school year. The club will be made of women who are attending Lock Haven.
Terry Fike will serve as the head coach for the club.
“I saw the women’s World Championships when it was held in New York (in 2003) and I was impressed with the wrestling. I was intrigued by the interest in growth of women’s wrestling,” said Fike.
Lock Haven University is located in Lock Haven, Pa., and is rich in scholastic tradition as well as in wrestling.
Sara McMann, a 2004 Olympic silver medalist and a two-time World medalist, competed for Lock Haven’s wrestling team. Jenny Wong, a 2003 World bronze medalist, was also on the Lock Haven team. Two other women wrestlers who attended Lock Haven also made U.S. Women’s World Teams on the Senior level, Erin Tomeo and Jenna Pavlik.
The club is not currently recognized as a varsity sport, but it is a goal of Fike’s for that to happen. For next year, Fike said he would like to have a roster of 20 to 30 women and compete in national and USA Wrestling events.
“I would like to be competitive off the bat,” said Fike. “I want to have athletes on the team that are willing and able to commit to compete at the national level. I want to attract athletes who will have an impact immediately, but also grow the program for the future to be a varsity program.”
Fike is currently in the beginning stages of recruiting, as he will be attending several tournaments in the next few months. Fike will also host a women’s summer camp at Lock Haven. Fike said the camp will benefit the women who attend, as they will be able to learn skills with other women.
“It is a unique situation,” said Fike. “Lock Haven is a great environment to start a program. It has been positively received and has great support from the community.”
For questions about the program, e-mail Fike at fike66@msn.com or call Lock Haven’s wrestling office at (570) 484-2647.
Fike wrote a letter for interested athletes and it can be viewed by clicking on the link below.
