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BEA grappler heading overseas to strut stuff for Olympic scouts

By Tim Rasmussen 2/10/03
Register Staff Writer

BEA freshman kelli Rasmussen is hoping to impress Olympic team scouts who will watch her wrestle in Sweeden next month.

Hoping to ultimately land a spot on the
U.S. Olympic wrestling team, Blue Earth
Area freshman Kelli Rasmussen plans to
compete next month in an international
freestyle wrestling tournament hosted by Kippan, Sweden.
Billed as a pre-Olympic event, the
Kippan Lady Open' is one of the largest
female wrestling tournaments in all of
Europe. More than 20 different nations will
send teams to compete there March 7-9 in
three division -seniors, juniors and cadets.
"I was asked if I would like to represent
Minnesota and the United States there,"
Rasmussen says. "It's a goal of mine to be
on an Olympic team for the U.S. -I'd be
so happy."
Eric Betterman is the state women's
director for the MN/USA Wrestling
Association that is the governing body for
all amateur wrestling in the state. He's the
one who approached Rasmussen in mid-
January to ask if she would like to be part I
of the 27-member Minnesota team in Sweden.
"Kelli is one of the better young
wrestlers in the state," says Betterman,
who also coaches the Minnesota Storm
team. "I know she's hoping to make the
Olympic team, and I thought this would be
a great experience for her."
Rasmussen is no stranger to National
wrestling tournaments. The 15-year-old is a
three-time National freestyle champion and
a two-time runner-up. .. As a youngster, Rasmussen has fond
memories of traveling with her family to
wrestling meets where her two older brothers were competing.
"I remember sitting there watching them
and thinking it looked like fun," she says.
-"When I wrestle, I can be aggressive."
Oldest sibling Rich, a member of BEA's State championship wrestling team in 2001,
and middle child Todd, a starter on last year's State championship squad,
started teaching their little sister the ropes at a young age,
When she was in the second grade, Rasmussen joined the
Community Education wrestling program and she's
been competmg ever since.
As a 103-pounder on the Buc B-squad
this season, Rasmussen took a 14-2 record into the season-ending
tournament this past Saturday at Janesville.
BEA's head wrestling coach Randy Wirtjes praises the
work ethic Rasmussen shows at practices and meets.
"Kelli has really gotten more mentally tough this year," Wirtjes says.
"She's very quiet and unassuming in the wrestling room -
she just comes in each day, takes care of business and never complains."
" Nobody is more familiar with Rasmussen's abilities on the mat than fellow
freshman 103-pounder Tyler Eckhardt. The two wrestlers have squared off several
times throughout the years, dating back to elementary-age tournaments.
Eckhardt, who is an alternate on BEA's post-season roster, has agreed to
help Rasmussen pre- pare for her European tourney, even after the
high school season is done,
"She's pretty good at everything, she doesn't really have a weakness,
" Eckhardt says. "She's probably strongest at take- downs."
Rasmussen is confident she'll be able to drop about five pounds to
make weight at the Sweden tourney. She is in the 43 kilo-
gram weight class, which converts to 94.7 pounds.
In addition to the action on the mats, Rasmussen says she is looking forward to
sight-seeing with her mother, Retha, who will accompany her daughter on the trip.
The U.S. team will stay in a town that's about an hour-and-a-half's drive from
Kippan. Rasmussen said closer accommo- dations were not available,
and her team is hoping to share workout facilities at that town.
Rasmussen's expectations for her fust international competition are simple.
"I know there will be some very good wrestlers there, I just want to do my best," she says.
To help with the expense of the trip, a fund-raiser will be held Wednesday, Feb. 19
at Riverside Town and Country Club.

Steak or shrimp dinners will be available from 5-8 p.m. for $9 per meal.

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Wrestling Just another match for Bergenfield's Glover

Friday, March 07, 2003
BY JIM HAGUE
For the Star-Ledger

To Dan Glover of Bergenfield, Fair Lawn's Kim Salma is just another obstacle to overcome on his way to achieving his goal of reaching the state tournament.

The fact that Salma is a girl has no effect on that whatsoever.

"I've been gearing for this for a long time," Glover said. "I think people expect me to go out there and wrestle like I usually do and I think Kim will do the same. But to me, it's really just another match and nothing special.

"I've had a good season so far and I want to keep it going."

Glover, a sophomore, is undefeated in 27 matches at 103 pounds. He will face Salma tonight in the Region 2 quarterfinals at Hackensack. The top three in each weight class advance to the state tournament in Atlantic City, March 14-16.

Glover knows the match will draw plenty of attention, primarily because his opponent is a female. But the Bergen County and District 7 champion won't approach the match any differently.

"I've wrestled a girl before, so it's not the first time," Glover said. "You have to treat her the same way as anyone else. Once the match starts, it's not even a factor, because you want to win so badly. I'm going to keep the same technique, do everything the same way."

Glover said he believes Salma is a worthy opponent.

"I respect her a lot," he said. "She's gone this far. But all the attention she's received will get me going a little bit more. People are looking at it as a big match, but I'm going to wrestle the same exact way."

Of course not everything about the match has been the same.

Glover, whose season ended last year in the wrestleback round before the consolations, said he received some ribbing from his friends once they learned he would be going against Salma.

"My friends were kidding me, saying that if I lost to a girl they would never talk to me again," Glover said.

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Lucarelli to face other girls at state level event

By CRAIG REMSBURG
Senior Sports Writer3/12/03

Westwood's Hilary Lucarelli, top, dominates her Gladstone opponent Allen Kirkpatrick during a 119-pound match. (Journal file photo by Aaron Peterson)

ISHPEMING —Hilary Lucarelli can’t wait to wrestle against a girl for the first time this season.
Not that the Westwood High School senior grappler has done poorly against male competition in 2002-03. In fact, she went 33-13 against the boys.
But it will still be a welcome change for Lucarelli when she takes part in the Seventh Annual United States Girls’ Wrestling Association Michigan State Championships Sunday at downstate Montrose High School.
“Going against guys is so intimidating,” she said Tuesday. “I’m much more confident going against girls. I don’t have to worry about being outmuscled.”
Lucarelli said she’ll compete Sunday at either 122 or 126 pounds. She’s the defending state champ at 122.
The Patriot is also ranked No. 2 in the country by the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association at 122 pounds.
“That’s pretty amazing — it blows my mind,” she said. “But I don’t want to be No. 2, I want to be No. 1. It’s something to work for.”
Lucarelli said she won’t know her first-round opponent Sunday until the meet starts.
“It’s better not knowing,” she said, adding she has no idea how many matches she’ll have to take part in during the day.
Despite taking “a couple days off” from workouts last week, Lucarelli has been running and refining her wrestling technique(s) with fellow WHS wrestlers Jim and Tim Bleau, and Ben Kelto.
“It’s hard to lose all that conditioning,” she said. “I feel like I’m ready to go.”
Regaining the intensity she had at the end of the season won’t be a problem for Lucarelli, who has a prep career wrestling mark of 94-54.
“It will come back when I’m ready to compete,” she said. “I’m always competitive when it comes to wrestling girls. It’s so different than wrestling guys.
“Guys like to muscle me, but girls can’t. I’m stronger than most girls. Strength helps me, but I go more on technique.”
She said after the state competition Sunday, she plans to take part in a girls’ national tournament the last weekend in March in Lake Orion near Detroit.
“I’m really excited,” Lucarelli said. “I’m looking forward to the states and nationals. They’re my last two big meets and I want to go out with a bang.
“I’m ready to go.”

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State wrestling championships heading south

By DAVE DAVIES-3/13/03

Pleasant Valley High junior Griselda Mata received one of eight
Sportsmanship Awards prior to the finals on Saturday.

Mata participated in one of the 16 girls wrestling exhibition matches
the tourney held for the first time. Mata dropped a 3-2 overtime decision
on Friday to Othella Lucas of Crawford-San Diego at 138.5 pounds, while
Paradise freshman Amy Havens won her 147.5 match, 12-6 over Leah Llach
of American-Fremont.

The CIF held two of the girls matches prior to Saturday's finals, which
drew a good response until there was no time left to introduce the finalists
in their face-off. When the finalists were asked just to go to the center
of the mat and shake hands all together with no introductions, the crowd
let loose a deafening round of boos

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Co-ed wrestling team a learning experience

BY KORRINA GROM
STAFF WRITER 3/13/03

Walking into schools to compete in wrestling meets wasn’t always easy for four members of Antioch Upper Grade School’s wrestling team.

They were often the targets of strange looks from members of other teams, along with occasional comments or questions.

“Do you guys actually wrestle?” one boy asked.

The reason for the odd reactions: Four members of the middle school’s team are girls.

“One match was actually cancelled because (a boy) didn’t want to wrestle against girls,” said eighth-grader Katie Stelmasek.

But she and teammates Mary Cashmore, an eighth-grader, and Michelle Geurts and Brandy Stuparits, seventh-graders, are happy they made it through the experience.

All the girls joined the team for the first time this year. While it wasn’t the first time a girl has joined the Antioch Upper Grade School wrestling team, it was the only year four girls made it through an entire season.

“I basically joined because it would be fun and interesting and it would keep me in shape, and it did that,” said Cashmore.

But wrestling, they soon learned, was no walk in the park.

Coach Chris Godsey required the girls to endure the same grueling training as the boys.

“It’s pretty rough,” said Godsey. Throughout the three-month season, which began in December, all team members were required to complete a daily training session of 15 to 20 minutes of running up and down stairs, 150 push-ups, 90 crunches, and 10 to 25 practice take-downs.

“That’s all the warm-up,” he said.

After getting through that, team members practiced wrestling for 45 minutes.

And while Godsey could verbally teach the girls to do wrestling moves, the physical instruction was left up to the boys.

“He picked two guys from the team to show us,” said Stelmasek.

The girls, Godsey said, did just as well as the boys during both practice and matches.

“I was pretty impressed,” he said.

During matches, whether at practice or during a competition with another school, they aimed for success.

“When we have a meet, if (the girl is) a varsity starter, they go out on the mat, shake hands, and then it’s 100 percent,” said Godsey. The girls competed against boys in their weight classes.

“There are boys their age that are willing to throw them around,” he said. “Some of the guys take it easy on them sometimes, which is bad for (the girls). There could be an unfair advantage for the girls then. But (the girls) wrestled tough in every match they went to.”

The girls are especially proud because they were faced with boys who were both stronger and more experienced at wrestling.

“They automatically think they can beat us,” said Cashmore.

But wrestling, they said, isn’t just about strength.

“It’s mental and physical shape and your skill level,” said Stelmasek.

“If you stick to it and keep your mind on it, you can win,” said Stuparits.

And some of them did win. Stuparits, for example, won the most matches out of all of the girls.

“We had to prove to them that girls can beat boys,” she said.

Some of the boys were impressed with how well the girls did.

“Every year I've wrestled, there’s been a girl on the team. I got beat by a girl once,” said Matt Kelley, a seventh-grader. “I think they wrestle as well as us.”

Seventh-grader Aaron Cashmore, not related to Mary Cashmore, agreed.

“Some of them really surprised me with how well they did,” he said. “At the beginning, I thought they were going to quit the first week. I thought the same thing the second week. I'm surprised they made it through. Some of them did really well.”

Kaleb Hacker, another seventh-grader, was sure the girls would lose every match.

“I thought they did very well,” he said.

Making it through the entire season, the girls agree, was a major self-esteem booster.

“We all stuck it out,” said Stelmasek. “There was one point where I started to fall behind on school work, but my mom and (Coach Godsey) wouldn’t let me quit.

“I'm sad it’s over, but I'm also really proud,” she said. “I didn’t know it would be this fun.” The girls are, however, a little disappointed that they didn’t make it to the regional and sectional competitions with the boys. Seven boys will compete at the state level later this month. “We always have next year,” said Geurts, who, along with Stuparits, plans to join the team again next season.