News Page

Just one of the guys

January 10, 2003

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

Ninety Six freshmen Ashley Boswell, left, and Casey Edmunds, right, warm up before a dual match against Emerald. Boswell and Edmunds are two of three girls wrestling on high school teams in Greenwood County.

NINETY SIX — When Ashley Boswell and Casey Edmunds stake the mat, all they want is to be regarded as one of the guys.
Boswell and Edmunds, both freshmen at Ninety Six High School, are the first girls to compete for the Wildcats wrestling team.
So far this season, the pair already has achieved the goal of acceptance from their teammates and coach.
“I think to people on the outside they are just girls on our team, but to the team they are just one of us,” said senior Sam Johansen, Ninety Six’s team captain.
Andy Schuster, a sophomore, echoes his teammate’s sentiment.
“They’re fellow Wildcats wrestlers,” Schuster said. “There’s no difference between them and us.”
Both girls said that welcomed attitude has made the adjustment easier for them to work in that previously unfamiliar world.
“They treat us like we’re one of them,” Boswell said. “They support us in ways that help us when we’re out there wrestling, helping us get better. They have always supported us one hundred percent.”
Boswell and Edmunds aren’t the only girls hitting the wrestling mats this winter. Greenwood sophomore Alison Mays is in her first year on the Eagles’ wrestling squad.
The Ninety Six pair each had their own motivations for wanting to be a part of the team.
Edmunds looked at it as a chance to try something new.
However, it was something a little different for Boswell.
“I’ve had people tell me I couldn’t do it,” she said. “So I intended to do it because they told me I couldn’t.”
Boswell and Edmunds originally began the practice season as a trio along with Sarah Cameron.
But Cameron left the team because her parents were concerned with injuries she could suffer, Ninety Six coach Brian Neal said.
Neal was open to the idea of the girls becoming members of the Wildcats’ squad. One advantage – as things have worked out – was it gave him the opportunity to fill two previously empty weight classes.
Neal placed Boswell in the 112-pound weight division and Edmunds in 125, which is one weight class higher than she should be. Sophomore Jordan Galphin wrestles at 119 for Ninety Six.
But before they could get started, the coach said he wanted to make sure there was an understanding between him and the girls and their families.
“I wanted them to know and their parents to know that they’re going to be treated like everyone else,” the coach said. “They weren’t going to get any special treatment.”
Johansen expressed a similar concern early on about the two girls involvement on the team. However, his interest had more to do with they had on the inside, namely their heart, than what differences they had on the outside.
“I wasn’t sure about their work ethic,” the senior said. “That was my first concern, and that’s not just a girl-thing. Anytime you have somebody new come out, you wonder if they have the right work ethic to do what it takes – whether they’re out there for fun or to get the job done.”
Johansen said that Boswell and Edmunds – win or lose – have more than lived up to the status of what it takes to be a member of the Ninety Six wrestling team.
The two have competed in four matches this season, with Boswell receiving a forfeit the only win for the two. That came in the Wildcats’ season opener against Woodmont.
It was a bittersweet victory for Boswell, who said she would rather have had the opportunity to wrestle against someone than win by forfeit.
It’s that kind of attitude that Neal sees as a major positive as the girls progress and develop in the sport.
“Both of them always want to know how they can improve,” Neal said. “They have a good attitude and want to learn. I don’t think they’re backing down in any way. I think they’re out there to try to win.”
The two girls are not afraid to go to any member of the team for advice or encouragement. During both practices and matches, they will go up and down the line getting instructions on how best to handle their upcoming bout, from technique to strategy.
“I’ve helped her (Boswell) with some moves,” Schuster said. “I don’t have any problems in showing them anything, because in my first year I needed people to show me some things.”
One of the things Johansen is trying to instill in Boswell and Edmunds, outside of the on-the-mat training, is making sure they understand the importance of being a trailblazer, of sorts, for girls in this sport.
“They’re setting the standard for other girls around here,” Johansen said. “They’re the first girls to come on our team. If they came out and slacked off, then that would be what people would see of girls as wrestlers. If they came out and worked real hard, then they’d say ‘Wow, they’ve done really well.’”
It is a responsibility that both freshmen are slowly grasping.
“We’re the first girl wrestlers at Ninety Six and that’s a real privilege right there,” Edmunds said.
Mays isn’t treading any new ground at Greenwood. While being the only female member, she is continuing in the footsteps of Crystal Livingston, who, as a senior, was a member of the Eagles’ 2001-02 team.
“When I heard she had wrestled last year, I thought ‘if she could wrestle then I can,’” Mays said. “Being a girl shouldn’t stop you from doing anything you want to do.”
Greenwood wrestling coach Mike Clowney said Livingston not only opened the door for Mays to walk through, she also made it easier for the male members of his team to get used to having a girl as a teammate.
“With her (Livingston) coming out last year, a lot of the guys were a little more comfortable working with Alison,” the coach said. “So, it wasn’t that big of a deal for them.”
Despite the fact that her teammates were more prepared for her addition to the squad, it wasn’t necessarily an easy transition for Mays, who plays varsity tennis and soccer for Greenwood. Getting used to being the odd one out took some time for her.
“At first, it was really awkward,” she said. “I felt out of place as the only girl, but as it has gone on I feel just like any of the other guys do.”
Mays, unlike Boswell and Edmunds, has not competed in a varsity match so far in the season, because of the depth of the team at her 160 weight class. She has wrestled in two preliminary matches, lasting into the second period both times before being pinned.

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

Grappling with girls hardly seems sporting

January 10, 2003 Times Herald-Record

Matt Faye had never faced a wrestling opponent like this.
The Washingtonville sophomore stood toe-to-toe with Lauren Michaud of Liberty in a 125-pound exhibition match. Faye tried to pretend he was wrestling just another boy.
It wasn't working. Faye was cautious and gentle with his female opponent. He was extra careful where he put his hands.
"I didn't want to do any moves that made her feel uncomfortable," Faye said. "I stayed away from (her chest and groin)."
Michaud came out fighting, forcing Faye to get a little physical. Finally, Faye cradled Michaud and pinned her. The match was over in 58 seconds. Faye's reluctance to immediately overpower Michaud is not the stance most boys take when wrestling girls. Guys want to end matches as soon as possible to avoid any humiliation.
It's a no-win situation.
A boy losing to a girl in wrestling would be the laughingstock of the school. Rough her up, and he's a bully - who was supposed to win.
Wrestling is not tennis. It's not even football. It's one-on-one, close-contact warfare. Body parts intertwine.
Teen-aged girls and boys should not be wrestling each other.
Many boys show no mercy for their female opponents, coming at them with everything they've got. Most, however, are not brought up to behave that way. They are taught to respect girls and not be physical with them.
That thinking is altered when a boy's reputation is at stake.
"If a boy loses, he's a wimp," said Kingston coach Tony Yonta. "If he wins, it's no big deal. He beat a girl."
Girls rarely beat boys at the varsity level. Two Liberty girls have won a total of seven matches in six combined years of competition.
Only one of 10 local coaches polled supports girls wrestling boys.
It is Carmine Serra, Faye's coach at Washingtonville.
Serra has three daughters. He doesn't believe they will end up wrestling.
"But I don't want anyone to tell my daughters that they can't do something they are allowed to do," Serra said.
High schools in New York are required to allow girls to participate on boys' teams if a similar sport is not offered to girls.
Male opponents are not the only ones skittish about female wrestlers. Coaches are reluctant to show moves hands-on to their female wrestlers.
Imagine the awkwardness.
Females are making strides in wrestling. Hawaii and Texas have girls' high school championships. Participation is on the rise. There are 3,405 female wrestlers competing, according to a recent National Federation of High School Associations survey.
Women's wrestling will debut at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
But it will be woman vs. woman. And that's the way it should be.

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

Fearless girls just wanna pin someone

WASHINGTONVILLE: They dismiss all the reasons why they shouldn't wrestle, and still put in long hours of hard work in the hope that one day they might be able to 'beat a boy.'

By Sal Interdonato 1/10/03
Times Herald-Record
sinterdonato@th-record.com

How does it feel to get constantly slapped in the face by an opponent?
Ask Liberty junior Lauren Michaud.
An Albany boy was doing just that in a recent match.
Michaud kept coming at the boy. His behavior incited her. It drives her to keep wrestling.
Michaud has heard all the reasons why girls shouldn't wrestle guys.
It's not ladylike. She can get hurt. She's on the team just to be around guys.
"That motivates me," Michaud said. "(Guys) feel like they are wrestling a girl and, of course, they are going to win. When I lose, I get mad. I want to prove them wrong and show them a girl can wrestle."
Michaud is one of five known girl wrestlers on 22 varsity teams in Section 9.
Five boys have quit the Liberty wrestling team this season, Michaud said.
She and her teammate, Andrea Stabak, a senior, have stuck around for their third varsity season.
They compare bruises. They share injury stories.
Michaud's nose has been bloodied. Stabak hyperextended her left arm, causing her to miss most of her junior year.
Stabak almost didn't come out this season. Something drew her back.
"It's really fun," said Stabak, who competes at 145 or 152 pounds.
"I couldn't imagine myself without it now. I just have a sense of pride that I'm wrestling. So many people have come up and congratulated me."
Pine Bush senior Jeanette Valastro likes the physical nature of the sport.
If an opponent slaps at Valastro, she'll slap back. Valastro can take the pain.
She took 17 stitches to her forehead after a fall wrestling a boy at home.
Valastro said she has wrestled in about two dozen matches. She is winless.
"I hope to win a match one day," Valastro said. "Maybe that's why I keep doing it. I want to beat a boy. It's a constant battle. It's the only sport where it's you against the other person."
Whether Valastro achieves her first win or not, she's sticking out her second season. That's more than some guys can say.
And girls like Valastro, Michaud and Stabak are earning respect from some wrestling fans.
"You did awesome," said one Washingtonville wrestling fan after the Liberty girls' matches Tuesday.
"I don't even know who that lady was," Stabak said.

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

SGP senior wrestler makes up for lost time

By Heidi Pederson Star-Telegram Staff Writer 1/9/03

South Grand Prairie senior Daisy Callado was finished wrestling by this time last season, but not by choice.

Callado, who is 24-3 this season, tore a ligament in her left knee in a tournament in December 2001. After reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation, Callado is back and on track to challenge for a state title.

Callado won the girls 112-pound class of the Lone Star Duals on Saturday at South Grand Prairie High School. She beat Lamar's Brandi Brown, who had beaten her earlier in the season 11-2 in the final.

"I thought it was going to be much harder to get back in shape," Callado said. "I think I've come back so well because the coaches train us like dogs over here."

South Grand Prairie coach Mike Eaton said Callado is having the success she deserves after being one of his most dedicated wrestlers for four years.

"She's missed maybe one or two practices in four years now, including when she was rehabbing," he said. "Of my boys and girls alike, her technique is probably as good as anybody's."

Eaton said Callado, who has wrestled in the boys division at the Oklahoma Open for the past two years, has the talent to win a state title this year in what would be her first state tournament.

"She just needs to stay solid," he said. "She'll try to push things too much. She'll be winning a match and she'll try to go for the kill. There are times when you want them to be smart."

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

Girls Ranking Report

Posted on: 12/26/02

Tournament Team Rankings-
1 - Amarillo Caprock
2 - Katy
3 - Amarillo Palo Duro
4 - Arlington Sam Houston
5 - El Paso Hanks
6 - Amarillo Tascosa
7 - Hereford
8 - Houston Lee
9 - El Paso Montwood
10 - South Grand Priarie

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

95-
1 - Stormy Grear - (Amarillo Palo Duro) - 12
2 - Melissa Terry - (Katy) - 11
3 - Crystal Valdez - (Caprock high school) - 10
4 - Mariana Chavira - (El Paso Montwood) -
5 - Brittany Kimbell - (Frisco) - 10

102-
1 - Erica Stewart - (Amarillo) -
2 - Jennifer Brantley - (Amarillo Tascosa) - 12
3 - Angela Diaz - (Amarillo Tascosa?) -
4 - Crystal Molinar - (South Grand Prairie) - 10
5 - Tashia Lewis - (Arlington Sam Houston) -
6 - Lindsey Bohensky - (Amarillo Caprock) - 10
7 - Maria Salis - (Houston Lee) -
8 - Marisol Chavira - (El Paso Montwood) -
9 - Staci McCallum - (Arlington Lamar) -
10 - Jasmie Flores - (Frisco) -

110-
1 - Daisy Callado - (South Grand Prairie) -
2 - Brandi Brown - (Arlington Lamar) - 12
3 - Andrea Hurtado - (Colleyville) - 12
4 - Angel Diaz - (Amarillo Tascosa) -
5 - Tina Chiavarria - (El Paso Hanks) -
6 - Alicia Phillips - (Amarillo Caprock) - 11
7 - Lilli Cortez - (Amarillo) -
8 - Brittany Owens - (Amarillo Palo Duro) - 10
9 - Chelsea Coralelli - (Amarillo Caprock?) -
10 - Semaj Langston - (Arlington Sam Houston) -

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

Sierra's tense victory helps Rebels finish sweep of AHS

By John Kaltefleiter 1/8/03
jkaltefleiter@amarillonet.com

Elliot Sierra had one of those nights Tuesday, and it's one that he'll want to keep in his memory bank for a while.

Supercharged by the sophomore's extra-round 3-1 victory against Amarillo High's Michael Vigil in the 125-pound weight division, Tascosa handed the Sandies their first boys' wrestling dual defeat of the season with a 41-34 victory at the Tascosa Gymnasium.

In the girls' dual, the Lady Rebels defeated Amarillo High 34-9.

Sierra, who managed a superb takedown with seven seconds remaining in the fourth round of his match with Vigil, was recognized as the dual's top performer.

"That was my toughest match this year by far," said a fatigued Sierra after a match that lasted nearly 20 minutes. "He was a good wrestler, and we're pretty evenly matched."

Sierra's victory capped the most compelling and competitive match of the night as he and Vigil battled until Sierra managed to capitalize on a slight miscue by Vigil.

The first round started rather harmlessly, with both grapplers sizing up each another and vying to exploit weaknesses. Sierra finally notched the first point in the middle of the second round for a 1-0 lead. But just when it appeared Sierra had control, Vigil forced the sophomore into an illegal hand-locking move and tied it at 1 with less than five seconds remaining in the third period.

Exhausted but poised to avoid a second overtime, Sierra won the match in the next round when he pulled off a two-point takedown and sent the overflow crowd of mostly Tascosa fans into a frenzy.

"That was a great match. Amarillo High is our rival, and this is our biggest win of the year so far," Sierra said.

Amarillo High coach Gregg Clear, whose team managed four pins and three decisions, said the Sandies weren't prepared for the dual, primarily because of the holiday break.

"You want to know what the problem was? We had practices during the Christmas break and our kids went on vacations," said Clear, who saw his Sandies close to within a pin of tying the match at 24.

"If they go to practice, they win this dual."

Longtime Tascosa coach Johnny Cobb said Sierra's win, coupled with Josh Seth's victory in the 160-pound division, proved to be the difference.

"They were really the turning points of that dual tonight," said Cobb, who watched Seth erase an 8-3 deficit against Amarillo High's Chase Douthen, tie the match and eventually pin his opponent with seven seconds remaining in the second period. "These are two of the kids that aren't known statewide. They made all the difference in the dual. Both of them had to reach down deep and really find out what they were made of."

Tuesday's dual featured a bevy of state-ranked wrestlers, including Amarillo High's Nathan Fox (heavyweight) and Tascosa's Sean Kelley (171).

The most anticipated match of the night between Sandie junior Adam Baker and Tascosa junior Kirk Robinson, in the 189-pound division, lived up to expectations. Baker landed a two-point reversal late in the third round to secure a 2-0 decision.

In the girls' dual, Tascosa won all but one match. The Lady Rebels' Joy Tucker, Maggie Parker, Jennie Ziegler and Tamron Johnson recorded on-mat wins.

Amarillo High's Hannah Skinner beat Tamica Jules 6-4 in the 148-pound division in the final match of the girls' dual.

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

* Two VHS wrestlers earn tourney titles

Tuesday, January 7, 2003

From Register Staff

STOCKTON -- The Vintage High girls wrestling team continued its season at the Lady Viking Open here Saturday.

The Crushers had two champions in the event hosted by Edison High. Jessica Hsieh continued her undefeated season, winning the title at 104 pounds, and Nicole Mazzaferro claimed gold at 130 pounds.

Kayla Chambers (126) placed second, Diana Douglas (160) took third, and earning fourth-place awards were Michelle Querin and Ashley Arnold.

Next Saturday Vintage will take part in Southern California's biggest girls tournament, the Williams Cup, named after world medalist Shannon Williams.

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

Starved for success: Hayes wrestles with a weight problem

By Peter Munro
January 10 2003

Suellyn Hayes, 18, was heavier than she realised - 57.8 kilograms. Too heavy for the weight limit on her preferred division in female wrestling. "I think it may have been the yoghurt I had for breakfast, and the pear," she said.

That was 10am yesterday. There would be many more trips to the scales before the official 6pm weigh-in for the 56kg division for freestyle wrestling at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival. But no more food.

For the next hour she ran around the Ann Clarke Netball Centre at Lidcombe, dressed in heavy trackpants and jacket. Round and round, sometimes stopping to jog on the spot. One shirt was soaked through and replaced. "The sweat stops you from perspiring more," explained her coach, Luba Hofr.

Hayes cooled off with a few mouthfuls of water and no more, nor food, until the weigh-in.

She was confident of making the division. "It's easy to lose weight," she said. "It's not that hard because mainly it's just body fluid that you're losing."

Hayes once lost 4kg in half a day. "I had to sit in a sauna for an hour, wearing a leotard, and keep wiping off the sweat with a towel. There were other people in there wearing beanies," she said.

That was for the national wrestling championships last February, which Hayes won in three separate age categories, including senior. She has been national champion in her age group since 1999 and in May was also crowned Oceania champion on the island of Palau.

"It's her determination," said Hofr. "She listens and she's got great flexibility that has got her out of tight situations."

Hofr arrived back at the netball centre for the official weigh-in with food for after; two sandwiches piled high with ham.

He has been Hayes's coach since she started wrestling five years ago. Hayes, a former National Indigenous Sportswoman of the Year, said she started wrestling as a way of getting out of maths class at school in Adelaide, but later found she enjoyed competing. "You know it's just you out there," she said. "I'm not very much into team sports. With wrestling you know it's you when you've done it. It's a really good feeling."

Hayes is one of about 30 female wrestlers in Australia, and will compete today and tomorrow at the netball centre against wrestlers from China, Chinese Taipei and New Zealand.

Female wrestling will be included in the Olympics for the first time in Athens. It is a popular sport in Eastern Europe and parts of Asia. But not Australia.

Hofr blames this on the professional ham-acting sport of the World Wrestling Federation.

"WWF is the enemy," he said. "Once a girl says 'I want to do wrestling', her mum goes 'oh no, you don't want to look like a monster."'

Hayes returned at 4pm. She was stripped down to a leotard and socks and smiling as she walked up to the scales for an early weigh. The scales weren't sure; reading 55.95, then 56, then back again. "They are so sensitive, even the humidity can affect them," Hofr said. Either way it seemed Hayes was in.

Hofr was practical about the alternative. "She would have had to run around until the official weigh-in to lose the weight."

Hayes just wanted something to drink, but she had to wait for another two hours. When 6pm came she was officially registered at 55.80kg.

The wrestling competition starts at 10am today. Other highlights include track cycling at the Dunc Gray Velodrome in Bankstown, and artistic gymnastics and 100m freestyle swimming at Homebush Bay.

TODAY'S EVENTS

Archery: Archery Park, Homebush Bay

Athletics: Sydney Athletics Centre, Homebush Bay

Badminton: Sydney Indoor Sports Centre, Homebush Bay

Canoe/Kayak: Sydney International Regatta Centre, Penrith

Cycling (track): Dunc Gray Velodrome, Bass Hill

Fencing: Ann Clarke Netball Centre, Lidcombe

Gymnastics (artistic): State Sports Centre, Homebush Bay

Softball: Blacktown Olympic Park, Blacktown

Swimming: Sydney Aquatic Centre, Homebush Bay

Table Tennis: Sydney Indoor Sports Centre, Homebush Bay

Taekwondo: Sydney Indoor Sports Centre, Homebush Bay

Water polo: Sydney Aquatic Centre, Homebush Bay

Wrestling: Ann Clarke Netball Centre, Lidcombe

Ticket information: www.olympics.com.au

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

HOME