News Page
By: Dave Hines, Freeman staff
05/27/2007
KINGSTON - A popular shipping company asked in its commercials not long ago, "What can Brown do for you?"
When it comes to Kingston's Shorna Brown, apparently it's quite a bit.
Kingston High junior Brown, 16, is not only a successful wrestler, but also plays volleyball and competes on the track and field squad. If that's not enough, she also finds enough time to be a honor roll student.
"I don't have much time for anything else," the soft-spoken Brown said matter-of-factly recently during a free moment before the start of track practice.
It should then have come as no surprise to anyone when the multi-talented Brown won the multi-event pentathlon title for the second straight season recently at the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association track and field championships.
Several times each week, Brown makes the hour-long trip each way to train with the Albany-based TNT wrestling club. It was under that banner that Brown went 4-2 in six matches at the folkstyle nationals in Michigan from March 30-April 2 that got her ranked fifth nationally and led to the United States Olympic Committee inviting her to the exclusive Body Bar FILA Cadet Nationals at the USOC Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. last month.
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Brown finished fifth (four matches) in the 138-pound weight class there, helping the New York team take third place. It has been a quick rise for Brown, whose high school career started only three years ago, as one of the five girls for the first time on the Tigers' 2004 wrestling squad.
Among her many accomplishments, Brown is the three-time defending United States Girls Wrestling Association New York State Open Champion. She was ranked 11th nationally in the 138-pound weight class in the 2006-07 preseason high school rankings.
Next up for Brown is the freestyle nationals in Fargo, N.D. in June and a wrestling camp in Germany in August.
Brown clearly had an ace in the hole in her rapid rise - her father Phil, an accomplished wrestler in his own right.
Phil Brown was Kingston High's first state wrestling qualifier his senior year in 1977, when he finished third in the state, and he won a Empire State Games 187-pound Greco-Roman title in 2001. In between, Brown, who served in the Army from 1986-96, fought in two leagues during an eight-year tour of duty in Germany and competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1988 and 1992.
But Shorna Brown's father and mentor, a physical education instructor in the Kingston school district and coach of both wrestling and track and field for the Tigers, who is also a major in the Army reserves, was deployed to the Middle East as part of the ongoing war in Iraq in August 2006. It's been about a year since he's seen Shorna wrestle. She still talks to him regularly, mostly via e-mail, though.
"Through e-mails I talk to him just about every day," Shorna Brown said.
"He's away from the action, but he's still (close enough) to hear everything," Shorna's mom, Stephanie Brown, said, adding that Phil Brown's latest tour of duty as a member of the Army Reserve 411 Engineer Brigade may end soon, leading to his return home in August or September.
Shorna Brown, and her younger sister Selyna, 12, expect to have an opportunity to see their dad a bit sooner, though - in August - when the trio are expected to cross paths as Shorna attends a wrestling camp in Germany.
While Stephanie Brown said the Kingston High booster club sponsored Shorna Brown's flight to Colorado in April and Kingston mayor James Sottile provided some goodies for the traditional trade of items between competitors at matches, she said they're looking for sponsors to help defray the costs of the upcoming trips to North Dakota and Germany. Interested parties can contact Stephanie Brown at 845-339-2238 to pledge their support.
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State Results (Freestyle), Result from Freestyle State Competition Options
May 20 2007, 02:16 AM
95lbs:
1st Crystal Grejeda-Eagles
2nd Adreanna Barrera-Oak Cliff
3rd Kelci Carter-GPAW
4th Ofelia Valdez-Oak Cliff
102lbs:
1st Lene' Wood-Team Titan
2nd Neda Hassani-Team Titan
3rd Christina Bautista-Hercules
4th Krsiten Gibson-Hercules
109lbs:
1st Emily Martin-Team Titan
2nd Aubrey Lowe-El Paso
3rd Anna McEalevery-CyFair
116lb:
1st Mia Mickelson-Eagles
2nd Bethany Courtcamp-Amarillo
3rd Maliha Mithani-Team Titan
124lb:
1st Kristen Strickler-Warriors
2nd Courtney Lindley=RANCH
3rd-Mia Herrera-PUMA
132lbs:
1st Tessa Plana-Coppell Cowboys
2nd Vanessa Epps-Warriors
3rd Annna Campos-Hercules
139lb:
1st Brenda Mendoza
2nd Haley Hunter-Team Titan
153lb:
1st Lindsay Brooks-Lonestar
2nd Brittany Jones-Coppell Cowboys
3rd- Alannah Griego-Warriors
165lb
1st Jami Moore-Cedar Park
2nd Gladys Barrientos-Oak Cliff
3rd Kara Stratton-Warriors
190lbs
1st Trisha Jenkins-Warriors
2nd Lauren Briks- Oak Cliff
3rd Alisha Wright-GPAW
4th Veronica Rodriguez-Amarilllo
220-lb
1st Amanda Anthon-Storm
2nd Yadinma Nwaiwu-Coppell Cowboys
3rd Nkonye Okafor-Houston
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Welcome mat out for Commonwealth
Sun, May 27, 2007
By RYAN PYETTE, FREE PRESS SPORTS REPORTER
Organizer Josip Mrkoci promises paperwork and politics won't put an ankle lock on the Commonwealth wrestling championships this time around.
Four years ago, the international mat meet at the Western Fair Sports Centre watched its number of wrestlers dwindle due to the SARS scare, homeland problems in Nigeria and visa issues for several of the competing nations.
"We don't anticipate the same problems we had before," Mrkoci said. "It was unbelievable what happened four years ago. Whatever could've gone wrong, did go wrong -- we had some of the visas arrive a week after the competition -- but we got a jump on the paperwork this time. We won't have any problems with immigration."
That's positive news for the host London-Western wrestling club, which will hold the bi-annual event at Thames and Alumni Halls at the University of Western Ontario June 16-17. The 12 participating nations include Canada, Nigeria, India, South Africa, Australia, England, New Zealand, Samoa, Pakistan, Wales, Scotland and Namibia.
Nigeria was unable to come to London last time after a nationwide strike protesting rising fuel prices left the 15-member team stuck at home. The event went from an expected 14-country, 140 wrestler to just 70 competitors. There was, however, a talented contingent from India.
"We had three brothers from Pakistan (Umar, Usman and Ali Muhammad) who had all kinds of travel nightmares to get here," Mrkoci said. "They finally arrived after the event was over so we brought them to Guelph the following week to wrestle in the Canada Cup. There's three brothers coming back again this time, although the oldest (Umar) isn't wrestling this time but a fourth brother will be here."
For a while, it didn't look like the Commonwealth championships, last held in Cape Town in 2005, would have a home this year. But having London as a fallback plan works because Mrkoci lives here and the London-Western club routinely holds its own meets.
The Commonwealth schedule features men's freestyle and Greco-Roman, plus women's freestyle wrestling. Rogers TV will air the finals. After the event, many teams will stay in London for a week-long training camp before taking part in the Canada Cup in Guelph.
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Goodrich's Weber selected to serve on MHSAA Student Advisory Council
GENESEE COUNTY
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Sunday, May 27, 2007
By Mark Spezia
Rare achievements are becoming a pattern for C.C. Weber.
A little more than two months after becoming the first area girl to win a match at the state wrestling tournament, the Goodrich sophomore again finds herself in elite company.
She was recently one of only eight juniors-to-be selected to serve on the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Student Advisory Council.
More than 100 students from across the state were nominated. Members begin serving a two-year term this fall, joining eight others who began their terms last fall.
Weber and seven other Goodrich sophomores were nominated by Stephanie O'Dea, a biology teacher at the school, who also served an administrative internship with Athletic Director Al Martus last winter.
"I happened to be on the MHSAA web site and noticed something about the program," said O'Dea, who wrote letters of recommendation for those nominated.
"I was hoping to get Goodrich's name out there so our students may be better recognized by the MHSAA for their athletic achievements in the future like the Scholar Athlete Award."
O'Dea nominated students who were considered to be leaders in their sports, boast at least a 3.0 grade point average, have an understanding of proper balance of athletics and academics and are active in the community.
"C.C. was selected because she has a very unique perspective on athletics as a female in a male-dominated sport," O'Dea said. "She also does many other things and is a great student."
Weber, who also earned second-team All-Genesee Area Conference cross country recognition as a freshman, volunteers at the humane society is a volunteer coach with Goodrich's Mid-Michigan Wrestling Assocation youth program and has a 3.4 GPA. Wrestling at 103 pounds, Weber finished with a 41-9 record, including 16 pins last season.
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