News Page

Don’t pick on these girls

By AL PIKE 4/1/2001

Staff Sports Writer

DURHAM — With three brothers in the family, Brittnay Sapp’s decision to take up wrestling was pure survival.

"I started wrestling because they’d pick on me sometimes," she said. "They even make videos of themselves annoying me. Now that I do wrestling, they don’t pick on me much anymore."

Although she’s only been wrestling since December, Sapp, who will turn 11 on Friday, is hooked. And she’s enjoyed some early success in the sport, even finishing second in one tournament in which she reduced a couple of her male opponents to tears.

As one of about two dozen girls competing in the eighth annual New England Youth Wrestling Classic, she faced the toughest challenges of her brief career Saturday inside the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore Center where more than 1,000 wrestlers convened for the day-long event.

"I think it’s fun," said Sapp, a fifth-grader from South Berwick, Maine with a curly shock of blonde hair who wrestled in the Novice division in the 125-pound weight class. "It’s not like you get to hurt people. It’s just fun beating people up, sort of."

"She’s very much a lady except when she’s wrestling," said Robert Sapp, Brittnay’s dad. "She likes dolls and dresses, but when she comes out here, she’s one of the guys I guess you’d say. The good thing about wrestling, it’s the only place where I can tell her to be rough."

The invitational tournament was originally held across the street at Lundholm Gym, starting in 1994, but once it out-grew that facility it moved into the Whitt where it was being held Saturday for the third time in the last four years.

When a scheduling conflict arose last year, it was held at Marshwood High School as a two-day event. But it returned to Durham this year to accommodate more than 80 youth wrestling teams and organizations from the six New England states, including the members of the Sapp family who were first-time participants. The Whitt was a hive of activity with as many as 16 different bouts going on simultaneously.

"We were signing up her two brothers, and she said she wanted to do it to," said Lori Sapp, Brittnay’s mom. "They practice a little bit at home, not a lot. They’re all different weight classes, so it’s hard to go full force on each other."

"At first I really wasn’t that fond of watching my daughter do it," said Robert Sapp. "But if I’m going to tell her that if you’re going to do anything, like become a doctor or something, you’ve got to put the effort into it, I have to back her in this too.

"If she works on her technique, she’ll be a real hard person to wrestle," he added. "Brittnay’s a very strong girl, she just needs more experience."

One female wrestler who has plenty of that is Marshwood’s Deanna Rix, the daughter of Marshwood High School coach Matt Rix who got her start 10 years ago by filling in at the vacant 46-pound weight class in a tournament in New Jersey. She was 4 years old.

And she’s been at it ever since. Rix is a two-time New England champion in this event and plans to compete in an all-girl national tourney on June 1 in Dayton, Ohio where she finished third last year.

"She actually wrestled a couple of matches and even saved us in one," Matt Rix said of his daughter’s start in the sport 10 years ago. "I remember she lost a tooth and started crying because she couldn’t find it and wouldn’t be able to put it under her pillow."

"It keeps me in shape and it’s fun," Deanna Rix said. "And I like making the boys cry."

The 14-year-old eighth-grader had her chance to make that happen on Saturday by wrestling at 115 pounds in the Schoolboy division.

Also competing in the tournament was Lebanon’s Kayliegh Longley, a second-grader in her first year of wrestling who was the Maine runner-up in the Bantam division at 47 pounds.

She’s a teammate of up-and-coming Kamrynn Thyng, a fourth-grader who recently captured the Maine state championship as a Midget at 110 pounds. Longley has also taken to the sport quite nicely, having already won a handful of tournaments.

"I got bored watching my brother," Longley said of her initial interest in the sport.

"She’s done remarkably well," Lebanon coach Jessica Walker said. "The things she’s doing you usually don’t see until their second year. The thing with Kayleigh is, when she’s wrestling, she’s always smiling, whether she’s about to get pinned or she’s about to pin somebody. It’s a joy having her with the program."

Longley has already shown an uncommon dedication to the sport, along with a willingness to improve.

"Her brother has wrestled for years, so she’s seen some of that," Walker said. "Plus their working with her at home. She comes to practice ready to go. And she stays and wrestles even when the main practice is over. We allow some of the wrestlers to stay and work on their moves, and she does that. She picks things up very quickly."

It hasn’t taken Brittnay Sapp long to be accepted into a male-dominated sport..

"My older brother is 14 and he thinks it’s cool for a girl to be wrestling," she said. "I’ve made new friends in it. And my friends that are boys are nicer to me than they were."

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

Scimeca not scared by male-dominated sport

by Kelly Roule 3/8/2001

They say it's a man's world, but Janelle Scimeca has proven that statement to be wrong, at least when it comes to the traditionally male-dominated world of wrestling.

Scimeca, a junior at Kaneland High School, broke into that world three years ago when she joined the Kaneland wrestling team.

Scimeca started wrestling her freshman year after watching her brother and her best friend wrestle. She heard about two girls in Geneva who wrestled and thought, why not? She approached Kaneland wrestling coach Gary Baum about wrestling, and he said, "Cut your hair". And with those words Scimeca embarked head on into "a man's world".

Last weekend, Scimeca met a lot of other girls who have been on the same journey. She competed in the Wisconsin Girls State Wrestling competition. The tournament is open to any girl over the age of five. Scimeca finished first in her class with four girls in her bracket. Scimeca wrestled in the round-robin tournament, pinning her first opponent just 30 seconds into the match. In her second match, she pinned her opponent at 2:46. She added her third-straight pin in her final match at the 2:27 mark.

The Wisconsin tournament was sanctioned by the United States Girls Wrestling Association (USGWA), founded in 1998 by Kent Baill. The USGWA began in Michigan and holds the National tournament there every year. The National tournament will be held March 24 and 25.

Last year's nationals saw 432 participants from as far away as Hawaii. This year, over 600 wrestlers are expected. Kaneland Coach Mike Pankratz will be accompanying Scimeca and her family to this year's Nationals.

"Last year, I didn't have a coach with me and I made some mistakes on the mat. It will be really nice having my own coach with me this year."

What Scimeca likes most about these tournaments are the friends she has made.

"We can relate to what it is like to wrestle against guys. It doesn't matter if we win or lose, everyone supports everyone and by the end of the day we are all friends," she said. "They all sit around the mats and cheer each other on. We tell the new girls, no matter what it is a learning experience. You can come back next year and try again. Just remember you are doing something most have never done."

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

Oxford Hills wrestler repeats as girls' national champion

by Bob McPhee

SOUTH PARIS -- The end results were favorable to Jenn Wormwood who
successfully defended her national championship at the United States Girls’
Wrestling Association tournament.
The Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School senior further elevated her
statue by winning four matches, en route to being crowned the 2001 national
champion in Lake Orion, Michigan March 24 and 25.
The Viking wrestler had already drawn attention to her self by winning
the USGWA title last year, however, a return trip wasn’t taken for granted.
Rumford native and former Oxford Hills coach Mark Dolloff coached
Wormwood for second-straight year.
"Actually, I was kind of nervous about defending my title," Wormwood
said. "I didn't want to have my National title taken away from me, but just
being able to wrestle was more important."
Wormwood prepared for the event both physically and mentally- through a
series of activities. These included having individual practices with
Dolloff, helping the middle school program, running and weight-lifting.
"I'm really proud of her," Dolloff said. "I told Jen that repeating
wasn’t going to be easy because it's better to be the hunter, rather than
the hunted. She took quite awhile warming up between matches and it paid off
because she was pumped up on the mat."
Wormwood didn’t waste any time establishing some momentum in the first
match and recorded a pin in the second period.
Following a 6-3 decision in a quarterfinal match, Wormwood had escaped
twice and then was awarded one-penalty point (illegal move), in a 3-2
semi-final win.
The match score was close, however, Wormwood felt confident on the mat.
In the finals, Wormwood had plenty of determination and recorded a 5-0
decision.
"I was very much relieved after the finals match," Wormwood said.
"Because all the pressure was taken off my shoulders."
Wormwood was top-seeded at 137 pounds and ultimately all six
All-Americans were in the top bracket. A wrestler from Maine Central
Institute placed sixth at 119.
The performances in the national tournaments have provided Wormwood
with plenty of exposure and has produced an avenue to continue a wrestling
career. The popularity of the sport has led to female teams competing on the
collegiate level.
The University of Minnesota-Morris and Cumberland College in Kentucky
have both actively recruiting Wormwood and have offered athletic grants. The
Division II institutions
"I had to try and keep the coaches from distracting her," Dolloff said.
"They were trying to talk with her between matches, which is great, but she
had to maintained her focus."
The success that Wormwood has achieved in wrestling hasn't surprised
Dolloff and current Oxford Hills coach Chris Cobbett. They have both
commented that Wormwood has developed solid techniques on the mat, but she
was often over matched against stronger male wrestlers.
"The females were much stronger and more of a challenge," Wormwood
said, referring to the tournament. "I just used the basics and tried my
best. I didn’t use any flashy moves. I just went out there and wrestled to
win."
Wormwood, who has six brothers and three sisters, had started wrestling
in junior high and merited a positive impression, largely because of her
strong work ethics and dedication to the sport. The coaches recognized this
and the mutual respect carried over through out the entire team.
Wormwood was voted one of the team captains this past season and
enjoyed a successful regular season, which led to a historic post season.
She placed third in the East regionals and became the first-ever female to
qualify for the Class A state meet.
Following the season, Wormwood received the "Viking award" which is
symbolic of the most valuable wrestler.
"I just want to thank everyone for their support," Wormwood said.
"Especially to my teammates, family, community and coaches."

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

Local places second at girls wrestling event

Daily Star 3/13/2001

GENEVA — Unatego seventh-grader Billie Jean Dill placed second in the inaugural New York State Girls Wrestling Championships on Sunday at Geneva High.

Dill wrestled in the sixth- to eighth-grade division for girls between 87-107 pounds. She won two of three matches, including a pin in her first match and a 13-3 victory in her final match. Dill was pinned by the eventual champion in her other match.

The tournament is part of the United States Wrestling Federation. It is not affiliated with the New York State Public High School Athletic Association. More than 70 girls competed.

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

Girls Wrestle Against Adversity

Juniors Celia Stevaux and Stephanie Chan train hard at daily practices. These gutsy girls give their heart and soul to this underappreciated sport.

By Celia Stevaux
Staff Writer

Although Iolani has a rather formidable boys' wrestling team (they've won 17 ILH championships and 11 state championships), many people do not realize this impressive team has a younger sister: the recently formed girls' wrestling team. This team is made of four girls: senior Lynne Lam and juniors Stephanie Chan, Kristyn Lum, and myself. Each of us has wrestled for at least a year; Lynne has four years' worth of experience, Kristyn and myself have been wrestling for two years, and Stephanie has one year's experience.

Many people wonder why girls wrestle. They have misconceptions; many believe we are out to "get guys" or because we like to see guys in singlets. Believe me, those are definitely the furthest things from our minds when we wrestle. We wrestle because although wrestling is extremely difficult and frustrating at times, and although we do meet with a lot of resentment, it is fun. It allows us to get away from almost everything else and helps us learn to focus. Jill Remiticado, a former wrestler and a '99 grad, agrees, saying wrestling "provides girls a basis for discipline, motivation, perseverance."

When asked how they feel about girls' wrestling, people answered with mixed responses. Some people are still uncomfortable with the idea of a girls' wrestling team. There are a few who believe that although women's equality is a good thing, they believe the idea of a girls' team oversteps the bound of common decency. Upon learning that girls sometimes practice with guys, one senior was shocked and stated, "The nature of the sport is not one that would allow me to comfortably compete against the opposite sex."

However, most responses were positive and supportive of girls' wrestling. Regarding the opposition the girls face at times, manager Joanna Ng (c/o 2002) states she "admires the girls for standing up to so much adversity."

Senior Christopher Putre summed up his feelings quite simply: "Yay, women are in more sports!"

Senior Kim Chun replied enthusiastically that "girls wrestling is a great opportunity for us to show guys that we can be strong too! There's so many things that we can do...the list is endless!"

Another senior, Kari Kennard, concurs, saying that "there aren't many girls who wrestle, but those who do are showing that girls can do everything guys can."

Wrestling captain Kristopher Wong declares that if they have the heart, "girls can accomplish anything that boys can."

Nevertheless, though people may say that girls' wrestling is a good thing and should be supported, hardly any girls try out for the team. Since I've joined, the highest number of girls wrestling at Iolani at one time was six, in 1998. Since then, girls have quit or left the school, leaving only four. Matt Tsutsumi, a senior on the boys' Varsity team, says he would "like to see more girls come out for wrestling because it is a good character building experience, and the team as a whole benefits from as many participants as possible."

Michael Defferding, another senior, agrees, saying, "I think it is a good idea to have a girls' team, but they definitely need to recruit some more members."