DeeDee Rix, who was 27-9 while wrestling against boys this season, won five matches to capture the girls' title at a national meet. Rix didn't give up a point throughout the tournament. Staff photo by Jack Milton.
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PREP SPOTLIGHT Athletes of the week
York Daily Record Jan 27, 2003
Rachael Groft, New Oxford: The Colonials' wrestler picked up two pins
in New Oxford's three victories this week. In Thursday's 59-4 win over South
Western, Groft pinned her opponent in 2:57 in the 112- pound bout.
Saturday, as the Colonials topped Central York, 54-18, Groft notched another pin
at 112 in 5:57.
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Daily Record staff
Friday, January 24, 2003
Rachael Groft got the New Oxford wrestling team off to a great start in its 59-4 rout of visiting South Western on Thursday night. Wrestling at 112 pounds, Groft, a junior, recorded a second-period pin of South Western’s Tim Miezwa.
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Wrestler Lamb explains her motivations
By ANDREW DOERR
Sports Writer
In last week's edition, the Towne Courier had the opportunity to cover Okemos native Lauren Lamb (née Wolfe) and her recent individual and team success at the Klippan International Wrestling Tournament in Sweden. While at the tournament Lauren won the individual title in the 59 Kg class (130 lbs) and helped the United States to an overall team title. This week the Towne Courier had the opportunity to talk with Lamb and get her perspective on her wrestling background, training for the Olympics and how she balances being a wrestling star with having a family and a career.
Towne Courier: How did you initially get involved in wrestling?
Lauren Lamb: My older brothers wrestled, and I signed up for wrestling along with just about every other activity offered to me. Since I was only in first grade, no one seemed to care that I was a girl and was doing something different from the norm.
TC: How old were you at the time you started wrestling competitively?
Lamb: I started competing more competitively in middle school. I went to my first women’s tournament when I was 13. That was when I won my first national title.
TC: What is your typical practice routine? For instance, about how much time do you spend on average in the gym or at practice each week?
Lamb: I normally do at least 30 minutes of cardio five to seven days a week and lift weights two to three times per week. I wrestle as often as possible, but I sometimes have trouble finding partners. I usually am on the mat three times per week.
TC: Does that time commitment ever feel like too much?
Lamb: It can be very draining, especially since I have a full-time job and a family. I try to take breaks in my training after a big tournament so that I can focus on other important things in my life besides wrestling. When I feel burnt out, I try to refocus and remember why I am doing this and what my goals are.
TC: What do you think can or should be done here in Michigan or in the USA to promote female wrestling? What about the sport do you feel would appeal to young girls and inspire them to get involved?
Lamb: The most important thing to promote female wrestling is to get the word out that it exists. Some of the best female athletes in this country are wrestlers. Most people hear about women’s wrestling and think that there are sexual connotations. This is the oldest sport in the world. There is no better way to challenge yourself both physically and mentally.
TC: In a recent interview in “TheMat.com” you talked about being unsure about the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Since that interview have you made a decision about whether you will move into an Olympic weight class and compete in 2004?
Lamb: Right now I am focusing on the 2003 world championships. They will be held in New York City at Madison Square Garden. It would be amazing to be able to compete at such a high level tournament in my home country.
TC: Do you think the Olympic games will help women’s wrestling showcase the sport here in the United States?
Lamb: Definitely. Now there is an opportunity to go further in the sport beyond a world championship and to an Olympic championship. There is also more financial help for the athletes.
TC: With the tremendous cost associated with participating in these events, how do you (and your teammates) afford to travel to and train for some of these competitions?
Lamb: I get support from the Michigan Wrestling Club to help me with some of my expenses to nationals and other tournaments. Once on the national and world teams, USA Wrestling helps cover expenses for one international tournament and the World Championships. I also raise funds from local businesses who are looking to help athletes.
TC: What would say you love most about wrestling?
Lamb: The individuality of the sport.
TC: What do you love the least?
Lamb: The weight cutting.
TC: What has been your biggest obstacle to reaching your wrestling goals?
Lamb: Mental challenges. Wrestling is a very emotional sport. The challenge is to harness that emotion into positive energy instead of letting nerves take over.
Lauren Lamb is a six time United States National Women's Wrestling Champion as well as a six-time World TeamTrials Champion. She currently lives and trains near Rochester, New York and is preparing for the World Championships which will be held at Madison Square Garden later this year.
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Cumberland wrestlers notch solid performance at championships
Wednesday, Apr 2, 2003
By Stella Prather
WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. (BP)--The Cumberland College women’s wrestling program added to their tradition March 29 and 30 as they competed at the USGWA Can-Am Collegiate Freestyle Championships in Lake Orion, Mich.
Cumberland has been ranked as one of the top college teams in the United States all season, and their showing at the championships proved that they belonged among the elite. The Patriots finished with 37 team points, which placed them in second behind only Missouri Valley College.
The Cumberland squad had one individual champion, Alaina Berube (133 lbs.) and four runner-ups. Berube competed in a five-athlete round robin and dominated her opponents by winning all four of her matches, three by technical falls and one by pin.
Jessi Shirley (128 lbs.) won her first three matches, two by pin to advance to the finals, where she lost to Heather Sweeney, but overall had an impressive second place performance. Brooke Bogren (138 lbs.) advanced to the finals and suffered a tough loss in overtime to Leigh Jaynes of Missouri Valley to finish second. Jamie Alvesteffer emerged from the consolation bracket to capture third for the Patriots.
Issa Alvarez placed second in the 145-weight class for Cumberland, defeating Salome Gipson by decision, 11-9. Pan-Am qualifier Toccara Montgomery finished runner-up in the 165 class as she dominated her first two opponents before losing to Samantha Lang. Montgomery and Lang have faced each other multiple times this year with each recording wins.
Other notables for the Patriots include Jessi Clifton (over 165) as she finished third and Shelly Ruberg (154 lbs.) who finished fourth.
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City wrestlers fare well nationally
panhandlesports.com,3/31/03
LAKE ORION, Mich. - The Amarillo Independent School District placed four representatives on the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association all-American team at the national tournament.
Palo Duro's Lauren Lindsey took fourth in the 110-pound division, and teammate Teresa Pennell placed ninth at 165 pounds. Tascosa's Tamica Jules took sixth at 134 pounds, and teammate Houston Shepherd placed sixth at 130 pounds.
The top nine finishers in each division were named all-Americans.
Palo Duro's Brittany Owen placed 10th at 110 pounds, and Clarisa Dalke from Amarillo High took 11th at 165 pounds.
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adn.com 4/2/03
Iris Mucha,a West High senior who twice qualified for Alaska's state wrestling meet, proved she could pick on someone her own gender Saturday when she claimed the 126-pound national championship during the United States Girls Wrestling Association championships in Lake Orion, Mich.
Mucha claimed the crown with a 1-0 overtime win over Hilary Lucarelli of Ishpeming, Mich. She spent much of the weekend living on the edge as her four-match run to the title also included a 9-7 overtime victory over Michelle Ludwig of San Diego in the quarterfinals.
Mucha was one of six Alaskans competing and one of four who earned All-American honors in the meet. The place-winners included former Skyview High standout Melina Hutchison, who placed fourth in the collegiate national meet that was held in conjuction with the high school and middle school championships.
In other high school results, Shelby Brown of North Pole and Natasha Douglas of Wasilla both placed among the top eight in the 134-pound class after going head-to-head in the consolation round. Brown, who scored a second-round pin of Douglas, went on to place fifth, while Douglas rallied to win her seventh-place match.
Earlier in March, Jake Wade of Wasilla placed second in the 15-under, 172-pound class at the Rocky Mountain Nationals in Denver, Colo. Wade swept into the final with four straight victories before losing a decision to Tucker Lane of Redvale, Colo.
USGWA National Championships
At Lake Orion, Mich.
Alaska Results
College Championships
121 pounds -- Quarterfinals: Teresa Piotraowski, Guelph, d. Melina Hutchison, Menlo (Calif.) College, 3-1. Consolation: Hutchison t.f. Sarah Hayes, Cumberland, 10-0; Hutchison d. Audrey Pang, Princeton, 4-3, OT. Consolation semifinals: Hutchison t.f. Courtney Laford, Brock, 11-0. Third/fourth Place -- Desiree Lockhart, Pacific, d. Hutchison, 7-1.
High School Championships
122 pounds -- First Round: Danyele Hedin Kailua, Haw, d. Cortney Douglas, Wasilla, 12-4; Lauren Primiano, Wahiawa, Haw, d. Kaylee Johnson, Wasilla, 8-1. Consolation: Tiffany Mason, Englewood, Fla, won by injury default over Douglas; Johnson d. Shamaine Danner, Richmond, Mo., 5-4; Sarah Chavis, Columbia, SC, d. Johnson, 9-6.
126 -- Second Round: Iris Mucha, Anchorage, p. Lauren Yee, San Mateo, Calif., 1:07. Quarterfinals: Mucha d. Michelle Ludwig, San Diego, Calif., 9-7, OT. Semifinals: Mucha d. Meghan Cox, Kellogg, Idaho, 7-2. Championship: Mucha d. Hilary Lucarelli, Ishpeming, Michigan, 1-0, OT.
134 -- Second Round: Laurin Daniels, Vashon, Wash, d. Natasha Douglas, Wasilla, 8-4; Vanessa Oswalt, Mt. Vernon, Ohio, p. Shelby Brown, North Pole, 1:28. Consolation: Douglas p. Sheila McCabe, El Cajon, Calif., 4:02; Brown p. Candice Hornbeck, Yorktown, Va., :41; Douglas d. Beth Jezierski, Fort Gratiot, Mich., 7-3; Brown d. Alisha Zahn, Minneapolis, Minn., 9-4. Consolation Quarterfinals: Brown p. Douglas, 3:11. Consolation Semifinals: Laurin Daniels, Vashon, Wash., d. Brown, 6-2. 7th/8th Place: Douglas p. Carina Valle-Santana, Napa, Calif., 2:52. 5th/6th Place: Brown p. Tamica Jules, Amarillo, Texas, 3:56.
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She`s the best in the nation at wrestling
PAUL BETIT, Portland Press Herald Writer
4/2/ 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
When she competed in the United States Girls Wrestling Association national meet a year ago, DeeDee Rix learned the best defense is a great offense.
Last weekend, Rix, a Marshwood High sophomore, put that lesson to use.
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DeeDee Rix, who was 27-9 while wrestling against boys this season, won five matches to capture the girls' title at a national meet. Rix didn't give up a point throughout the tournament. Staff photo by Jack Milton. |
Rix rolled through the competition to capture the 118-pound division title at the national meet at Lake Orion, Mich.
"She wrestled awesome," said Matt Rix, her father and the Marshwood wrestling coach.
Rix went 5-0 in the two-day competition to win her first national title.
She scored four first-period pins before defeating Manuelita Swartzlender 7-0 in the championship final. A year ago, Swartzlender, who is from Oregon, won the 114-pound championship.
"Her first match was against the California state champ," said Rix. "She looked tough, but DeeDee took it right to her."
Rix, seeded first among 19 wrestlers, finished third in the same weight class a year ago. This year she perfected her take-down technique and didn´t give up a point.
"I worked on my shots more," she said. "I got more offensive. Last year I was more defensive."
In February, Rix, 15, became the first girl to win a match in a Class A state meet when she finished fifth in the 119-pound division. While wrestling against boys, she compiled a 27-9 record.
The Maine high school season ended more than a month ago, but Rix remained in training for the nationals.
"We were down the Mill wrestling two days a week, and I´ve been running on my own," she said.
"The Mill" is the Salmon Falls Training Center in Rollingsford, N.H.
Three other Maine wrestlers competed in the nationals.
In the high school division, Jessica Fox of Monmouth finished 10th in the 114-pound weight class.
In the junior high division, Brittany Sapp, a seventh-grader from Berwick, finished fourth in the 137-pound division, and Shannon Hall, a seventh-grader from Waterboro, finished seventh in the 100-pound division.
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Wrestlers pin down OFSAA medals
STEPHEN BROWN More from this author
Apr. 2, 2003
Three Scarborough high school students made a triumphant return home after capturing medals at the recent Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) wrestling championships in Sarnia.
Karran Seucharran of Woburn Collegiate took gold and the high school provincial title in the boys' 38-kilogram/84-pound weight class, while teammate David Krawczyk captured bronze wrestling in the heavier 67.5kg./149lb weight category.
Hasti Sarabi of Scarborough's Birchmount Collegiate also made her school's presence known in Sarnia by winning silver in the girls' 44kg/97lb class.
The Grade 10 student was the only female wrestler from Toronto to win a medal, losing in the final match to Lisa Lamour of Northern Ontario, an OAC student and the defending 44kg. champion.
Sarabi had won gold in the 41 kg weight class at last year's OFSAA and stepped up a weight class for this year's tournament.
"It was a pretty close fight," Sarabi said. "She was ahead of me by one point for most of the match, then I wound up getting pinned."
The 15-year-old grappler had four matches in Sarnia before the finals, winning two of them by pins. The other two were automatically stopped when she established a 10-point lead over her opponents.
"I'm happy with my performance," Sarabi said. "I learned a lot of things in that final match, a lot of things that I can use. I learned that even if I'm tired and down one point, not to give up until the very end."
BOUND FOR ALBERTA
Sarabi also won two gold medals last February at the non-school Ontario wrestling championships in St. Catharine's.
Today she and Seucharran are leaving for the four-day national amateur championships in Calgary as members of Team Ontario.
Kevin Liu, a Birchmount wrestling coach, said Sarabi should do well in Alberta.
"I've seen the wrestlers out there and I know the ability she has," he said. "She has strength and some good moves. She was a bit upset after the loss, but I told her that it will guide her to a higher level of wrestling. She will basically learn from her mistakes."
Scarborough did very well at OFSAA this year, with Woburn placing 11th overall in the boys' division, Liu said.
Three other wrestlers contributed to Scarborough's good showing, earning points for their schools: West Hill Collegiate's Moustafa Mohammed finished fourth in the 64kg/140lb class; Joshua Madeley of Norman Bethune High School placed sixth in the 84kg/185lb class; and Birchmount's Rith Kim also placed sixth, but in the 44kg/97lb weight category.