Then again, these Edison High wrestlers are ladies away from the matbut often are more intense and dedicated than their male counterparts.
Of course, they take great pride from their monikers. "Pig" is Alex Flores, "Manchild" is Sara Aguilera, "Lou" is Marilou Viduya, and "Hops" is Samantha Duran. All four are ranked among the state's top 15 in their respective weight classes by the California Women's Wrestling Association. Each will compete in this weekend's California Girls Wrestling Invitational at Hanford West High in Hanford.
Flores, Edison's 165-pounder, is the Vikings' best hope for a tournament championship, but she's not their only hope.
Her ranking has climbed to No. 5 following championships at East Union's Lady Lancer Tournament in December and the ASICS Napa Valley Girls Classic in January.
Aguilera (154), is ranked sixth, Viduya (122) is No. 11, and Duran (114) is No. 15. Duran is the only senior. The rest are juniors.
Girls aren't new to high school wrestling, but their numbers - particularly locally - are increasing rapidly.
According to CWWA president Robb Redman, there were about 200 girls wrestling statewide in 1997, virtually none in Stockton. That number has jumped to approximately 1,200 in California.
And unlike the boys, most are relatively new to the sport.
Flores didn't start wrestling until last year, when Aguilera - Flores' aunt - convinced her to get on the mat.
She enjoyed the competition, but it was a second-place finish at the West Coast Nationals last summer that convinced her to step up her commitment.
"That got me more into it," Flores said. "That got me saying to myself, 'I can do this.' I started working harder because I felt more confident."
The family connection between Aguilera and Flores has created what amounts to a sibling rivalry, even though the two are aunt and niece.
"I'm a jealous person; I have to be on top," Aguilera said. "There's a little trash talking going on, but in the end we always make up."
There are three other girls competing for Edison who still are trying to break into the state rankings: Erika "Cina" Martinez, Maria "West Side Story" Torres, and Jennifer "J-Lo" Ware.
Collectively, the Vikings take pride in being part of the girls wrestling explosion.
"It's just something they want to do," Edison coach George Leon said. "Their attitude is, 'You can't tell me I can't do it. I'm going to prove you wrong.'
"We're finding a lot of the girls work harder than the boys because they get out-muscled. Therefore, they have to perfect their technique."
There are currently seven Stockton Unified School District girls ranked in the top 15 in their divisions: Chavez's Alisha Piona (98) is fourth, teammate Chianne Castillo (126) is 12th, and Stagg's Andrea Johnson (103) is 15th.
Contact reporter Stephen Roberson at (209) 546-8272 or sroberson@recordnet.com.
By Melissa Whitcome 2.1.08
Special to the Appeal
It's Friday afternoon and school is just getting out. With it now being the weekend, it's not abnormal to see high school girls retreating to the mall for shopping or getting ready for a sleep over and movie night with their friends.
Most girls that is. But for one Yerington High school junior, Friday means just one more day of practice on the mat before a tournament the next day. And yes, a wrestling mat.
Rachel Skroch looks like your average teenager on the outside, but beneath her small 125 pound frame is someone who doesn't mind being different. Skroch started her wrestling career before she could even read, and although at the age of four she didn't realize what she was getting herself into, she knew she loved the sport.
Wrestling has been a family affair in the Skroch household, which is where she first got the idea. When the USA Wrestling youth season came around, the whole family thought it would be fun to lace up its shoes and give it a try.
Growing up with three older brothers can't always be easy, but it worked in her advantage. Her brothers are her biggest influences and often assist in improving her wrestling skills. She gave credit to her brother Stephen, also on the Yerington varsity team, saying technically he is one of the best wrestlers around and said she is inspired by her oldest brother David.
In this day and age when a female walks onto the mat, all heads turn and the whispers of disapproval starts. But in a male dominated sport, Skroch is used to the not so nice words from people who think girls should not wrestle. Although others may try to discourage her, Skroch's teammate are supportive and treat her just like one of the guys.
When she is approaching a match, it's always the same way, no matter if it's during the high school season against the boys or in the off season with Team Nevada at women's nationals. But according to Skroch, wrestling girls is not as much competition and she would rather have a bigger challenge.
The transition into high school wrestling can be exceptionally tough, but Skroch has exceeded expectations in her last few years by making the varsity lineup, winning matches, and prevailing in tournaments. After overcoming her biggest struggle in the past few years of cutting weight, Skroch has gone on to prove that just because she is a girl doesn't mean she is any less of a wrestler.
Back in December, Skroch fulfilled her greatest moment when she went 4-0 with four pins at the ROP Winter Games and became the first female wrestler to earn all-tournament honors. As for her own future goals, this year she hopes to place well enough in the Northern 3A tournament to make it to state. Next year as a senior, Skroch wants to place in the top three at state and possibly be only the second girl to ever win a state title.
So what was the one piece of advice Skroch could give to other girls who may want to try their hand in the wrestling world? Simply to work hard and never give up.
A tussle over boys vs. girls
In the wake of a Farmingdale junior varsity wrestler refusing to compete against a girl, Farmingdale will re-evaluate the school's protocol should a similar situation occur.On Jan. 12, Tony Ann Nelson, of Wingate in Brooklyn, suited up to wrestle in the 96-pound weight class when her opponent, whom Farmingdale declined to identify, refused to wrestle her. Wingate was awarded a forfeit.
Farmingdale athletic director Jeanne Berkoski said, "It's a touchy subject and we want to take our time and do what's in the best interest of our wrestlers."
Berkoski said she will speak to
varsity coach Ken Garcia and junior varsity coach Darrin Simons about a
consistent way to address the discomfort experienced by some male
wrestlers regarding competing against females. Berkoski also said they
will investigate how other districts handle the issue.
An option, she said, is the possibility of a courtesy call when a team
plans to have a female wrestler. In Farmingdale's case, when the male
wrestler approached Simmons and said he wasn't going to compete,
Simmons could not and would not force him to do so.
"If a kid doesn't want to wrestle, you can't make him do it," Garcia
said in a previous interview with Newsday.
The presence of females in wrestling is increasing. Farmingdale has had
female wrestlers, including one currently at the middle-school level,
Berkoski said.
Wingate, which was encouraged to start a co-ed wrestling program by
Beat the Streets, an amateur wrestling association that looks to foster
future Olympic contenders, has a number of girls, coach Steve Flanagan
said.
Wingate has four who compete regularly, including Nelson and Makeda
Holder, who wrestles at 125 and has pinned male opponents, Flanagan
said. They have three more who come to practice.
"New York City has more girl wrestlers than the Island," Flanagan said.
"Long Island wrestling has been around a while and it hasn't opened its
doors to women because it's been successful relying only on boys."
The PSAL has no guidelines that regulate co-ed wrestling but, wrestling
coordinator Larry Cantor said, "PSAL supports female wrestling to the
nth degree. A wrestler is a wrestler" regardless of gender.
ORMOND
BEACH -- The noticeable things are the absence of bruises and cuts, the
cauliflower ear. There is no intense scowl and none of the macho
behavior you might expect.
This is a high
school wrestler who, of all things, has had issues about gaining rather
than cutting weight. But Seabreeze's 103-pound grappler Lauren Hall is
obviously not ordinary because in a vastly male-dominated sport -- she
is a she.
Hall isn't a
pioneer either in Florida or in the area in being a female wrestler on
the boys' team. She has, however, broken ground as far as mat success
is concerned.
Last season,
Hall became the first female wrestler in the area to win a boys'
district championship and three weeks ago, was the first female ever to
contend in a weight-class championship bout at the Five Star
Conference. And all she's ever asked in the three years she's been on
the Seabreeze varsity is to be given a chance.
Hall said
there were some rough patches in the first year, where she wrestled
eight varsity bouts.
"The first
year probably was the roughest. There were times I didn't feel welcome
at all. But in the last couple of years, they've seen that I'm serious
and want to work hard and they've been very supportive and
encouraging," Hall says.
Hall first
decided to try wrestling three seasons ago. She was one of the student
managers of the Sandcrab football team and approached assistant coach
Greg Schwartz, also the head wrestling coach at Seabreeze, about trying
out. Morgan Candage, who is now a star weightlifter at Spruce Creek,
also asked to try out.
Schwartz said
he laid it on the line for Hall. She would get no special favors and be
expected to do the same things the boys on the team do as far as
training and conditioning.
"I told her if
she's going to wrestle, she's going to do everything the guys do, and
she has," Schwartz said. "She never complains, comes to practice every
day, puts in the hard work.
"I'd say our
team has accepted her with open arms and the reason they've accepted
her is she works as hard as anybody else."
Because of
that work ethic, Hall has turned herself into a pretty good wrestler
and is especially skilled at working top position, Schwartz said. She
herself considers herself a good defensive grappler, who'll wait for
opponents to take the first shot and be ready with a quick counter
move.
There's no
preferential treatment during tournament time, either. Girls are
subject to the same rules of competition as boys, with the only
exception coming at weigh-in time before the matches where female
competitors are weighed afterward with a woman monitoring the scale and
result.
Hall has a
13-3 record through this week and her 18-second pin in the Five Star
Conference quarterfinal over Pine Ridge's Michael Stone, one of two
sticks she had on the way to the finals, was the quickest pin on the
Seabreeze team this season.
"She's very
natural," assistant Seabreeze coach Paul Shuler said. "From the first
day she came in, she had a good work ethic and good natural ability."
Psychologically,
things can work to her advantage. The 103-pound weight class generally
is filled with freshmen short on experience.
Hall says
sometimes an opponent will come in with a swagger, figuring that
there's no way they could lose to a girl and get caught with technique.
There are other wrestlers who fear losing. And there are wrestlers and
coaches who think girls have no business being in their sport.
She said she
has not encountered a lot of problems, though. In the Five Star
Conference final, Flagler Palm Coast's Christian Sanborn went about the
business of winning the match, pinning Hall after racking up a 13-0
lead, and Hall says both he and the FPC coaching staff were gracious
and wished her luck in the districts.
"He was
definitely the toughest match in all the years I've been doing this.
I've never wrestled a (103) pounder who had that much strength. He was
awesome," Hall said.
Wrestling
another girl is a whole different matter. Hall has never wrestled a
girl head-to-head in a sanctioned boys' tournament, but she took third
in the state in the non-sanctioned girls' tournament as a sophomore and
fourth during her junior year. This year's girls' state tournament
conflicted schedule-wise with the Five Star tournament.
"Wrestling
girls is a totally different pace and it's real awkward. I have to make
a lot of adjustments. It's a lot less about strength and a lot more
technique," Hall said.
There have
been handfuls of girls who have participated in wrestling in north and
central Florida, but in south Florida, there are full squads, Hall
says. Some are several deep in competitors, like Vero Beach.
In the
Seabreeze wrestling room, Hall spars with 112-pound sophomore Dominic
Mascin, who was fourth in his weight class at the Five Star tournament.
Schwartz says Mascin and Hall learn from one another.
"It's
sometimes hard to get him to wrestle her without his strength. He's
been around and he knows what he's doing," Schwartz said.
Said Mascin:
"I kind of forget sometimes that she's a girl when we're wrestling,
she's that good. In my freshman year I was at 103 pounds and she beat
me just about every time. She teaches me a lot of stuff and we work
real well together."'
In the
off-season, Hall maintains a training and dietary regimen with the help
of her father, John Hall, who goes to workouts with her as her trainer
and proscribes the diet. Hall stays away from the junk foods and soda
pops. Her mom, Melissa, cooks up the high protein, high carbohydrate
meals she eats to stay in tip top condition.
"I'm very
thankful that she'll cook the extra food I need on the side," Hall
says.
Girls
in Wrestling
MICHALA
HUTCHINSON: Two seasons ago, the 103-pound sophomore at
Skyview (Alaska) High School became the first girl in the nation to win
a state wrestling championship competing against boys.
MIRIAM
JENKINS: A female wrestler from Gainesville, she became the
first girl to qualify for the boys' state tournament in 1998. She made
the round of 16.
MARISA
ABBALEO: Atlantic's Abbaleo competed in several varsity
matches as a member of the Sharks' team in the early part of the
decade. She also won her weight division in the girls' non-sanctioned
state championships.
OF
NOTE: In 2005, 17 girls competed in boys state championships
across the nation. Deana Rix of Maine placed second in the 130-pound
weight division.
 A late debut into the world of girls wrestling hasn't negatively affected Gaby Corona-Zamarripa's growth in the sport, although her family background might have helped her progress. More photos |
HANFORD -- Cheerleading didn't cut it.
Volleyball didn't grab her attention, either.
So Gaby Corona-Zamarripa approached her father about trying wrestling, the family sport.
"It didn't even dawn on me to ask her," said Ralph Corona, a longtime club freestyle coach whose other four children are all wrestlers. "She was always nice and soft. And her mom was like, 'There is no way.' "
Four years later, the Hanford West High senior has emerged as the Central Section's most successful female wrestler, and one of the top 146-pounders in the state.
Corona-Zamarripa will look to conquer a 32-girl bracket of wrestlers from across the state today and Saturday during the California Girls Invitational at Hanford West's Event Center. Wrestling begins at 3 p.m. today and 10 a.m. Saturday. The finals are expected to start at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Corona-Zamarripa enters the tournament ranked second in the state by the California Women's Wrestling Association after winning the Southern California Regional on Jan. 19. She went 4-0 -- all by pin -- in the California Interscholastic Federation-sanctioned event, capped by a fall in 2:52 over Santa Paula's Nicole Harvey to become the only champion at the event -- or at its Northern California counterpart -- from the Central Section this season.
"All my hard work is paying off," Corona-Zamarripa said. "I want it more. It's not just about going out there and winning, but achieving your goals. It's an accomplishment to place [at the Southern California Regional] and be ranked."
Corona-Zamarripa has come a long way in a short time.
She got her start wrestling for Dad's club freestyle team as a freshman after the high school season had ended. While she had been around wrestling all her life, she seemed to be the last person who would want to put on a singlet and head gear.
"A lot of people were telling me, 'She's gonna wrestle?' " Corona said.
Then came Corona-Zamarripa's first match in a freestyle competition.
It ended quickly, just like the final at the Southern California Regional. But this match ended with Corona-Zamarripa's back pinned to the mat.
Undeterred, Corona-Zamarripa continued training and gained enough confidence to go out for the team at Hanford West as a sophomore. She competed in the California Girls Invitational that year, but did not place.
She followed that with a sixth-place finish in the 138-pound division at the California Girls Invitational as a junior, a season that saw her rebound from a broken leg suffered when two other wrestlers crashed into her during a practice toward the end of her sophomore year.
"After the state tournament last year, it opened up her eyes about what she could do," Corona said.
A driven Corona-Zamarripa returned for her senior year intent on winning an unofficial state title -- and likely No. 1 state ranking that will go along with it -- at her only home girls-only meet of the season.
In addition to her victory at the Southern California Regional, Corona-Zamarripa placed second at 154 pounds at the Napa Valley Classic -- the premier girls tournament in Northern California -- on Jan. 12.
"I'm more confident. I feel like I have seniority over other girls, more mat time," Corona-Zamarripa said. "The competition is definitely a lot tougher though. The sport has grown so much."
The development of girls-only wrestling will be on display the next two days, California Girls Invitational tournament director Allen Blanchard said
The tournament, now in its third year at Hanford West, will feature about 350 wrestlers, including state-ranked Justine Neves of Hanford (sixth at 122 pounds), Hanford West's Mayra Zumora (16th at 122 pounds) and McLane's Debbie Syvong (fifth at 132 pounds).
"The wrestling has improved every year," Blanchard said. "When we first started, the competition was only tough in the finals. Now it's tough from the quarters on up. And when you're talking a 32-person bracket, that's pretty good."
According to the CIF, female wrestlers have more than doubled in the past decade, from 494 in 1998 to 1,147 in 2007. The CIF does not have figures for 2008 because it only takes participation surveys every other year.
Girls currently compete on coed teams made up mostly of boys -- 25,896 boys wrestled in 2007 -- with a handful of girls-only tournaments across the state. But there is hope girls wrestling will become a separate sport.
"We're letting things develop from the grass-roots level, rather than trying to dictate it," Central Section commissioner Jim Crichlow said. "We don't want to push it on anyone. We'll just let it build itself up."
Corona-Zamarripa hopes the success she has enjoyed will encourage other girls to try the sport.
"It just goes to show girls that it can be done and to go for it," she said. "Don't let anyone get in your way."
Friday, February 1, 2008
ORILLIA , Ontario, CANADA - Jeramie Herrington likes to keep to herself when she prepares for a wrestling match. She puts herself into a zone where she's completely focused on beating her opponent. And when she steps onto the mat, she hits her opponent with her death stare.
"I like to intimidate. It's almost like, when I get on the mat, I'm not going to be nice to you. I'm going to give you a face that you're not going to forget," said Herrington.
"I like to look like I'm angry all the time when I'm wrestling. I know that if I win, it worked."
When she's wrestling, the 16-year-old blocks everything out, even instructions from her coach.
"You're normally trying to focus on what your coach is telling you to do. I have trouble with that because I don't hear anybody when I'm wrestling.
"I try to listen to (coach Bob Parsons). But it's like, as soon as I step on the mat, it's my time to go and I don't want to listen to anybody. I know what my plan is."
Herrington, one of three nominees up for Orillia's athlete-of-the-year award, achieved a lot in wrestling in 2007.
She was Ontario champion in both the cadet (15- to 16-year-old) and juvenile (17- to 18-year-old) divisions. She was also the Canadian cadet champion, Ontario's female cadet of the year, the Mar- iposa Wrestling Club's wrestler of the year, and the Ontario Amateur Wrestling Association's wrestler of the year.
In addition, she won the the gold medal at the North American Aboriginal games in Denver, Colo., in 2006. "I'm pretty up there," she acknowledged.
Herrington was scheduled to weigh in today for the cadet/juvenile provincial championship this weekend, so she's spent this past week at the gym, trying to make weight.
"My weight class is 70 (kilograms) and I'm 71-point-something right now," she said Wednesday while taking a break from workouts at the YMCA. "I've been here since nine and I've been running my butt off to get those last couple of kilos off."
She expected to spend all day at the YMCA in preparation for the weekend.
Herrington has an impressive workout regimen. While most kids her age are eating lunch or hanging out with friends, Herrington is squeezing in a bit more time at her school gym.
"I don't have a second-period class and then my lunch period is an hour," said the Grade 11 Twin Lakes Secondary School student. "So I just spend my whole time in the gym."
She spends about 12 hours a week in the gym and another five hours wrestling. And all the work is paying off.
Herrington not only dominates her own age group, she won the gold medal at the junior provincial champion- ships last weekend against first- and second-year university students.
She even placed fourth at a senior tournament against third- and fourth-year university students recently.
Parsons said Herrington is never afraid to wrestle anyone, and that confidence is one of the reasons she's been so successful.
"She's very strong physically," he said. "That's probably her best attribute as a wrestler
"She's a very independent athlete. Jeramie is mostly focused on Jeramie. Some of the other kids like to bug her about being anti-social, but she's not. She's just very focused."
Parsons added Herrington listens to him on the mat a little more than she'd like to admit. It's just that her response time to his instructions is a little slower than most.
Both Parsons and Herrington are reluctant to set any long-term goals of representing Canada at the Olympics or world championships.
Herrington's goal for this year is to earn a spot on the cadet FILA team that will compete at the Pan-American Summer Games. Her goal for next year is to earn a spot on Ontario's Canada Summer Games team.
But Herrington knows if she's keeps working hard, the possibilities for her as a wrestler are limitless. "It's been a great experience for me. The more I train, the more opportunities I'll have and the more places I'll be able to go."
However, Parsons said, the death stare isn't going to work too much longer.
"She likes to stare down her opponents and, at a younger age, maybe that works, but as she gets older and fights against the older kids, it's not going to work against them."
mflemming@orilliapacket.com
Article ID# 883938
Lady Buc making an impression on the mat
Standing 5-foot-1, 122 pounds, Hill has been working to lose a pound to make the 121 class by Saturday. In the last two seasons, Hill has pounded the mat at the 128 class, but wants to drop lo the lower make to improve her chances of going as far as possible in her final year.
“I just think that in a lower weight class I have a better chance at state,” Hill said. “I’m a little nervous of moving from one weight class to another, but I am certain that I can still retain my strength for the district, region and hopefully state meets.”
Despite winning the 128 class at The Woodlands Tournament this season, getting a second place at the Cy Ridge and several third-place ribbons, Hill continues to prosper in a sport she never thought she’d be a part of.
“I got into it in my sophomore year after running into a few of the wrestling girls at the cafeteria,” Hill said. “I knew some of them from powerlifting, and before you knew it, I was in wrestling class trying to learn the moves.”
Still learning the intricacies of wrestling, Hill did not get a match in her sophomore year. But last season she finally made her debut.
“I was so nervous last year in that first bout and I remember thinking that I hope I don’t mess up and I hope I remember my moves,” Hill said. “I was also trying to remember to listen to the coach and I did good, I won my first match.”
But Hill was in a tough position, wrestling in the class already occupied by senior Chelsea Centeno. Still, Hill wanted to prove she belonged on the same mat as Centeno.
“I was always so close to beating her but never got quite there,” Hill said. “Last year was a challenge, but it made me work harder because I really wanted to beat her. One time I came close to beating her at a round robin. I had her on her back and, even though I lost, it excited me because I knew that I was getting better.”
Though she is not being pursued by any schools for scholarships, Hill is hoping to have a good showing in the next couple of meets that might earn her a trip to the state meet in Austin.
“She is a real hard worker who came back from an injury in her sophomore year,” Brazoswood coach Bill Baker said. “With her being behind Chelsea last year, and this year the Waller girl beating her a couple of times, it was a good move for her to go down a weight. Victoria has good tools for a wrestler but she is a jujitsu girl with good mat skills . Hill is good on top and has a lot of good pinning combinations. I hope she does well in district.”
After high school, Hill wants to attend Brazosport College for her basics and then hopefully enter the medical field in some capacity.
“By being a wrestler I’ve learned to never give up no matter what,” Hill said. “It’s also taught me how to be a good sport about winning and losing.”
Hill will be in competition at the District 24-5A meet at Beaumont Westbrook on Saturday.
Joel Luna is the sports editor for The Facts. Contact him at (979) 237-0160.
CANADA
Gifted dancer gave up ballet for wrestling
Saturday, January 19, 2008 -
Winnipeg Free Press - Manitoba, CANADA
By Allan Besson
AISLYNN TORFASON has traded in her ballet shoes and tutu for wrestling boots and tights.
It's a move the Grade 12 Fort Richmond Collegiate student hasn't regretted.
There are, however, a few wrestlers out there who probably do.
Torfason grappled with the decision for a while, but after giving it a shot, she discovered wrestling was the right sport for her.
"I took dance with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet since I was 12," said the 17-year-old, adding that she was also into jazz and tap dancing. "I have always believed that if you want to be really great at a sport you have to commit yourself, and make sure that sport is what you are truly dedicated to, so I made a choice. The ballet though, has helped me tremendously. It has given me a great sense of balance, great sense of body awareness and makes me an all around better athlete."
Torfason, who also plays the flute and piano and dances with the school dance team, won the 16- and 17-year-old 56-kilogram gold medal at the Pan Am championships in Panama City last August.
She also competed last year at the Polish Memorial Cup in Bydgoszcz, Poland (placed second) and the Austrian Ladies Open in Gotzis, Austria (placed fifth). She also finished third at the Canada Cup in Guelph and earned a spot on the cadet national team after winning her weight division at the trials in Whitby, Ont. "I was ecstatic," she said. "I was screaming and hugging my coach and my mom, who supports me in this totally."
While university scholarships have begun to make their way to her door, Torfason says she isn't interested. "I got an offer from Oklahoma City University, but I really want to stay in Canada," she said. "I don't think I could get used to their style of wrestling down there."
Tony Paukovic, her Grade 9 guidance teacher at Acadia Junior High, introduced her to wrestling. "He asked me to join the wrestling team, so I tried it out, and this is one sport that came very easy to me, so I just stayed with it."
Speed, strength, agility and technical skills aren't Torfason's only wrestling talents. She is also an innovator, having invented a move all her own. "At the nationals I was trying to do one move, and it kind of turned into a different move, but it worked, so I just kept doing it. So, yes, I invented it."
When she applies the move during a match, Torfason pulls down on her opponent with her left arm, while stepping in with her right leg to hook it behind her opponents right leg. All the while, she is driving forward forcing her opponent back onto the mat. At the recent Kelvin High School tournament, she pinned an opponent in four seconds, before going on to win her division.
In Poland, and at the Canada Cup in Guelph, Polish and Korean wrestlers asked her to teach them the move. "The Polish wrestlers have been using it since, but the Koreans didn't quite get it.
"Did I give the move a name?," she said laughing. "That little sweeping thing. I don't know."
Torfason's coach at the Winnipeg Wrestling Club is Chris Stasiak, a former member of the Polish junior national team. "He is amazing," said Torfason. "He seems like a bear, but he wants you to succeed in every way. He truly cares for every athlete. I wouldn't be where I am without him."
"I hope to make the 2012 Olympic team," Torfason says, but Stasiak is cautious, "2012 is four years away, and lots of things can happen. It depends how much she wants to be an Olympian or world champion and how tough mentally she is."
Away from the wrestling mat Torfason does have a life, and it includes her boyfriend Ivan Orsnik, who is also a student at Fort Richmond and a gymnast. She says he doesn't find her wrestling to be a challenge to his masculinity.
"He doesn't mind going out with (a tough girl). He totally supports me being a wrestler."
Friday, February 01, 2008
Argonaut High School wrestlers, senior Chris Serna and junior Hannah Collins both took individual gold medals at two tournaments the team sent wrestlers to Saturday.
Collins had another successful showing in Oakland at an all-girls tourney.
She was seeded No. 1 in the 189-pound division after taking second place Jan. 19 at the California Interscholastic Federation Girls Wrestling Championships, and she proved she deserved the No. 1 spot.
She pinned her way to not only first place but was named as the Outstanding Wrestler in the upper weight class, parent and girls wrestling promoter Toni Brown said.
Serna, Argonaut's varsity heavyweight, is light for most heavyweights and wrestles in the 215-pound heavyweight division, rather than the 287-pound class.
"It paid off on Saturday at the Sheldon Invitational. Brown said. Serna was the only Mustang to go undefeated and win the tournament.
Argonaut grapplers fall to Redskins
Argonaut High School wrestling hosted Calaveras High School last week and took a Mother Lode League loss.
Calaveras took the dual meet 48-21. Argonaut got scoring with pins by John Edmonson and Dahlton Brown and decision wins by Robert Danner and Angelo Petriello and an overtime win by David Abrams.
Edmonson wrestled in the 162-pound class, getting a takedown of Kyle Towler in the first round, then five near-fall points, before rolling Towler for a pin, that the referee slapped on the mat as the first period buzzer sounded. The scored sheet marked the pin coming at the 1:59 mark of the 2-minute round.
In the 191-pound division, Brown took a win by fall in the third period over Charlie Hoskin. Hoskin took the lead with an escape in the second period and built on the lead with two points on a near-fall in the third round, before Brown scored two on a reversal, rolled Hoskin with an arm-bar and pinned him at the 4:35 mark.
Abrams wrestled for Argonaut in the 147-pound class and took an 11-9 OT win over Wes Penrose in overtime. Penrose got a takedown and three back points in the first and Abrams scored a reverse to trail 2-5. After a scoreless second period, Abrams started on the bottom, scored a reversal, then gave up a reversal and two near-fall points and trailed 4-9, then he scored another reversal and two back points to tie the match at 9-9. Time expired and Abrams and Penrose went to a one-minute overtime period, with Abrams getting a takedown to take the sudden-death win.
In the 142-pound division, Danner took a 4-2 decision win over Garrett Fisk. After no score in the first period Danner earned an escape and a takedown to lead 2-1. Fisk also escaped. Danner started the third round down and escaped for the final 4-2 margin.
Angelo Petriello wrestled for Argonaut in the 173-pound division and took a comeback win over Chris Minhas. He trailed 4-2 after two periods, with Minhas getting the Round 1 takedown and two near-fall points, then Petriello escaped. Petriello started on the bottom in the second round and escaped to cut the lead to 4-2.
Petriello threw Minhas on two slams in the match and took down Minhas in the third with a slam. Minhas escaped and led 6-4, then Petriello got another takedown and scored a point on a violation for the 7-6 win.
Will Edmonson wrestled in the 154-pound division and lost 3-6, scoring an escape and a takedown in the final period. Tyler Brown took the win, scoring first with a takedown and getting two near-fall points in the first period, then scoring a reversal in the third round.
Senior Chris Serna took a loss by decision in the 287-pound class against Joe Gellerman, who opened scoring with a takedown. Serna trailed 1-2 after an escape. After a scoreless second round, Gellerman scored four points in the third, on a near-fall to win, 6-1.
Jonathan Bishop wrestled in the 127-pound class and took a loss by fall in 5:41 to Cody Jones.
Peter Parla also took a loss in the 132-pound class, falling to Jeff Valvey in the second round.
Andrew Ryan wrestled the 114-pound division for Argonaut, and lost by fall to Brendon Sullivan.
Bill Danner took a loss by pin in the first round of the 217-pound class, falling to Garu Gellerman.
Argonaut JV wrestling hosts Calaveras
Argonaut High School's junior varsity wrestling team hosted Calaveras High School last week.
Daniel Welsh took a 10-8 decision win in the 147-pound division with a late round takedown of Kash Wilson.
Steven Bennett took a win by fall in 4:15 of his 154-pound match, defeating Richard Aunt. Bennett led 9-0 entering the third period when he got the pin.
Brett Falco also won by pin, in 5:11 in the 162-pound class, beating Marcus House. Falco led 4-2 entering the final period. Falco went from being on his back, arching to a reversal then head-locked House for a pin with 29 seconds left.
In the 173-pound class, Nigel Dreksler lost by fall to Zack Hudson.
Hannah Collins also lost by fall in 4:29, to Justin Garant in the 191-pound class. Collins got a takedown and a reversal and trailed 7-4 after one period, and trailed 5-10 before the third-period pin.
Brittany Patrick wrestled in the 114-pound class, losing by decision, 4-7 with a late third-round reversal. Samantha Shattuck took a loss by fall to David Myers in the JV 127 division. Michael Mott also lost by fall in the 142-pound class, to Chris Biondi.
In an exhibition match in the 162-pound class, Ed Shattuck took a 5-10 loss to Jeremy Palmer. Shattuck scored one on a violation in the first round and Palmer led, getting a takedown in the first.
Starting in the neutral position in the second round, Palmer got a takedown and Shattuck reversed it, trailing 3-4 entering the final period.
Palmer started on the bottom in the third, getting a violation point and then reversing and scoring three on a near-fall for the win.
Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
02/01/2008
The matchups in each weight class are now finalized for the second edition of the Chicago Cup.
The 2007 World champion U.S. Greco-Roman Team is scheduled to face a loaded team from Bulgaria that includes three individual World champions. The U.S. women’s freestyle squad will battle a strong team from Poland while NCAA champion Jake Herbert of Northwestern will wrestle in a men’s freestyle match.
Tickets remain on sale for the Chicago Cup, set for Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. The inaugural event was a huge success with 7,000 fans packing Northwestern’s Welsh-Ryan Arena in 2007.
Tickets for the Chicago Cup are $10 for adults and $5 for students and youth under 18 years of age. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Tickets.com hotline at 800-511-1552 or online by Clicking here
The star-studded Bulgarian team is led by Greco-Roman legend Armen Nazarian, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time World champion. He competes at 60 kg/132 lbs. The Bulgarian team also features past World champions Yavor Yanakiev and Nikolay Gergov.
The U.S. Greco-Roman team is led by World champion Dremiel Byers along with World bronze medalists Lindsey Durlacher, Harry Lester and Justin Ruiz. Durlacher and past World Team member T.C. Dantzler both grew up in the Chicago metro area.
Yanakiev will face Dantzler, who placed fifth in the World in 2006. Gergov will face Lester at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Lester and Gergov both won bronze medals at the 2007 World Championships.
Bulgaria’s Venelin Venkov, who placed fifth in the World in 2006, is scheduled to meet Durlacher at 55 kg/121 lbs. Byers is slated to face Bulgaria’s Ivan Ivanov at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Byers beat Ivanov 1-1, 3-0, 3-0 in the second round of the 2007 World Championships.
Herbert – a 2007 NCAA champion and 2008 Olympic hopeful – will compete in an exhibition match in men’s freestyle. Herbert is taking an Olympic redshirt this season and is ranked third in the U.S. in freestyle at 84 kg/185 lbs. He is scheduled to face Mihail Ganev of Bulgaria.
The U.S. women’s lineup for the Chicago Cup will feature past World silver medalist Stephanie Murata and 2007 World Team member Marcie Van Dusen.
Van Dusen is coming off a huge win at the World Cup where she knocked off five-time World champion and Olympic gold medalist Saori Yoshida of Japan. Van Dusen handed Yoshida her first loss since 2001 and snapped Yoshida’s 119-match winning streak.
2006 World Team member Mary Kelly, who wrestled in the 2007 World Cup, also is scheduled to compete in the Chicago Cup. Kelly is an Illinois native.
The women’s team from Poland also includes a number of wrestlers with strong credentials. Monika Rogien is a two-time World bronze medalist at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Iwona Sadowska is a past World bronze medalist at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. The Poland team also includes World fifth-place finisher Anna Zwirydowska at 55 kg/121 lbs. and World University bronze medalist Agnieszka Wieszczek at 72 kg/158.5 lbs.
World Sport Chicago and USA Wrestling are joining forces to put this event on for the second straight year.
Any questions in regards to the event should be directed to 312-616-5450 or info@worldsportchicago.org
MATCHUPS FOR 2008 CHICAGO CUP, FEB. 5, EVANSTON, ILL.
GRECO-ROMAN – USA VS. BULGARIA
55 kg/121 lbs. – Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) vs. Venelin Venkov (Bulgaria)
60 kg/132 lbs. – Joe Betterman, Chicago, Ill. (USOEC/New York AC) vs. Armen Nazarian (Bulgaria)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Harry Lester, Marquette, Mich. (Gator WC) vs. Nikolay Gergov (Bulgaria)
74 kg/163 lbs. – T.C. Dantzler, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) vs. Yavor Yanakiev (Bulgaria)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Justin Ruiz, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) vs. Georgi Zlatanski (Bulgaria)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) vs. Ivan Ivanov (Bulgaria)
There will be no match at 84 kg/185 lbs. because of an injury to the wrestler from Bulgaria
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE – USA VS. POLAND
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Stephanie Murata, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) vs. Iwona Sadowska (Poland)
55 kg/121 lbs. – Marcie Van Dusen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) vs. Anna Zwirydowska (Poland)
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Randi Miller, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) vs. Monika Rogien (Poland)
72 kg/158.5 lbs. – Stephany Lee, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) vs. Agnieszka Wieszczek (Poland)
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Mary Kelly, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) vs. Iwona Sadowska (Poland)
MEN’S FREESTYLE EXHIBITION MATCHUP
84 kg/185 lbs. – Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./New York AC) vs. Mihail Ganev (Bulgaria)
Elizabeth Wiley USA Wrestling
02/01/2008
Although she is the top wrestler in her weight class in the nation, Marcie Van Dusen still had something to prove to herself and the wrestling world when she stepped onto the mat at the Women’s World Cup in China on January 19.
After a disappointing 10th place finish at the 2007 World Championships in Azerbaijan, Van Dusen knew that she needed to step up her game. The World Cup, the international dual meet championships, provided the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that she had improved.
“We had to fix a lot in my wrestling, work on a lot,” Van Dusen said. “I am preparing better now. I am doing my homework, watching videos and knowing what to expect in my opponents.”
In the USA vs. Japan dual, Van Dusen faced five-time world champion and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Saori Yoshida of Japan. Van Dusen won the match 4-1, 2-2. Not only did she beat the reigning world champion, but Van Dusen also ended Yoshida’s 119-match winning streak.
“It is nice to know that everyone is beatable,” said Van Dusen. “It’s nice to have that in my pocket, to take it out and look at it.”
Van Dusen’s win over Yoshida shook up the women’s wrestling world. Yoshida had never dropped an international match and recently told Sports Illustrated her goal was to complete her career undefeated.
“Marcie has wrestled this match in her head, she’s studied film,” National women’s coach Terry Steiner said. “She felt like it was her time to do something. She wrestled her match and didn’t get caught up in Yoshida’s record.”
In addition, Van Dusen’s win over Yoshida served as a catalyst for her teammates and helped Team USA beat Japan to reach the championship dual with China. Ultimately the team finished second, losing to China in a tight 4-3 finals.
A big part of preparing for the World Cup for Van Dusen was listening to her coaches, and trusting them. Ultimately, that paid off and she excelled at the competition.
With a combined 3-0 record at the World Cup, Van Dusen also had wins over Nataliya Synyshyn of Ukraine in the first round and Dogmei Sun of China in the final. Her performance at the World Cup earned Van Dusen TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week honors.
“That’s how you gain confidence,” Steiner said. “You beat quality people consistently. She won three tough matches back to back. That’s more of a tell-tale sign than anything.”
Van Dusen’s strong performance at the World Cup competition followed a first-place finish at New York Athletic Club Holiday International in November, which included a win over Ukrainian Tetyana Lazareva. Lazareva had previously beaten Van Dusen at the 2008 World Championships.
“It’s good to know that I fixed what I was doing wrong,” Van Dusen said.
Van Dusen still faces of number of challenges this spring, because she did not place in the top eight at the World Championships. The United States has not yet qualified in her weight class for the Olympics. It’s the only weight class left that the USA needs to qualify for the Olympics in women’s wrestling.
“Before we can have any Olympic aspirations, we have to qualify the weight class,” Steiner said.
The responsibility for qualifying the weight class will most likely fall on top-ranked Van Dusen’s shoulders, a four-year member of the U.S. women’s freestyle national team.
“I think there is pressure on me,” said Van Dusen, “but I think I am the most qualified and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The next opportunity to qualify Team USA for the Olympics in the 55 kg/121 lbs. weight class will come at the Pan America Championships, in Colorado Springs, Colo. There, Van Dusen must place first in the weight class in order to qualify it for the Olympics.
Two other international competitions later this spring will give the U.S. its last chance to qualify for the Olympic Games, if Van Dusen falls short at the Pan American Championships.
In the next few weeks, Van Dusen has a busy competition schedule. She heads to the Chicago Cup on February 5, to compete against Poland in a dual meet, and then will return to Colorado Springs for the Dave Schultz Memorial February 8-10.
“Really, we have to focus on one match, one event at a time,” said Steiner.
While the Pan American Championships loom in the future, Van Dusen will focus first on the other events where she will face international and American talent. Only after those competitions are completed can she turn her attention fully to the Pan American Championships and an Olympic bid.
“I am taking it one tournament at a time,” Van Dusen said. “In the back of my mind I know that it is coming up. I have two great events to prepare for the Pan Ams, and then I have two weeks after the Dave Schultz Memorial to get ready.”
Van Dusen is not alone in her goal of reaching the Olympics. A handful of other American wrestlers in the 55 kg/121 lbs. weight class will challenge her for a spot in the Games. Her growth in recent years and her dedication to the sport sets her apart.
“Marcie has grown a lot as a person and an athlete,” Steiner said. “Her professionalism right now is a huge thing. She is putting her nose to the grindstone and doing what she needs to do.”
Steiner says she is focused on all areas of the sport including getting more drills in, weight lifting, watching video, and controlling her weight. She must also remain healthy, as injuries have hampered her in recent seasons.
These extras may give her the edge she needs to stay on top of her weight class, and earn a spot at the Olympic Games in Beijing.
“I am taking care of myself a lot more,” said Van Dusen. “I go to bed early, take care of my body, take naps, and don’t go out on the weekends. I am a lot more aware of what affects me. I think that makes me a more mature athlete.”
Most of all, Van Dusen is enjoying the sport of wrestling now more than ever. That enthusiasm is a big part of what is driving her bid to make it to the Olympics.
“I think that I have always worked hard, but I didn’t always enjoy the work,” Van Dusen said. “After being injured so much I value it a lot more. Before it was work when I stepped onto the mat, but now I am excited to get to practice. I am able to appreciate it after all the injuries I’ve dealt with.”