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By KERMIT ROWE, News-Sun Sports Editor 4/5/03
As keynote speaker, Ohio State Athletic Director Andy Geiger seized the opportunity to use Wednesday’s annual National Football Federation Springfield Chapter Scholar Athlete Awards Banquet at Casey’s as a platform to speak on several hot sports topics that were close to his heart.
One of them was Title IX.
“It has revolutionized what we do in a very wonderful way,” said Geiger, unprompted. “There are some things that we can work on, but the idea that athletics is for everyone is a great accomplishment.”
Because of Title IX, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, a pair of South Vienna pre-teen sisters know all about great accomplishment.
In fact, they are among the very best in the country in their sport. Without Title IX, and the way supporters have been able to slowly (many times painstakingly) work it into the national sports consciousness, they would be nothing more than a couple of teeny-bopper wannabes.
Kaity Fishbough won the 95-pound weight class and Emily Fishbough was a runner-up at 80 pounds in the recent United States Girls Wrestling Association state championships. That was an accomplishment in itself. However, both qualified for the USGWA Nationals with their efforts. And last weekend in Lake Orion, Mich., 12-year-old Kaity, a seventh-grader at South Vienna Middle School, placed third at 95, while 11-year-old Emily, in sixth grade, was third at 80.
Lest you think it was no big deal, just one of many tourneys that sometimes spring up in up-and-coming, largely-unregulated sports, consider the fact that every state was represented at the tournament.
Add to that the fact that they’ve been wrestling as long or longer than they haven't, and they aren't even teenagers yet, and you really get a new appreciation for what they have been allowed to accomplish.
“Kaity has been wrestling for seven years and Emily has been wrestling for six,” said mother Regina. “When we lived in the Triad district, she just one day brought home a paper telling about tryouts for girls wrestling. Being the tomboy that she is, we thought Kaity could try it and she liked it. And she stuck with it.”
Sister Emily was close behind her, blazing a trail in girls wrestling that might someday lead to the Olympics. Yes, the 2004 Olympics has sanctioned female wrestling.
Yes, they’ve come a long way, Andy.
“They really enjoy it,” said Regina. “They wrestle boys, and prefer to because it makes them a better wrestler going against stronger opponents.”
They even beaten boys before, while in the younger youth wrestling ranks.
“The boys are more apprehensive about it than we are,“ said Regina, speaking also for their father, Tim.
But they like to wrestle girls, too. The Fishboughs have traveled to Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Pennsylvania to find good female competition on the mats.
“They just absolutely love it,” said Regina.
They also don’t plan to stop. And now they don’t have to.
“They are both talking now that Cumberland College in Kentucky has an awesome collegiate girls wrestling team and that they’d like to get a scholarship to wrestle there,” said Regina. “With girls wrestling starting in the Olympics in 2004, it is only a matter of time before it makes a name for itself.”
Indeed, the Fishbough sisters have a bit of “pioneer” in them.
“When we started at Triad, Kaity was the very first girl on the team,” said Regina proudly. “When we left Triad 11/2 years ago to move into the Northeastern district, there were five, including Emily and Kaity.”
Thanks to big sister’s early interest, wrestling has become a family affair, said Regina.
“We’ve got two younger boys, a 7-year-old who has been wrestling for three years and a 5-year-old who will start wrestling this year. The whole family goes to tournaments. That is what we consider our family vacation, traveling to the different states.”
Where did the interest come from?
“Tim wrestled in high school one year at Kenton Ridge and really liked it, and I did wrestling stats when I was in high school at Northeastern. So we both knew the advantages of the sport,” said Regina.
“We’ve started a family tradition now.”
Even though they know the road to their dream will just get tougher.
“The only concern that we have is the fact that when the boys hit a certain age, their muscle mass is a lot greater than the girls,” said Regina. “The girls have worked out a workout routine to get stronger, kind of preparing themselves for the stronger boys.
“They’ve said as long as they can go out there and give the boys a tough match and not get pinned in the first 30 seconds, they said they would be happy."
It is the goal of the Fishboughs, and a growing number of girls wrestling supporters, to get a traveling club team started in southwest Ohio. But until they do, they will not be swayed.
“It will get better,” said Regina. “We are definitely looking for the Olympics. That is big goal, for Kaity especially.”
And one that folks like Andy Geiger have made possible to reach.
Reach Kermit Rowe at krowe@coxohio.com