News Page

Wrestling with the boys
Sorchy, Swanson take to RVC mats

By Steve Clark
Daily News staff writer

BRODHEAD, Wis. _ Lee Ann Sorchy truly enjoys going to wrestling tournaments.

There is the bustle of activity and competition on the mats, there is a feeling of camaraderie with the people she goes with and a sense of school pride. Plus, it's a great opportunity for her to meet a lot of new people and make new friends.

That is, except for those wrestlers that she beats.

``They're usually not too happy. Those are the ones I don't tend to see the rest of the day,'' said Sorchy, a senior at Brodhead High School. ``I see their teammates and talk to their teammates, but just not them.''

That's the burden of being a girl wrestler.

Sorchy is one of two female wrestlers in the Rock Valley Conference this season, along with Hannah Swanson of Parkview. Both girls are seniors, although Sorchy has spent the last three seasons donning the Cardinal colors, while Swanson is in her first year of competition.

Getting into the sport of wrestling has been easy for both Sorchy and Swanson, although both admit being welcomed on the team has been a little bit tougher.

Sorchy said it took most of her first season before she felt like she fit in with the team. But since then, there has been few problems.

``At first there was a little bit of negative reaction within the team. Some guys didn't want to wrestle me in practice and things like that, but as time went on I started to fit in,'' said Sorchy, one of the co-captains for the Cardinals this year. ``My second year, I was a lot more comfortable. I think I had to prove to them that I was serious about being part of the team.

``This year has been great. It's just like being in a big family.''

Swanson, as well, admitted she ran into a little negative feedback _ mainly from some of the other kids in school, not her new teammates _ when she began this year.

However, her biggest opponent may have been in her own home.

``I was manager for two years because my dad wouldn't let me wrestle. But this year, my dad let me go out,'' Swanson said. ``At first there were some people at school that were a little hostile to it, but not from anyone on the team. The school has been really supportive about it.''

Swanson was drawn to the sport by a boyfriend who wrestled and became hooked right away.

Sorchy, on the other hand, was brought into the sport by another girl _ a girl who quit the team after just two days of practice.

Sorchy, on the other hand, did not.

``I'm not the person who's going to quit once they start something,'' Sorchy said. ``When I decided to go out, my dad talked to (then coach Roger Landry) and he said if you do this, there is no quitting.''

Her first year on varsity, Sorchy wrestled in the 125-pound class and admits she ``got her butt kicked a lot.''

But after moving down to 103 pounds last year, she began to be more competitive within her matches and eventually advanced to the WIAA Division 2 sectional meet.

``At regionals, I had to wrestle a guy who had already beat me pretty badly early in the year and I ended up pinning him,'' Sorchy said. ``I was very honored and very proud to be there. I didn't think I was going to do it.''

Not that her experience was all that great.

First, meet officials wouldn't let her in because they didn't think she was a wrestler and she needed her coach to verify that she was, then her ``locker room'' ended up being a tiny storage closet that she could barely move in.

To make matters worse, she was trying to fight off a case of strep throat, while having to face the No. 2 seeded wrestler in the first round.

Now she's looking for a better experience on a return trip.

``I'm already pumped for regionals this Saturday,'' Sorchy said. ``Strength-wise we are weaker than guys _ they just have more muscle mass. That means I have to use more technique if I want to beat them.''

This past summer, Sorchy even set up a girls' wrestling camp at Brodhead High School to hopefully generate some interest. Although it was part of a senior project she was required to do, she was happy she got a chance to put the camp together and it's something she may be part of again.

``I just decided to pick something I really liked so me and the other co-captain, Brandon Zimborski, organized the five-week camp,'' said Sorchy, who is 11-12 this season. ``We didn't get a lot of girls, but I actually was contacted by a girl in Sun Prairie who is looking for me to come help out as a coach at the camp. I thought that was really neat.''

One of the girls at Sorchy's camp was Swanson, who had picked up some of the basic moves simply by watching the two seasons she was a manager.

``But I've learned it's a whole different game when you are out there,'' Swanson said. ``That camp helped me a lot. I learned a lot of the basic moves. (Lee Ann) has been really great in helping me get going.''

Swanson hasn't collected too many wins this year, however, that wasn't necessarily her main concern heading into the year.

``I was hoping to do well but I didn't have any goals other than to stay out for the whole season _ just make it through,'' Swanson said. ``It's been really great. The coaches have treated me great and the guys have treated me really well. It's been a lot of fun.''

Swanson believes that most of the opponents she wrestles actually go after her harder than they might another male wrestler.

Not in pursuit of injuring the Vikings' 103-pounder, rather they just don't want to give her a chance to win.

``Everyone doesn't want to be beaten by a girl and I think every time I step out on the mat, that's what my opponent's thinking,'' Swanson said. ``Some of them I think do want to hurt me. But for the most part, I don't think any of them think of it any different. They just want to win.''

Getting hurt _ and competing through it _ are just part of the normal requirements of a wrestler and Sorchy and Swanson are no different in those respects from their male counterparts. In fact, Sorchy competed at the Rock Valley Conference meet on Saturday with an injured elbow without complaint.

About the only difference between Sorchy and Swanson and the rest of their teammates comes before the meets during the weigh-in.

``The weigh-in thing isn't very fun for me,'' Sorchy said. ``Most guys will have like about 1//2 hour to run or cut weight if they weigh too much at weigh-in, but since I have to wait until all of the guys are done, I would have about five or 10 minutes before the meet starts.''

Swanson also dislikes having to wait around while all of the other guys weigh in, yet for a different reason.

``I always have to wait to weigh in and everything where it would be nice to be part of the group and get to hear what they are saying in the locker room. Get to know what's going on,'' Swanson said. ``I just want to be one of the guys.''

With the limited opportunities for girls to wrestle in college, both Sorchy and Swanson realize the chances are few that they will continue the sport as a collegian.

Yet, both would like to continue in the sport somehow.

``I would like to continue wrestling, but I don't know that I will,'' Swanson said. ``I really do wish I could have more years in high school.''

``(If a girl wanted to go out for wrestling) I would tell her to go for it and not to get downhearted about it because it's not as easy as it looks. Just to work hard. You get so much respect for just doing it. It's unbelievable.''

Sorchy wants to eventually become an athletic trainer and believes that she can stay involved in the sport that way, while she also expressed interest in possibly becoming a coach at some point.

But no matter what she does, she will always have the experience of her high school days on the mat to look back.

``I love wrestling and I don't want to give it up. The way I see it, I can always run, but how often or how long can I wrestle,'' said Sorchy, who also competed in track and cross country at Brodhead. ``Wrestling has taught me to go 110 percent in everything I do now. I just keep going at it until its the best I can do.

``It's important to just go for your goals, but be prepared to work hard. If you go out and put in the work, it will all pay off in the end.''

--------------------------------------------------

The thrill ... and the agony

We all remember the promo ads for ABC’s long-running television series, Wide World of Sports. "The thrill of victory" was often associated with athletes leaping with joy following a victory, while "The agony of defeat" pictured athletes devastated with losing, or those having embarrassing mishaps. Remember the skier who fell off the long jump ramp and landed face first in some hard-packed snow?

We cringed every time we saw the ad, and had to remind ourselves that the skier turned out to be okay. At least, physically speaking.

Last Wednesday during dual wrestling matches at Apache Junction High School, those in attendance relived such a moment. Prospector junior female wrestler Kelly Branham, one of only two females on the team, came up with a hard-fought 10-5 victory over her male counterpart in the 147-pound weight class. It was Branham’s first varsity match win. She did win a junior varsity match last season, but Branham was also quick to point out, she lost a bunch of them.

When Kelly’s hand was triumphantly raised by the referee, the gymnasium exploded with deafening applause. Branham’s teammates took turns congratulating her with pats on the back, high fives, and bear hugs. "The thrill of victory."

Across the mat, Kelly’s victim took a seat on the first row of the bleachers, his head hanging in shame, his eyes shielded from view. One by one his teammates came over to console him, and you just knew the kid could think of a million places he’d rather be. "The agony of defeat."

We felt good for Kelly. She is a hard working athlete who has certainly put in her time on the practice mats. She sweats just like the boys. She bleeds just like the boys. And it was her time.

On the other hand, we couldn’t help but feel bad for her victim. It is still rare when a girl beats a boy in wrestling, although it happens more frequently than it used to. The kid was just in the wrong gym at the wrong time.

We all saw him. We all cringed. But we also knew he’s going to be okay, physically speaking.

--------------------------------------------------

Rough and Tumble Guys, get used to it. Girl wrestlers are here to stay.

by Amanda,15

2001-02-27

Wrestling is one of the toughest and roughest of high school sports, which makes it really popular. No matter what age or sex you are, wrestling is challenging and intense.

You'll find many different ages and weights in wrestling, but who would you not expect to find out on the mat? Probably a girl. But you'd be wrong!

Wrestling is thought of as an all-guy sport, but it's not. Females participate too. The questions that seem to be on the minds of every male wrestler I come across are: "Should she even be here?" and "Can she handle it?"

With stupid questions come stupid answers. Of course she should be here, if she's willing to bleed, sweat and get brushed and bumped.

It's said that guys have bigger muscles than girls do, but that doesn't mean they're stronger. Wrestling isn't just about strength. It's about balance, endurance, skill, and most importantly, heart. If a female wrestler has all of these qualities, of course she can handle it. She may handle it better than the guys. Don't even think twice about it, guys -- she may even beat you.

A female wrestler may be your girlfriend, your best friend or even your crush, but on the mat, she's your enemy and your worst nightmare. You shouldn't treat her any differently than you would wrestling an African American, an Asian or even a disabled person.

One thing you must remember: If she didn't want to wrestle, she wouldn't be competing. Never take it easy on her, no matter what. If you hurt her, you hurt her. If she hurts you, she hurts you.

Why keep female athletes from a sport they know they can excel at? Many different opinions about women wrestling fly around, and it's a touchy subject. But female wrestlers aren't treated any differently at practice, so why should they be treated differently on the mat?

"Should she be here?" shouldn't even be a question.

Chicks Are Talking About Female Wrestlers -- Join In!

Razzboards: Sound Off on Girl Wrestlers

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is Your School Playing Fair?
Don't accept a raw deal. Know your rights and how to fight back.

by Leanne Mos

2000-11-17

If you're a female athlete, you already know the score. We get letters from you all the time: Girls' sports get no respect, the guys get all the praise, and the coaches don't play fair.

This treatment may be the norm for many of you, but that doesn't make it OK. In fact, if your school or college gives you a raw deal, it just may be against the law.

In my last column, I wrote about Heather Sue Mercer, the former Duke University student who took her school to court for treating her unfairly. She wanted to play football, but was cut from the team because she is female. The court awarded her $2 million, and Duke is appealing the decision.

You don't have to sue anybody—that should be the last resort. But you should arm yourself with the facts about what's legal, what's not, and what you should do if your school is discriminating against female athletes.

Learn it. Know it. Love it.
There's this terrific law called Title IX that every single female athlete should know as if it were her own personal playbook.

Part of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title IX says that any educational program in the United States that receives federal funds must treat everybody equally, regardless of gender. (All public high schools and most colleges and universities get federal funds.)

Title IX doesn't apply only to sports, but it's well known for opening the doors for female athletes and is responsible for the huge rise in women's sports over the last 28 years.

But guess what? Although this law has been around for nearly three decades, many schools are still not complying.

Females make up about half the student body at schools and colleges, but they receive 35 percent of all athletic opportunities. College men receive $179 million dollars more than women in athletic scholarships each year, according to the Women's Sports Foundation.

But Title IX is not just about opening up sports to girls and women and making sure they get equal scholarship money. It's about fair treatment all around.

Take this little quiz to see what I mean.
True or false: It's fine for the guys to get nicer locker rooms and better equipment than the girls.

Answer: False! That's a violation of Title IX.

True or false: The men's teams can have cheerleaders and school bands at their games, but the women's teams don't really need them.

Answer: False! Does that sound like equal treatment to you?

True or false: The female athletes at my school should have coaches that are just as qualified, uniforms that are just as good, and playing times that are just as prime as the male athletes.

Answer: True! Now you're talking, legal eagle.

What should you do if your school is being unfair?
I asked Donna Lopiano, the head of the Women's Sports Foundation, this very question.

"What we recommend is simple, local, political action," she answered. "Walk into your athletic director's office and be knowledgeable about what the law requires. Say 'look, I just want to play. The law says that you can't discriminate on the basis of gender.'"

If that doesn't work, she said, write to your legislators. Put pressure on the system by writing to your local newspapers. Get others involved—teammates, coaches, parents—and speak out about the problem.

Remember that you need to know the ins and outs of the situation before you get too feisty. Also know that equal treatment doesn't necessarily mean identical treatment.

The Women's Sports Foundation can give you additional info and support if you have questions. Check out the Gender Equity Guide or call the advocacy coordinator at 1-800-227-3988.

The National Women's Law Center is another great resource. You can order a copy of Check It Out, a terrific workbook that helps assess whether a school is treating girls and women fairly. You can also call (202) 588-5180.

Women still have a long way to travel before we are treated with the respect we deserve—especially when it comes to sports. But remember, you are not alone. And whatever small difference you make now, makes it all the easier for the girls who come after you.