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By DWIGHT ESAU
Journal Reporter 10/30/02
Niles has a girls wrestling national champion.
She is Dallas Monreal-Berner, who joins her Team West Wolves kid wrestling club teammates in its first 2002-2003 sign-up day on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at Niles West High School in Skokie.
Monreal-Berner pinned Caitlin Damman of Iowa for the middle school girls national championship in Detroit, Mich. last March.
"It was a great way to end our first season as a team, to have a national champion, right out of the box," said West Wolves coach Joe Ravena. "We also had two state qualifiers in the boys division, considering how young our team was, we did a great job."
The team is open to any boy or girl from first to eighth grade who is interested wrestling, Ravena said. The season runs from November to March, culminating in the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation state championships.
Team West practices at Niles West on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and competitive meets are held on Sundays at various sites in the Chicago area. The Wolves will host a tournament in January or February of 2003.
For more information on this team, contact Ravena or Paul Berner at 847-583-0876.
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October 8, 2002
My name is Chuck Brown, and I am the state director for the Women’s Division of Texas USA Wrestling. In the movie Field of Dreams, they said, "If you build it, they will come." Well, wrestlers, we are building women's wrestling in Texas, and you have answered our call.
My plan for this year is to get as many wrestlers, coaches, parents, and fans excited about women's wrestling as possible. At Junior Nationals in Fargo last summer, we saw just the tip of the iceberg. Texas was well represented, but we can do even better. We need to have our very best representing us in the best tournaments.
Texas has over 130 high schools that have girls wrestling, but we only had 10 girls represent Texas in Fargo. Only three of those girls wrestled in the State Tournament last year. This year we must do much better. The nation is watching us to see how women’s wrestling will continue into the future. Texas is in the forefront of Women's Wrestling in this nation!
Besides sending our girls to Fargo next summer, I want us sending full teams to Michigan and Minnesota to compete in major dual tournaments. I want our best individuals going to Las Vegas in May to the Senior Women's Nationals. I want us coming home with a National Championship next July.
The question is how we do that. We need our women competing in all local tournaments and traveling to wrestle when they can. We need our wrestlers going to Regional Training Centers around the state to train and becoming better. Then, when the call is made, we need to get our teams filled up with the very best.
Besides your seasonal tournaments this year, you need to compete in the Cotton Bowl Classic at the end of December. We are trying to get the best around the country to come to it. There will be more details about this tournament and what we need from you coming soon.
Finally, let me say that I sincerely welcome your comments and feedback. Please contact me at brownch@friscoisd.org with any questions or suggestions you may have, and I will respond as quickly as I can.
I am looking forward to your participation in an exciting season of women’s wrestling.
Regards,
Chuck Brown
Women's State Director
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Title IX celebrates birthday
Leaders recognize bill's impact on women in education, work force
by Luke Staszak, College Writer
October 29, 2002
A celebration held at the state capitol Monday commemorated the thirtieth anniversary of Title IX, the national legislation requiring gender equality in federally funded education programs.
The ceremony included the unveiling of a new photographic exhibit honoring the accomplishments of women in education before and after the establishment of Title IX.
The exhibit was ushered in by some of the leaders in the Wisconsin educational system who spoke about the legislation's history, impact and future.
Title IX, passed in 1972, is known mostly for its impact on the world of intercollegiate athletics.
Because of Title IX, federally funded schools are required to spend an equal amount of money on both women's and men's athletics.
The legislation has been a source of controversy since its inception, because some critics say high-profile sports such as men's football and basketball are arguably more popular and can bring large amounts of revenue to schools.
Elizabeth Burmaster, the state superintendent of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, spoke at Monday's celebration and said many critics of the bill believe that Title IX has more negative than positive effects because it limits men's opportunities in less popular sports such as wrestling.
According to Burmaster, this has caused President Bush's administration to hint at weakening the 1972 law.
Burmaster suggested the Federal Department of Education is using measures such as standardized surveys to prove women's disinterest in sports. She said her disagreement with this type of action stems from her belief that Title IX should be upheld in the future.
"We have to seize this opportunity to renew our commitment to [Title IX]," Burmaster said. "All students should be able to pursue an education that reflects their passion."
Katherine Lyall, president of the University of Wisconsin system, also spoke at the ceremony. She said even though Title IX is known mostly for its impact on the athletic world, it was intended more for the educational system in general.
It wasn't until a 1974 amendment to the original bill was passed that the legislation really affected athletics, Lyall said.
"The purpose of [Title IX] was, and still is, to allow students to pursue any field they want," said Lyall.
Richard Carpenter, president and state director of the Wisconsin Technical College System, also said he thought the bill was important in other areas of education.
"Title IX has leveled the playing field as well as the working field," Carpenter said.
He said that Title IX has provided opportunities for women in fields such as firefighting, medicine, dentistry and law that have been historically dominated by men.
According to Lyall, the new exhibit's intention is to reiterate this idea around Wisconsin.
She said the display would travel around the state throughout the upcoming year to help educate people about the importance of Title IX.
Lyall expressed her satisfaction that Title IX has had such a large impact over the past thirty years and said she is looking forward to the future of the bill.