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Kahuku's Elizabeth Torres |
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Byers, George and the Sunkist Kids recognized as 2002 USOC Athletes and Team of the Year
3/13/2003
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) has honored its 2002 Wrestling Male and Female Athletes of the Year, as well as its Wrestling Team of the Year.
Receiving the Male Athlete of the Year is 2002 World Greco-Roman champion Dremiel Byers (Fort Carson, Colo./U.S. Army). The Female Athlete of the Year is 2002 World silver medalist Tina George(Fort Carson, Colo./U.S. Army). The 2002 Wrestling Team of the Year is the Sunkist Kids club. All three are winning the award for the first time.
Each year the USOC recognizes the top male, top female and top team as selected by their respective member organizations. The names of the athletes and teams are placed on voting ballots used to select the USOC SportsMan, SportsWoman and overall Team of the Year. Members of the USOC Board of Directors and Athletes Advisory Council, along with representatives of the national media, comprise the voting panel that selects the SportsMan, SportsWoman and Team of the Year. Thirty-eight females and 39 males, as well as 27 teams, are being honored by the USOC for their athletic accomplishments in 2002.
Byers claimed the World gold medal at 120 kg/264.5 pounds at the 2002 World Greco-Roman Championships, held in Moscow, Russia. His performance helped lead the United States to a strong fifth-place finish in the World team standings.
He became the fourth U.S. wrestler to ever win a World gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling, joining Mike Houck, Dennis Hall and Rulon Gardner in the history books. The U.S. has won a gold medal at super heavyweight for three straight years, as Gardner was the 2000 Olympic champion and 2001 World champion. Byers had a tremendous tournament, winning five matches and throwing each of his opponents at least once. In the gold-medal finals, he defeated veteran Mihaly Deak-Bardos of Hungary, the same athlete Gardner beat in the 2001 World finals.
Byers had a tremendous year leading up to the World Championships. He captured gold medals at the 2002 U.S. Nationals and the 2002 World Team Trials to claim the No. 1 position in the nation. He was also the 2002 Dave Schultz Memorial International champion. Other major medals won were the silver medal at the 2002 Pan American Championships and the bronze medal at the Pytlasinski Tournament in Poland.
George captured the silver medal at the 2002 Women’s World Championships, held in Halkida, Greece. It was the top performance on the U.S. team. George has competed in five World Championships, and her previous best performance was sixth at the 1999 World Championships.
She earned the position on the U.S. World team by capturing the 2002 World Team Trials, defeating 2001 World silver medalist Stephanie Murata in the championship series. George also won a gold medal at the 2002 University Nationals.
Both Byers and George are members of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, as active service soldiers who train full-time for the Olympic Games.
The Sunkist Kids, based in Phoenix, Ariz., is one of the greatest wrestling clubs in the world, and has developed numerous Olympic champions, World champions and international medalists in all three wrestling styles. Founded by wrestling leader Arthur J. Martori, the Sunkist Kids has been a major force in developing the United States into one of the leading wrestling nations in the world.
A milestone for the club came at the 2002 U.S. National Championships in Las Vegas, Nev., when the Sunkist Kids won the U.S. Nationals team title in men’s freestyle wrestling for the 20th straight year. In addition to capturing the men’s freestyle title, the Sunkist Kids were also the team champion at the U.S. Nationals in women’s freestyle wrestling.
Among the Sunkist Kids athletes who won individual gold medals at the 2002 U.S. Nationals were freestyle wrestlers Cael Sanderson and Joe Williams and women wrestlers Sara McMann, Toccara Montgomery, Stephanie Murata and Jenny Wong.
Later in the year, the Sunkist Kids placed nine athletes on the U.S. World Teams. They were freestylers Williams, Sanderson, Chris Bono and Stephen Abas; Greco-Roman wrestlers Jim Gruenwald and Brad Vering; and women wrestles Murata, McMann and Montgomery.
The Sunkist Kids feature numerous nationally respected coaches including Joe Seay, Bobby Douglas, Dennis DeLiddo, Andy Seras, Joe Corso, Tricia Saunders and others. The organization’s Executive Director is 1996 Olympic silver medalist Townsend Saunders. The Director of Operations and Development is Tim Gressley and the administrators include Jan Kernan and Kim Martori Wickey.
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Kahuku's Elizabeth Torres |
By Nick Abramo 3/12/03
nabramo@starbulletin.com
KAHUKU wrestler Elizabeth Torres is tough, but not so hardened that she can't sit down with her teammates and enjoy a Disney movie.
But once on the mat, Torres is no soft touch. She has pinned every opponent save one this year and will try to capture the 108-pound title at the Data House State Wrestling Championships at Blaisdell Arena on Friday and Saturday.
"I really like the intensity, and because there's such a small amount of girls in the sport, it's a really good feeling to say I'm a girl wrestler," said Torres, who placed second in the states the last two years.
In February, Torres suffered a partial knee ligament tear and is working hard to regain her full range of motion. The injury didn't prevent her from winning the OIA championship two weeks ago. She also has the added benefit of being coached by someone special in her life.
"It's a lot of pressure, but it's a great way to bond with my dad," she said of Kahuku coach Reggie Torres. "We have something in common to share. Knowing he's there for me is a good feeling and makes me want to work and push harder to achieve my goals."
A 4.0 student, Torres has accepted an offer to attend and wrestle for Pacific University in Oregon. From here until graduation in June, she'll be busy. She's going to the wrestling nationals at the end of March and a "We the People" competition in April, and she may go to visit Pacific University in May. All the while, she'll be planning senior activities as the class secretary.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM |
Torres is part of Kahuku's "We the People" state championship team. The competition, based on the U.S. Constitution, consists of "lots of research," essays and speeches.
The seriousness of her pursuits is tempered by the fun she and her teammates have away from the mat.
"My girls, they're all clowns," Reggie Torres said. "Every Friday they come over to our house and then they go over to another girl's house on Saturdays. They love to watch Disney movies, and they've got me hooked. They eat pizza and all the foods they want to eat and then they tease each other that they're getting fat or chubby. And then, some of them compare bricks and six-packs (abdomen muscles) just like the guys do. They're a great bunch of girls, good kids."
Added Elizabeth: "A lot of the stuff we do is cool, like when we planned a baby shower for one of the coaches' girlfriends. We're a really close team that has a lot of fun goofing around.
"In my dad's office, when American Idol had just came out, we had judges and contestants and some people were doing skits with mixes of 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' and 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat.' "
But no matter what Torres is working on -- wrestling, rehabbing an injury, writing a speech or ordering caps and gowns for the soon-to-be graduates -- she perseveres.
"She's worked her butt off this year," said Reggie Torres, who wrestled for Kahuku and graduated in 1983. "She's had an outstanding year, and it's because she's worked hard for many years. She loves the sport."
The only opponent Torres didn't pin this year was injured during the match, and no opponent has made it past the second period. The last five opponents were pinned even though Torres was hurt.
Despite being so busy this spring, she hasn't lost focus.
"Our goal is to win the state championship," she said. "I don't really want to say what our chances are because I don't want to bachi us. I just hope all the hard work pays off."
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Riveting competition expected in girls tourney
By Wes Nakama 3/13/03
Advertiser Staff Writer
Moanalua's Caylene Valdez, right, practices with teammate Tyzele Ortego. Valdez will seek her fourth title. DATA HOUSE STATE WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS WHEN: Tomorrow — Qualifying, preliminary, quarterfinals and consolation rounds 1 and 2 beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday — Semifinal and consolation rounds 3 and 4 at 11 a.m. Girls finals and consolation finals at 5 p.m. Boys finals and consolation finals at 7 p.m. WHERE: Blaisdell Arena ADMISSION: Adults $7.50, students (K-12) $5.50. PARKING: $3 TV/RADIO: None |
Last year's Data House Girls Wrestling Championships was tough to top with five three-time state titlists.
But that does not mean this weekend's state tournament at Blaisdell Arena, starting tomorrow, will be any less exciting. Not with Moanalua's Caylene Valdez trying to become the first Hawai'i female to win four state titles, and not with outstanding competition expected at 103, 108, 114, 121 and 130 pounds, among other weight classes.
"I don't know if we'll ever have five three-time state champions in one tournament again," Moanalua coach Joel Kawachi said. "But this one still should be as competitive as ever, because all of the seeded wrestlers are all very good. And we've got some girls who are nationals-quality."
It starts with Valdez, who won three state crowns at 108 but is moving up to 114 as the No. 1 seed. She is joined there by defending champ Debbi Sakai of Mililani, along with three-time Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion and No. 2 seed Jaynee Kim of Punahou and challenger Tamitha Hufana of Farrington.
"They're all excellent wrestlers, and I give all those girls credit because people don't wanna wrestle in that division," Kawachi said. "It's very tough."
Another tough weight class is 103, where Roosevelt's Sadie Kaneda is the No. 1 seed but will be challenged by No. 2 seed Naomi Karlen of Punahou and two unseeded wrestlers, Kahuku's Nicole Fonda and Leilehua's Bernadette Javier.
Karlen won two ILH titles and was state runner-up at 98 pounds last year before moving up to 103 and going undefeated en route to another ILH crown this season.
Kawachi said Fonda has been "improving every week."
Another weight class to watch is 130, where Kamehameha's Jazmine Cockett is the unbeaten No. 1 seed but faces tough challenges for the championship. Cockett, the 2002 state runner-up, held off Punahou's Lauren Primiano, 7-5, for the ILH title and was taken to overtime by Kealakehe's Jasmin Norman, the No. 2 seed.
Kahuku sophomore Ashlee Estioko, the No. 3 seed, provides another obstacle. She won the consolation title last year.
"That class is phenomenal," Kawachi said.
Another bountiful class is 121, which traditionally has the most participation during the season. No. 1 seed Leilani Relator of Kahuku won the O'ahu Interscholastic Association title by defeating defending state champ Danyelle Hedin of Kailua.
Kamehameha's Naleish Pelekai-Wai, the No. 3 seed, had an interesting road to the ILH title, losing in a team wrestle-off at 114 and then moving up and avenging two losses to the No. 1 seed to win the championship.
Yet another interesting showdown could develop at 108, where No. 1 seed Elizabeth "Kapua" Torres of Kahuku and No. 2 seed Mauri Terao of Punahou both went undefeated in the regular season. Torres, last year's state runner-up at 114, is 30-0 with 29 pins.
At 220, McKinley's Tania Liufau pinned all three of her opponents in the first period en route to the OIA tournament championship.
As for the team title, Kawachi said defending state champ Kahuku is "the clear favorite." The Red Raiders displaced three-time champion Moanalua last year with one individual title and four runners-up, plus a third-place, fourth-place and consolation titlist.
Kawachi said Kahuku's cupboard was not left bare.
"They're stacked, with eight girls who all could be in the semifinals," he said. "I think it's theirs to lose."
GIRLS SEEDS
98 pounds
Venus Bravo, Moanalua
Kira Tamashiro, Iolani
Mitra Heffron, Moanalua
Shaeylene Kamaka'ala, Kamehameha
103 pounds
Sadie Kaneda, Roosevelt
Naomi Karlen, Punahou
Grace Uyeda, Hilo
Jolene Oshiro, Iolani
108 pounds
Elizabeth Torres, Kahuku
Mauri Terao, Punahou
Cheryl Manglaylay, Lahainaluna
Aubrey Kalawe, Hilo
114 pounds
Catlene Valdez, Moanalua
Jaynee Kim, Punahou
Ynez Tongson, St. Anthony
Brandee Toyama, Iolani
121 pounds
Leilani Relator, Kahuku
Candace Coratibo, Baldwin
Naleish Pelekai-Wai, Kamehameha
Krislyn Mostales, Waiakea
130 pounds
Jazmine Cockett, Kamehameha
Jasmin Norman, Kealakehe
Ashlee Estioko, Kahuku
Leilani Visesio, Maui
140 pounds
Kehau Kamauoha, Kahuku
Robyn Mizuno, Punahou
Clisha Visesio, Maui
Shana Simons, Waiakea
155 pounds
Selena Perez, Baldwin
Ku'uini Johnson, Radford
Mailei Nitta, Kamehameha
Keisha Siliga, Hilo
175 pounds
Leolani Corpuz, Baldwin
Tilana Kawa'a, Kamehameha
Laosamoa Misa-Uli, Farrington
Ashley Truchan, Hilo
220 pounds
Tania Liufau, McKinley
Ryann Tsukiyama, Kamehameha
Merita Lavea, Leilehua
Edna Talo, Kapolei
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Tara Neal in 'Girl Wrestler' |
Gissela Austin360
Fri., March 7, 2003
Who said wrestling was a boys sport? The State of Texas, that's who. Neither state guidelines, strict weight restrictions, nor discouraging words from a wrestling hero can stop 13-year-old Tara Neal, from hitting the mats.
Tara is the subject of Austin filmmaker Diane Zander's documentary, 'Girl Wrestler.' The film follows Tara's heart-breaking struggle to exist in the boy-dominated sport, which will soon be against regulations for her to participate. (Unlike other states, Texas does not allow girls to compete with boys once she either turns 14 or gets into high school.) The agonizing story allows Zander to present an fair balance of both sides of the girls-in-wrestling fight. Whether for or against the issue, you can't help acknowledge and admire the determination girls like Tara have. If you manage to catch one of the screenings, you won't be disappointed.
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Friday, March 07, 2003
BY JIM HAGUE
For the Star-Ledger
Kim Salma continues to receive a lot of attention after making state wrestling history.
But the pin that helped the Fair Lawn High senior become the first female to win a regional wrestling match, was not even the biggest pin of her career.
Just ask her mom.
"She won a big tournament in fourth grade at Union High when she pinned three kids," said Andrea Badalamenti. "It was wonderful. That definitely sent her on her way, but she was always very determined."
That determination has been called on many times since her brother Aaron introduced her to the sport when she was in the third grade.
It came in handy when she failed to make the varsity at Fair Lawn her first three tries, when she needed to lose 17 pounds to make weight earlier this season and, of course, when she took the mat for the 103-pound match against Hackensack's Randy Bognatz last Tuesday.
When she pinned Bognatz at 5:18, Salma became the first female wrestler to win a match in a regional, which began as part of the state tournament in 1961.
Tonight, she will be among the 112 wrestlers competing in the quarterfinals of the Region 2 tournament being held at Hackensack High.
Salma, a District 6 runner-up a week ago, will have a rugged test in Bergenfield's undefeated Dan Glover, who improved to 27-0 when he captured the District 7 title last Saturday.
Then again, there is that determination thing.
Finally making it
Salma knew this was her last chance.
For three years, she tried to crack the varsity lineup, but fell short each time, having to settle for a spot on the JV although she occasionally filled in at the varsity level.
"I was always frustrated about that, but it just made me want it so much more," Salma said. "As I came into this year, I knew that this was the make-or-break year.
"There was always some doubt as to whether I could do it."
Or make it, if you will.
She knew there was no Fair Lawn varsity wrestler at 103, but when practice began and she stepped on the scale, it read 120.
Like many wrestlers, lifting weights took a back seat to making weight.
"I worked with a dietitian on a daily basis, what I could have and what I couldn't have to eat," Salma said. "Losing weight kept getting harder. It was really frustrating, especially when I couldn't lose. I would eat an egg for breakfast and some protein for lunch and dinner and nothing else. It was real tough."
In late January, Salma weighed in at 103 pounds.
"It was such a relief to get on the scale and see that," Salma said. "I knew it was time."
She wrestled five varsity matches in three weeks before she went on to place second in the district, and is now 6-3 overall.
That special someone
She'll make her bid tonight in front of her most staunch supporter -- her boyfriend, Frank Phelan.
Phelan knows quite well what his girlfriend goes through. He's a wrestler at neighboring Saddle Brook and he, too, will be in action, competing in the 171-pound class in Region 2.
"She made it to the district finals, while I could only get third," Phelan said. "Tuesday night she got a pin and I had to win with a takedown in double overtime. I told her that she puts more pressure on me because I have to keep winning to keep up with her. That's exactly what I said to her after she won. I said, 'Great, I have to win now.'"
Salma says she draws inspiration from Phelan. They have known each other since pre-school, but began dating July 20, 2001, according to Salma.
"He's like my biggest fan and another coach," Salma said. "He pushes me all the time. He encourages me, tells me that I can do it. It helps that we can understand what each other is going through. But Frank keeps me in line. If he learns a new move, he shows me right away. He gets ripped on, but he takes it pretty well."
Phelan said he is used to the ribbing he receives from his teammates.
"They ask, 'Does she pin you?' or 'Do you throw her around?'" Phelan said. "I get picked and poked every now and then, but I don't mind. Most guys say that she's a girl and it's weird, but I'm behind her 100 percent. I'm so happy for her. This is what she's wanted for so long.
"She's breaking records left and right. She's gotten this far, so there's no stopping her."
Family matters
Her brother Aaron was a wrestler.
And her hero.
"I wanted to be like Aaron," Salma said. "There was one girl before I joined, but by the time I got there I was the only one."
Aaron, who was a district champion two years ago for Fair Lawn, helped her join the Fair Lawn recreation program when she was in third grade.
She remained a part of the recreation program for three years, quit for a few years and then returned to the mats upon entering Fair Lawn High.
"I don't know why I quit," Salma said. "I guess I just wanted to try something new. But I found out that I missed it too much and came back. The boys really didn't care, because I knew most of them from when I was a kid. My brother was there and he wanted me to come out. No one ever said a bad thing about me."
Aaron recalled when his sister joined the sport.
"She wrestled on same team as me when we were little and in high school," he said. "She saw me do well and she wanted to do well.
"I was surprised she wrestled in high school, because she stopped for a year or two in middle school. But she came in freshman year and started up again. She got better every year. She got her chance and proved she could handle herself."
Aaron, who is a college student at Richard Stockton, added: "She's better on the mat. A lot of girls handle their weight on the mat better than on their feet. Kim just wrestles tough. She sucks it up and does what she has to do.
"I am proud of her."
Not easy for mom
As you might guess, her mother was not exactly thrilled when her daughter picked wrestling as her sport of choice.
But then she saw the determination.
"I guess maybe I was a little hesitant," Badalamenti said. "But, any doubt I had quickly went away because I saw Kim was very good. Kim has been the underdog in this sport. Nothing was going to make her stop or quit. There were times I would have stepped away. But she never did.
"It's brutal watching Kim wrestle, more so than it was with her brother Aaron. I get very quiet and focused on her during a match."
Mom is focused. Kim is determined.
"We're very overwhelmed with all the attention Kim's received. She's needed this after all the hard work she put herself through."
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Kim Salma: "All in all, it was a great and amazing experience."
Sunday, March 09, 2003
BY JIM HAGUE
For the Star-Ledger
Her high school wrestling career now officially over, Kim Salma of Fair Lawn sat in the stands yesterday afternoon at the Region 2 Tournament at Hackensack High School, feasting on an assortment of fast food, including two boxes of french fries and two huge vanilla shakes.
"This is my one day now that I can eat," she said with a smile. "I never have to make weight again, just watch my weight."
There wasn't much pain from the loss Salma endured earlier in the day in the first round of the Region 2 consolation wrestlebacks at 103 pounds to Aaron Kahn of Garfield, who won by a technical fall in 4:25 by a score of 21-6.
That setback denied her quest to become the first female to qualify for the NJSIAA Tournament, which began in 1934. If she had survived the first round of wrestlebacks, she still had to win in the wrestleback semifinals and then in the third-place consolations in order to qualify for the state tournament.
Salma, who lost in the quarterfinals on Friday night, had made New Jersey history last Tuesday when she became the first girl to ever win a region bout when she won during the preliminaries. The regions were started in 1961.
"All in all, it was a great and amazing experience," Salma said. "I never could have expected all of this attention. I never thought people would care this much. People were coming up to me and saying, 'Hi, Kim,' and I said, 'Hi.' They didn't even know me. I thought that was nice. It made me happy."
Salma was also impressed by the classy move made by Kahn after the match was over. Soon after the referee raised his hand in victory, Kahn took Salma's hand and raised it over her head.
"It was a nice gesture," Salma said. "He hugged me after that. He's such a great guy. If I had to lose to someone, I'm glad it was him."
Salma was asked if she felt any sadness that her career had come to an end.
"It's a little too early to think of that," she said. "I will probably feel it when we have our wrestling dinner. I guess I'll be sad then."
Salma said that she has been approached to wrestle for a club and AAU teams, but she doesn't know if she will accept the offer.
"I don't know if I will feel like it," she said. "I have to think about it."
If she doesn't, her wrestling career will be over as she plans to attend Stockton College, which does not have a wrestling team.
Salma said that she hoped to leave a legacy in the sport and she didn't didn't realize that she would end up creating history.
"I couldn't ask for anything more," Salma said. "I want to be proud that I did something good. And I guess I did do something good. It's kind of getting to me now, just how important all of this really is."
