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Young wrestling champion is rough, tough -- and a girl

San Mateo County Times 3/24/03

Weighing in at just over 100 pounds, Sara Fulp-Allen is one of the best female wrestlers in the country. The Half Moon Bay High School senior, who has already set her sights on the 2004 Olympics, took time out of her busy schedule to talk to staff writer Amelia Hansen about wrestling (and beating) boys, competing in China, and her relationship with her dad -- and coach -- three-time Olympic wrestler Lee Allen.

Q. Most girls are playing softball or soccer in grade school, but you were wrestling. How'd you get started?

My dad wrestled, and he put my younger sister, Katherine, and me in a tournament when I was 9. I don't remember that much about it, but my parents said we were standing around waiting for someone to wrestle. We didn't understand they were looking for girls for us to wrestle with. My sister was like, 'but they're letting all the boys wrestle!' Finally, they found a boy for me to wrestle, and they told him to go easy on me. I beat him 20-0.

Q. Do you have an older brother, or did you ever rough-house with boys from your neighborhood?

A. No. I only have a younger sister and even most of the neighborhood kids were girls.

Q. Did your friends ever tease you about being a girl wrestler?

Not really. I had a teacher in fourth grade, though, who had this WWF (World Wrestling Federation) stuffed wrestling-buddy stand-up doll thing. And he made comments to the other students a couple times like, 'If you're bad, Sara's going to throw you across the room.'

Q. By the time you got to junior high, you were wrestling boys almost all the time. What's the difference between wrestling with boys and wrestling with girls?

Boys are stronger. They have an obvious advantage. It's definitely more equal wrestling a girl. Although one time I wrestled a woman from the Marines. Her style was almost like a guy's. She was really strong. I didn't know quite what approach to use.

Q. You've won three All American titles, five national titles, the Champion of Champions Award at the California Girls Championships last month, and have a three-time Peninsula Athletic League Boys Varsity Wrestling Champion. Is there anyone in particular you'd still really like to beat?

I'd like to beat everybody.

Q. You're off to another competition in Detroit, Mich. next week. Where else have you traveled for wrestling?

Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Chattanooga, Tenn., Fargo, N.D., Sweden, China, Poland, Bulgaria, France.

Q. What was it like to wrestle, say, against the Chinese?

The Chinese have the biggest women's club in the world. We went to a school in Beijing that is specifically a wrestling school. They have classes too -- something called "culture class," but that's about it. We had 15 girls from the U.S., and there were 60 Chinese girls. The Chinese are world champs. A lot of us had tough matches.

I have a pen pal from there -- she writes letters in Chinese and I have them translated. She's only 13, and I don't think she can compete in international competitions. I know it's hard for the Chinese to leave the country.

A. It was very Third World, but it was better than I thought it would be. We went to a lot of night clubs and stayed out late all the time. The bathrooms were pretty scary, though. And the bathtubs were gross. But I like Third World countries. It's like survival, where you don't have anything.>

A. No. I didn't have any problems at all. I really liked it.

Q. You're planning on attending Menlo College in Atherton next fall, where your dad is the women's wrestling coach. What's it like to have your dad as your coach?

I don't know what it's like not to have him as a coach.

Q. Have you guys ever had any disagreements? I'd think it would kind of be like having your parents teach you to drive, which people always say is a bad idea.

No, we really haven't had any disagreements. And my dad did teach me to drive. Which was better than when my mom tried. She would freak out and scream and stuff. Which would almost make me crash into another car.

Q. Career-wise, do you have any interest in coaching? Do you see yourself wrestling professionally for your career?

I would like to coach, but I just feel like I don't have time right now. And yes, I do see myself wrestling, even after college. I also want to study international business, which would relate to wrestling.

Q. You're about to graduate from high school. Got any big plans for the summer?

Doing nothing. Lift weights. Play around. Maybe go to Disneyland, go camping. But no wrestling. In the fall, I'll start wrestling again.