News Page
Lady Bulldogs pin Katy, Westside in matches
By: December 07, 2001
HOUSTON - Two state ranked teams and two of the top teams in the Houston
area squared off Wednesday night at Westside High School.
In the Women's Division, the No. 8 state ranked Waller Lady Bulldogs defeat
the No. 4 ranked Katy Lady Tigers 24-18 and the Lady Bulldogs also defeated
Westside 36-6.
Winning matches were Chrystina Less, Tasha Mueller, Marie Kristoff, Marissa
Vigil, Amber Hicks and Jennifer Martin, all by pin.Bulldog Men
In men's results the Katy Tigers defeated Waller 36-30, Kinkaid School won
over the Bulldogs 57-14 and Westside defeated Waller 66-20.
The Bulldogs held tough even with lopsided scores as Kinkaid and Westside
started with 42 points because of forfeits Waller had due to no wrestlers in
certain weight classes.
Winning matches were Bulldog wrestlers Bobby Powers, Nate Soknich, David
Shultz, Daniel Morales, Brandon Bridges, and Jeff Armstrong.
Next matches are Thursday, Dec 6, at Katy Taylor and Dec 7 at Waller Jr.
High gym vs. Cy-Fair.
-----------------------------------------------------
Lady Bulldogs pin Katy, Westside in matches
HOUSTON -12/7/2001
Two state ranked teams and two of the top teams in the Houston area squared
off Wednesday night at Westside High School.
In the Women's Division, the No. 8 state ranked Waller Lady Bulldogs defeat the
No. 4 ranked Katy Lady Tigers 24-18 and the Lady Bulldogs also defeated Westside 36-6.
Winning matches were Chrystina Less, Tasha Mueller, Marie Kristoff, Marissa Vigil,
Amber Hicks and Jennifer Martin, all by pin.
-----------------------------------------------------
Shooter, Wrestler, Honor Society: Teen Does It All
By Harold Smith 12/20/2001
For the Journal
Heather Kaiser is an all-around, all-American supergirl.
Let's count the ways the La Cueva senior fits that bill.
* Kaiser began her athletic career in gymnastics as a pre-schooler, and later played volleyball and basketball at a Texas middle school. After volleyball, she'd change clothes and go to the football game to fulfill her cheerleading duties.
* Now 18, Kaiser is a champion shooter on her junior ROTC air-rifle team, and she's a state placer and school record holder in the pole vault. She's wrestled for the Bears since she was a sophomore.
* Described by her father, Gerald, as a military brat, Kaiser was born in Florida. Gerald is from Kansas, and Heather's mother, Terri, is a New Yorker. Terri and Gerald met in Louisiana.
* Heather's dad is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, her mom a reserve Navy commander. Heather, a cadet major in LCHS' Marine Corps JROTC, has been accepted by West Point pending her graduation and passing medical exams and a background check.
* Finally, the 5-foot, 6-inch athlete is a member of the student senate and the National Honor Society, is a Key Club leader and was on La Cueva's homecoming court.
"We're so excited for her," says Kaiser's mother. "She's worked so hard to be where she's at. She plays the piano and the cello, too."
To which her daughter responds: "Mommmmmm."
But Heather's mother, being a mom, is persistent.
"I did have her in ballet when she was five," Terri says. "But she didn't like ballet."
Concerned about maintaining a good grade-point average, Kaiser knows when her plate is full.
"I did quit volleyball this year," Kaiser says. "I had played it for three years. The major (retired Marine Bill Barker, her shooting coach) said I should cut back. He's like another dad."
Kaiser was her JROTC unit's cadet commander. Her current billet is unit liaison officer.
"She leads by example, and she's not bossy," says Barker. "She encourages people to work together."
Barker says La Cueva leads the nation's public high schools in military academy nominations.
Learning to truly focus is what Kaiser has gained from her shooting endeavors. She was the top female at the 2000 New Mexico International (off-hand) Championships, where she scored a 372 out of a possible 400, and she was on the 2000 state-champion precision air-rifle team.
Kaiser also was part of the Bears' 2000 team that finished fifth in the sporter division at the National Junior Olympics Air-Rifle Championships in Atlanta. She qualified for the American Legion National Marksmanship Tournament at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
"It's helped me with concentration," Kaiser says. "It takes a lot of focus. I use it for other things, like pole vault."
Speaking of the pole vault, Kaiser says she hopes to rebound from last season's state meet, at which she "no-heighted." In 2000, she cleared 9-6 for a school record to help her team take the state track-and-field title. She cleared the bar at the winner's height but finished second because of more misses.
"I have to get my form better," Kaiser says. "And I have to run faster, take longer steps. I need to focus."
But Kaiser says there's always someone waiting in the wings.
"I've already gotten threats from my teammates: 'Heather, I'm going to beat that record,'" she says.
Kaiser is spending a lot of time in the Bears' wrestling room now. She's on the junior varsity roster.
"This year, I've practiced with the JV, but I've been wrestling with the 'C' team," Kaiser says. "I really haven't been doing very well."
With her successes, it's curious why she would continue wrestling.
"There's several reasons why I wrestle," she says. "When I first did it, it was a challenge. There were some who came up to me and said, 'Girls shouldn't do this.' So, I decided to stay and do it. It's a hard sport to do. Even if I'm not the best at it, I still try to do my best."
Over the years, her teammates have come to accept her.
"She's incredible," says Kevin Goulding, one of her JV practice partners. "She works harder than anyone I've ever seen. And she goes to all the pole-vault events and wrestling matches, even if she's not competing, so she can learn."
Kaiser's homecoming court selection does contrast with what some consider her male-oriented athletic activities.
"I didn't think I was going to get it," she says. "I did feel out of place a little bit. I mean, I usually go to school in sweatpants and a sweater."
Kaiser is excited about West Point, but she's keeping her options open. She's considering a major in international relations.
"I like the dealing with people part," Kaiser says. "It's like the situations in Uganda and the Congo. That really interests me."
-------------------------------------------------
Quiñonez a cut above
Pablo Villa
Special to the Times 12/20/2001
Kim Quiñonez found it necessary to cut her own hair once in her life.
In the waning moments before the Texas State Wrestling Regional Tournament last January, the Hanks standout shredded strands of buoyant brown locks in an attempt to shed four-tenths of a pound of body weight, a feat necessary to make the eligible weight for the tournament. She failed at the task, and has vowed to never do either one again.
"I had to make weight," Quiñonez said of her frantic behavior last year. "I was so disappointed when it happened. I will never do that again."
And she hasn't. The junior phenom has excelled on the mat this season, going undefeated through four tournaments and duels. And if that's not impressive enough, Quiñonez has done it all while moving up two weight classes. But the demeanor of the stout fireplug is unflappable in the 128-pound class.
"The girls are bigger," Quiñonez said. "I have to work a lot harder on technique. I have to lift and run harder in practice also."
The work is paying off. And Quiñonez can credit that to her didactic coach, who sees remnants of another member of the Quiñonez family, Katherine, who won the state title last year, in the determined youngster.
"She hasn't lost so far this year," Hanks coach Anthony Carter said. "She really is an inspiration. She's picking up right where her sister left off. She so dedicated and works really well with the other girls. She's definitely one of the team role models."
Her stringent work ethic will be needed in the next few months as a tournament in hostile Caprock and the ballyhooed Bowie Tournament will test her true merit at the 128-pound class. But Quiñonez is undeterred, seeing every new face as just another opponent.
"A lot of people think I'm my sister when they wrestle me," Quiñonez said. "They compare me to her a lot here. But when I face someone, I think I can beat them. If I can just work on technique and doing good on the mat, then I have a chance. I want to go to state this year."
To do that, she would have to have a flawless performance in the regional round, an arena she didn't even get to touch last year.
"I saw so much disappointment when she missed weight," Carter said. "She had worked so hard. I can't put into words how I felt. But it spawned this big fire. She has a little revenge thing going into this year. It was a big learning process for her that made her a better wrestler."
That statement alone is cause for frayed minds. Many saw Quiñonez simply overpower her opponents last season. And even when someone put up a fight, Quiñonez just went harder. Carter says that she has added a new ingredient to her mat habits that makes her all the more dangerous.
The success Quiñonez encounters this season will only be a catalyst for further accolades next year. Quiñonez plans to drop to the 119-pound class next year to close out her career. And her smarts in the classroom ensure that she'll be successful in the future, even if wrestling ceases to be a part of her. Quiñonez is an A-B honor student and has applied to numerous colleges. She hopes to attend UT-Austin in hopes of becoming a veterinarian. She has decided to leave the hairdressing to others.
"You can tell it's bad," she said while clutching a fist of hair. "I haven't cut it since the (regional) tournament."
------------------------------------------------
Ready for a challenge: wrestler searches for test
Brettman has found winning matches to be easy this season
12/22/2001
By RICK KRETZSCHMAR / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
Sam Houston wrestler Ember Brettman said she doesn't smile as much as she used to. It's not that she's not happy, but there are other emotions she's dealing with.
"I guess I am more competitive than I used to be, and I'm bored, too," Brettman said. "It's more boredom than anything else."
Brettman is bored because so far she hasn't been challenged. She's 9-0 with nine first-round pins. Three good-sized tournaments – the Sam Houston Invitational and tournaments at Lake Highlands and Martin – have failed to challenge her.
Sam Houston will make a trip to Amarillo in January, but Brettman already has faced wrestlers from Amarillo schools Palo Duro and Caprock this season. Brettman said her best challenge for awhile could be Saturday. The wrestling team was scheduled to leave Arlington at 2:30 a.m. for a day-long tournament in Bryan, Texas, which begins at 7 a.m.
"I'll find out if there is any competition down south," Brettman said. "If there's nobody tough there, I don't think it will be tough until the state tournament."
Brettman finished third at the state tournament at 185 pounds last season, but she wrestled up a weight class to help her team. She is wrestling at 165 pounds this season, which is close to her current weight of 160.
Brettman said her time at the 185-pound weight class taught her to improve her technique and speed because she couldn't pick up some of her opponents.
Brettman also has stayed sharp by wrestling up to five other Sam Houston girls in practices. This includes Glory Dalton, who has lost one match at 138 pounds this season, and heavier wrestlers such as Nicole Reyes (185) and Monica Coleman (215).
"It's good when I wrestle Glory because she knows my moves and I have to think of other ways to beat her," Brettman said. "Nicole Reyes and Monica Coleman are so strong, I can't pick them up either."
Brettman said she is anxious to win a state title, which brings a smile back to her face. She said she would appreciate it more because she hasn't won one yet, finishing third at 148 pounds in 1999 as well.
But the prospect of living up to her own goal makes Brettman's smile vanish again.
"I wouldn't be devastated if I didn't win a state title, but I would be very disappointed," Brettman said.