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The sport has changed, but the love remains

By Sandy Ringer 2/16/03
Seattle Times staff reporter

They wrestled bare-chested in raised boxing rings cheered on by raucous crowds, these boys who soon would fight in Korea.

Headgear was unheard of, cauliflower ear common. A bloody cut went all but unnoticed until the match was over.

Today, high-school wrestling has evolved enormously over the past 50 years into something more refined. Yet in some ways, it still is much the same. Crowds can still be cantankerous. And the sport still demands special dedication and willpower.

"The technique has come miles from where it was ... but you've still got to take the other guy down," Jim Meyerhoff said.

Meyerhoff has experienced many of the changes firsthand at many different levels — as a wrestler and coach in high school and college, and today as an administrator of the sport. He was instrumental in putting together the first Mat Classic in 1989 and joined the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 2½ years ago as an assistant executive director who oversees wrestling.

Most changes have been welcomed. The full nelson and chicken leg were effective, but dangerous holds that are no longer legal. A season that once consisted of a dozen matches has given way to a staggering number of competitions year-round for those who compete in freestyle nationwide. And girls have broken through the stranglehold on the once male-only sport.

One change remains distressing to the wrestling community, however: dwindling opportunities to go on and compete in college. In the 1970s, 18 community colleges and more than a dozen four-year colleges in the state offered wrestling. Today, it's down to two CCs (Highline and Yakima Valley) and two universities (Central Washington and Pacific Lutheran).

"They don't have any place to go (in-state)," said Bill Tomaras, who organized the first state tournament in 1953. "They have to leave."

Because fewer wrestlers go on to compete in college, the number of high-school coaches with college experience is dwindling.

"There are still a lot of high-quality wrestling coaches," said Ron Seibel, in his 27th year as coach at powerhouse Moses Lake, "but we don't have as many."

Still, the sport thrives. The love is still passed from father to son to grandson.

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Athlete Spotlight
All roads lead to the Titan Games for wrestler Sara McMann

By Sara Greenlee // USOC Media Services // Feb. 12, 2003

Usually high school graduation is one of those moments that opens doors to a dream.
But when Sara McMann cracked open the door late in her senior year and saw that she most likely would not be wrestling, she knew she had to reevaluate.

Growing up in Lock Haven, Pa., wrestling was everywhere. The love for it was bred deep into the culture of McMann’s hometown coined Mat Town, USA, and even as a young girl, she couldn’t resist the desire to compete.

When McMann moved to North Carolina and all of her friends were trying out for teams, the most natural option was wrestling. In ninth grade, McMann was the only girl in the state wrestling on a boy’s varsity squad.

“I never did any other sports,” McMann said. “And at that time the feeling in North Carolina was that girls shouldn’t wrestle. But I was so stubborn, I just figured I’d show them, and did it anyway.”

And she did it well. For four years McMann attended McDowell High School, wrestling under Tim Hutchins and placing in many local tournaments against boys. In her senior year, McMann became the 1998 USGWA High School National Champion.

But the forks grow larger in the roads less traveled, and soon McMann had to decide if she could leave her passion behind considering the outlook was bleak for a career in women’s wrestling.

“During my senior year, I didn’t even care about finishing. I had no plans at all for college. But after I graduated, I realized that I wasn’t done with this. I knew that whatever had driven me these four years was still there. And it became the turning point in my career.”

So McMann packed her bags and headed to the University of Minnesota-Morris, where she wrestled under coach Doug Reese.

Moving so far from home, however, wore on McMann and eventually she decided to go back to her roots and back to the town that started it all. By sophomore year, McMann was enrolled at Lock Haven University and accomplishing goals she had only dreamed of.

“You know, I used to believe that home is where the heart is, but recently I’ve realized that I have friends and family in so many different locations, that home is just where you hang your posters.”

Three years later, at age 22, McMann hangs her posters on the walls of the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. She has spent the last month training under Terry Steiner and traveling around the world preparing for the World Championships in September. “To come here and to know that you are being trained to be the best in the world is such a great feeling to me. This is a dream come true.”

The U.S. Olympic Committee and USA wrestling created a year-round resident program for women’s wrestling less than a year ago and already the program, and Steiner in particular, have made substantial differences in the U.S. women’s performances.

“Initially, just getting (Steiner) as a coach was really good for the program. Because even if we didn’t have respect yet, he did, so people would give us the benefit of the doubt through him. But now, after we’ve trained with him. He brings so much more to the technique of the sport.”

Take for instance the fifth annual Dave Schultz international tournament held at the USOC last weekend. Of the seven weight classes that women competed in, five Colorado Springs resident athletes made it to the finals. Of those five, four walked away the champion in their weight class.

McMann was one of them, sweeping the top national and international competitors for her third time in four years. And already she is back on the road competing in the USOC’s first-ever Titan Games, where she is ensured tough competition from Canadian wrestler Trish Leibel.

“Trish is just one of those wrestlers you can never count out. It should be a good match. Honestly, whether I win or loose, the only thing that matters is that I’m learning. Really just being invited to the Titan Games is an honor. With so many combative sports together in one arena, I’m going to feel like a little kid in a candy store. It’s just such an awesome idea.”

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Bel Air girls' wrestler aims to erase last year's disappointment

Ryan Pink 2/19/03
El Paso Times

When Bel Air high wrestler Shuntina Taylor placed fifth in the Region 1-5A tournament last season, she made a swift decision about her disappointing finish -- she wasn't going to let it happen again.

"I was having a great season last year," Taylor said. "It was a big shock for me when I got my butt kicked at regionals, but I just said to myself, 'I refuse to get fifth again.' "

Boasting a 15-2 personal record so far this season after taking first place in District 1-5A for the second consecutive year, Taylor has held strong to the commitment she made to herself last season.

At this year's regional meet on Feb. 7, Taylor qualified for the state tournament in Austin this weekend, making her the first girl from Bel Air to compete at the state level, after finishing second behind a two-time All-American and defending state champion from Amarillo Palo Duro.

"I'm excited about (the state meet)," Taylor said. "I heard we had the toughest region in the state -- I had to work really hard for this. I'm ready to win."

One of only four girls on Bel Air's fledgling girls' wrestling team, Taylor didn't begin wrestling until her sophomore year when the program was introduced. She wrestled at 215 her first season and took the district title for the weight class.

This season, Taylor has only improved, dropping down to the 185 weight class with no problems adjusting as she used her superior strength to outwrestle the quicker girls in the weight class.

Taylor's success isn't isolated to the wrestling mat. The 16-year-old junior is a two-time District 1-5A champion shot putter and a one time district champion discus thrower. She's a member of the drumline in Bel Air's marching band, and an honor-roll student with a 93 grade-point average.

"She's not just a girl wrestler," Bel Air wrestling coach David Pruitt said. "She's a true athlete. She's going to go on to be the best of the best."

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Southwick takes team title; HV's Oxton earns school's first individual crown

By Scott Barrett 2/17/03
North Adams Transcript

Darrow will have to wait one more season to attempt to become the first female to win a WMass title. The 103-pound freshman fell to third seeded Jeremy Wolfe of Mount Everett. Darrow had handily beaten the Eagle freshman a week prior, but couldn't pull out a victory when it mattered most.

"I was a little more nervous this time around," said Darrow, whose only point came on a late stalling call. "I just thought that I could beat him again and got a little worked up about it. This is a disappointment, but I'll be ready next year."

Wolfe never trailed in the match and proved to the more aggressive wrestler. After a long neutral sequence where the wrestlers struggled for position, Wolfe finally took a 2-0 lead with a takedown. A scoreless second period left Wolfe down to start the final stanza where he reversed for a 4-0 lead.

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Gender rolls
Wrestler's run proof girls can play

By Matthew Kredell
Staff Writer 2/14/03

LANCASTER -- Rene Mortensen's father held his foot down as long as he could. Ultimately, however, he found out what Golden League wrestlers went on to discover this season: She's not an easy girl to pin.

Finally allowed to wrestle against the boys, Mortensen, from Lancaster High, surprised even herself. She is the first girl out of the Golden League to qualify for the Southern Section individual championships, which will be next weekend at Ayala High in Chino Hills.

"My dad never let me wrestle before, so I was happy just to be out there," Mortensen said. "I never thought I would make it this far. To make it this far is awesome."

Mike Mortensen had valid concerns. His three sons had wrestled, but a daughter in a male sport is different.

"Just the idea of a young man and woman wrestling still bothers me a little," Mike said. "When they wrestle, you know, their hands are everywhere. When she is out there, she really isn't worrying about where their hands are because she's thinking about her next move. But, when you're sitting in the stands watching, you see it."

With Rene entering her senior year, Mike decided she was old enough to make her own decision. She had been the team manager since she was a freshman.

Incidental touching has not been a problem for Mortensen. She recognizes it as a part of what she was taking on when she chose to pursue the sport.

"My teammates sometimes notice it and they get upset, but I'm so into the match that I don't even feel if they grab me or do something inappropriate," Mortensen said. "And I don't think they even realize it because they're wrestling. Once the match is going, they don't even notice I'm a girl."

Opponents have much more to worry about when facing Mortensen, which wasn't the case early in the season. She thought wrestling would come easily because she had been around it all her life.

"She had been around her brothers for so long that she knew the moves," Lancaster coach Pat Hayhurst said. "She knew what things looked like from the sidelines. She even helped me coach a little bit. When she got out there, she realized it was a lot harder to do the moves than to call out them."

The biggest difference was in strength. Basic physiology shows men have a higher potentiality for strength than women. Add that Mortensen weighs 98 pounds -- at least five less than most of her male competitors in the 103-pound weight class -- and she faces a disadvantage.

"I was reading an article a while ago in which there was a comparison that a girl wrestling a guy is like a guy wrestling a gorilla," Mortensen said. "It was a good comparison, whether guys believe it or not."

She learned to overcome the strength difference by being quicker and not letting them get her into position to use strength moves.

But it took time. She struggled early in the season and wasn't expected to qualify for the Southern Section finals. She beat three guys, including two who had defeated her earlier, to finish third at the Golden League finals last week. The top three advanced.

"I didn't know if she was going to have a shot," Hayhurst said. "To be honest with you, I thought she had the desire but just didn't have the strength and ability to beat the boys she did. Everyone was very pleasantly surprised and excited for her. When her finish was announced, there was a long round of applause, not just from us but from fans of all schools."

There are three other female wrestlers in the Golden League, but they are more of the token variety. Mortensen was more than a contributor to her team; she was one of only four Lancaster wrestlers to qualify for the postseason.

"It's definitely pretty cool," Highland wrestler Evan Salas said. "Our girls work pretty hard. I know she does, too, and she deserves to be there."

Mortensen earned respect from opposing wrestlers and coaches.

"She's a tough girl and a tough wrestler," Highland coach Mike Young said. "She's not one you can take for granted. She certainly isn't a token win. Make no mistake, she'll get you. She's aggressive, and she goes right after people. She's a gutty performer and doesn't quit."

Rene is the second Mortensen to qualify for the Southern Section individuals. Her brother, Jesse, who is serving a Mormon mission in the Dominican Republic, went on to Masters as a wrestler at Lancaster in 2000.

Jesse didn't want his sister to wrestle. When he found out she was, he told her she had better make him proud.

"The whole season was to basically show my brother that I could do it and live up to his name," Rene said. "I told him via e-mail, and he sent one back saying, 'I guess there's a little Mortensen in your blood because you're good at wrestling and that's what Mortensens do.' "

Mortensen hopes the publicity from beating the boys will help her get a scholarship to a college that has a women's wrestling program. First, she plans to attend Antelope Valley College and to continue wrestling freestyle.

Her ultimate goal is to make the Olympics. Women's wrestling is just starting as an Olympic sport, with the first competition in 2004.

She will have another opportunity for exposure next weekend, against some of the toughest guys she will have faced.

"I'm a little apprehensive," Mortensen said. "I know I probably won't make it too far. I'm sure guys I go up against are going to be going like, 'Oh, they threw me an easy one.' I want to prove them wrong. I want to show that girls aren't so easy."

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