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Girls "Don't Expect Anything Easy"

DAVE WALTERS , Tribune correspondent 12/15/2001

HUDSON'S FEMALES TOUGH ON THE MAT

HUDSON - The Hudson wrestlers were perfectly still, arms crossed as they
stood stone-faced while the yearbook photographer focused his camera.
In the front row, a group of six couldn't help but crack a smile.
Proudly wearing their Cobra warmups and grins, Rachel Boyko, Aliee Mercer,
Krista Curran, Kelly Burger, Tania Trentacoste and Patricia Conner stood out
in front of their team and, at the same time, blended in with the rest of
the wrestlers.
The six girls on the Hudson roster have been mistaken for cheerleaders, team
managers and scorekeepers. Some thought they were wrestlers' girlfriends. On
the mat, the five sophomores and one junior prove otherwise.
Boyko, in her second season, is an accomplished 112-pound varsity wrestler.
Mercer, also a state qualifier in swimming in the 400 medley relay, is ready
to step into the varsity lineup. The other four are on the JV team, but they
are no less competitive or dedicated.
Boyko lifted her record to 4-4 Wednesday with an 18-3 victory against River
Ridge's Amber Rau. She wishes the victory was against a male opponent, but
she'll take it.
"It was a good win," said Boyko. "I want more. The work I put in will
continue to pay off."
There's plenty of work. Work most girls don't experience in any
girls-exclusive sport.
Coach Dana Bentley doesn't ease up on the girls and doesn't consider them a
novelty."They help us out in the lower weight classes," Bentley said. "If I
have a hole in my lineup for 103 to 130, I have competent people to put in
there."As far as Rachel goes, of the 112s I have, she's the best."
The girls kept up with the daily three-mile runs, buddy carries up bleacher
steps, countless push-ups, sit-ups, wrestling drills and live matches.
"If they start to slow down or give up," said senior heavyweight Larry
Barabas, "we're on them. Not because they are girls, but because they are
wrestlers."As wrestlers, the gender of their opponent varies, though most are
male.Not a problem. Their workout partners at practice are usually boys and no
one on the team is shy about treating them like one of the guys.
"It's pretty much a guys sport, so we don't expect anything easy," said
Burger, who wrestles at 112 pounds. "I feel more comfortable wrestling guys
than girls."
Sometimes the girls are the aggressor and when it happens gymnasiums explode
with cheers.
Earlier this season, Boyko wrestled in a tournament in Auburndale and hit a
move, turning her opponent to his back.
"Everybody went nuts," Boyko said. "If I were a guy, nobody would care. The
encouragement is nice, but it's overdone."
Curran has no sympathy for any opponent. She has seen an opponent look at
his teammates and laugh before wrestling a girl.
The girls love getting the last laugh.
"It makes me feel good when a girl beats a guy," Curran said. "It's just
wrestling. It's nothing personal."
Hudson's male wrestlers don't view wrestling a girl as a no-win situation.
They say they go for the win no matter the opponent.
"You treat them the same way you treat a guy," said varsity 119-pounder
Richard Miller, who has to wrestle off with one of the females for his
varsity spot.
"It doesn't matter who they are. The girls sometimes go after you more than
the guys. They have something to prove."
They must constantly prove to the guys they belong on the team. There's no
whining for sore muscles or any other aches and pains.
"There's no girl complaints," Burger said.
With all the girls weighing between 112 and 125 pounds, senior captain Luke
Jubran, the varsity 125-pounder, has worked with them all. And has worked hard.
"I teach everybody as much as I can," Jubran said. "Up on the mat, they are
our teammates."
Mercer, who already has several brothers, is happy to have about 15 more.
"They treat you like one of the guys," she said. "They help when you need it
and push when you need it. Sometimes we need both."
It doesn't stop on the mat. All the girls plan to be part of the
weightlifting and track teams this spring.
For many of the girls, getting their parents to take them seriously may have
been tougher than convincing the guys.
Robin Boyko had a tough time dealing with her daughter's request to become a
wrestler."I was not in favor of it at all," the mother said. "I didn't think it
was appropriate wrestling with boys."(CHART) AT A GLANCEGIRLS WRESTLING
Number of girls high school wrestlers nationwide in 2001: 3,032
Number in 2000: 2,400
Number of states with a sanctioned girls high school state tournament: 2
(Hawaii and Texas)
Number of college varsity women's wrestling teams: 5 (University of
Minnesota- Morris, Missouri Valley State, Cumberland College (KY), Neosho
County CC (KS),. Menlo College (CA)
Year women's wrestling becomes an Olympic Sport: 2004

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Wrestling: Tough enough

Sunday, December 16, 2001

By JOHN BRENNAN
Staff Writer

MAHWAH -- The pain arrived in all the same places. Even a calendar year couldn't fully mend all the parts that gave way when the freshman's wrestling season came to an agonizing halt last year.

Mahwah High School's scrappy and confident 103-pounder had one career win and one career loss when a senior opponent delivered the hard knocks that would test the rookie's will for 12 months. The damage was thorough: cracked left collar bone, dislocated clavicle; and every shoulder ligament that didn't tear was sprained.

Domenique Heslep returned to the mat Saturday as Mahwah's nine-team tournament ushered in a new year. Pent up were the emotions of the 16-year-old girl who had battled the better part of her life to score a few points for a rare-wrestling gender.

Heslep never got the chance to put points on the board. The sophomore misjudged her shot and Manchester's Anzor Mamiyuk took advantage. A half nelson and pressure on the back of the head took a physical toll on Heslep. She fought it to a stalemate, Mamiyuk maintained his attack and dispatched Heslep with a cradle before the first period was done.

"I wrestled like a little girl out there," Heslep said, admitting the injuries of a year ago started barking again when Mamiyuk got hold of her arms. "But that's no excuse for losing."

In fact, Heslep doesn't accept any brand of losing. While walking back onto the mat was a triumph of sorts, she's not the moral victory type. Heslep prefers reality.

"I'm the first one to say that girls can't wrestle," said the first female to go to the mat for the Thunderbirds. "You've got to want to be a wrestler. You've got to want to be out there, to really compete."

"She's pretty knowledgeable, and she's pretty tough," said first-year Mahwah coach Scott Borer. "She wants to be treated like the guys. She wants to do everything everybody else is doing."

"She's out here to win," said Heslep's father, Mike, who was the first to knee-jerk a "No" when his daughter first lobbied to wrestle. But with Domenique's commitment came dad's support. Even after watching his daughter have her skeleton permanently altered in only her third high school bout, dad didn't rescind her wrestling privileges.

"It never entered my mind; it was up to her," said the elder Heslep, whose youth wrestling career lasted one bout after a flagrant slam knocked him cold. But now that Domenique has invested nine years in the sport, dad has traded cautions for advice, videotaping his daughter's future opponents for scouting purposes.

After winning a spot on the varsity last year, Heslep's tallest hurdles are mostly logistical.

"I weigh in with my singlet on, but a lot of guys wear practically nothing," she said. "So a lot of the referees don't know what to do -- weigh me in first or last or what?" Some problems are of a less mature nature.

"Forfeits happen all the time; there's even one guy who refuses to wrestle me," she said, realizing that wrestling a girl is a no-win proposition for some. A win is matter-of-fact, a loss can be unforgivable. On the occasions that Heslep was matched against another girl, she recalled feeling the pressure. Or else, "Why do we need you if you're not even the best girl?" she said, mimicking a typical reaction. "[Losing to another girl] would get me the same thing a guy gets."

Heslep said that while sensitive areas won't deter her from following a sequence of moves, the male majority usually doesn't have time for such a pursuit.

"The guys don't think about it, like 'What's over here on the chest?' " she laughed. "They're thinking, 'God, I better not lose to this girl.' "

Lanky and blonde, bright, and quick-witted, Heslep has done some modeling and retains an affinity for acting. But despite the sweat and discomforts and of course, the pains, Heslep is still hooked on wrestling. Her goals are to become team captain, and to wrestle for the inaugural Team USA women's wrestling squad at the 2004 Olympics.

"I'll be 18 or maybe 19," she said."It'll be perfect."

Winning or losing, Heslep's approach is practically perfect already.

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FILA announces new weight classes for international wrestling

12/18/2001
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling

FILA, the international wrestling federation, has notified all of the national wrestling federations of the new weight classes for Senior-level international wrestling. These weight classes will be in effect starting January 1, 2002.

Men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling will change to seven weight classes, down one weight class from the previous season.

Women’s freestyle wrestling will increase from six to seven weight classes. Only four of those weight classes will be contested during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

The weight classes for Senior men for all international competitions, including the Olympic Games are:

55 kg (121 lbs.)
60 kg (132 lbs.)
66 kg (145.2 lbs.)
74 kg (162.8 lbs.)
84 kg (184.8 lbs.)
96 kg (211.2 lbs.)
120 kg (264 lbs.)

The weight classes for Senior Women for all international competitions (excluding the Olympics) are:

48 kg (105.6 lbs.)
51 kg (112.2 lbs.)
55 kg (121 lbs.)
59 kg (129.8 lbs.)
63 kg (138.6 lbs.)
67 kg (147.4 lbs.)
72 kg (158.4 lbs.)

The weight classes for Senior Women at the Olympic Games are:

48 kg (105.6 lbs.)
55 kg (121 lbs.)
63 kg (138.6 lbs.)
72 kg (158.4 lbs.)

For both men and women, the lowest weight class was increased and the highest weight class was decreased.

For men, the lowest class moved up from 54 kg to 55 kg, and the highest weight class dropped from 130 kg to 120 kg.

For women, the lowest weight class moved up from 46 kg to 48 kg, and the highest weight class dropped from 75 kg to 72 kg.

FILA also announced that for all other age groups the weight classes will remain the same, except for Junior men (ages 17-20), where the highest weight class will drop to 120 kg.

According to the FILA announcement, “these modifications were obligatory after the IOC’s decisions concerning the wrestling events entered in the programme of the Olympic Games.”

FILA has asked all international federations that are conducting tournaments at the beginning of 2002 to “underline and draw attention of the participating countries on the new weight categories.”

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Tiffany enjoys wrestling

Sarasota Herald-Tribune Co. 12/18/2001

Tiffany Mason, 16, is an ethereal blonde with a competitive edge. She loves
sports, "I like physical activity. My first sport was cheerleading, back
when it was all cute to be one. There we were, all cheering for the boys
basketball team, and I looked over at them playing and thought 'that would
be so much more fun!' That was in seventh grade. By eighth grade I had quit
cheerleading and started playing basketball. I found I was very aggressive.
I got that from my parents. My mom is more into smarts, and my dad was into
sports in high school.
"I played girls' basketball eighth, ninth and 10th grades. I was the
starting point guard at first. A point guard leads off and starts all the
different plays," she said. "I have to be the best at whatever I do. "I'm
also in track and field. I'm a hurdler. I got involved freshman year. I
hurdle the 100-meter and the 300-meter courses. They're two totally
different races. In the 100 meter it's one hurdle after the other. In the
300 meter, they're more spread out. I went to states in ninth grade, and I
placed 12th in the state on the 100 meter," she said with a slight smile. "I
wasn't really content with just one race.
"Last year I ran both the 100-meter and the 300-meter. I placed 12th and
15th in the state. This year I'll be placing a lot better," she said. No
doubt she will. "I gave up basketball this year for wrestling. Wrestling is
a lot more challenging. It challenges your mind. We wrestle guys; they can
be stronger, but when you get the adrenaline going you can prevail!
"I weight lift for strength and endurance. On a regular school day I'm here
by 7 a.m. I usually run a mile or two, then I lift for strength and
endurance. Of course weight lifting is different for a female. The guys get
a lot more cut a lot quicker. I have noticed some differences in my body,
though. When I flex, I can see my neck has gotten a lot stronger," she said.
She turned her head slowly. "And when I'm all stretched and flexed you can
really see the difference.
"I especially practice lots of push-ups and pull-ups. When I started with
wrestling I had no upper-arm strength. At those first practices, I was
getting thrown around a lot by the guys. It was pretty bad. Our coaches were
really good with us. Coach (Mark) Pearcy worked with us a lot. He taught us
all sorts of mind-over-matter techniques." Her gaze was clear and direct,
"Now I know if you just focus your mind, you can do anything.
"As a team we all support each other. We all push each other to work harder,
and that really helps. I like that feeling. It gives me the strength to
maintain what I have and to work harder," she said.
Academically, Tiffany is a standout. Her singular focus stands her in good
stead in the classroom as well as on the playing field. "I'm in honors
classes," she said casually. "I have a 4.0 average. I guess I would have to
say my favorite subjects are English and research; research of any kind. I
no longer have research as a subject, but I really enjoy tracking down the
solution to a problem."
Has she considered a career? "Oh, yes," she smiled, "I'm going to be a
manager of something so I can tell other people what to do!"