Olympic Dreams

LOTS OF HARDWARE: Joey Miller shows off a sampling of the medals and trophies she has won at wrestling tournaments throughout th nation. (Johnny McMahan photo)

Woodward Wrestler Joey Miller Hopes to One Day Perform On Sport's Greates stage

A Christmas gift seven years ago sparked a young girl's interest in a sport that could eventually lead her to the world's premiere athletic event.

Joey Miller, age five at the time,got a pair of wrestling shoes for Christmas from her older brother Frank, a member of the local youth wrestling club. Miller then decided to take up the sport.

"My parents didn't think I would keep going, but. . .," the Woodward Middle School fifth grader said.

"I lost my first match, won the next three, then won my next tournament,"
she added. "I liked it and just kept going and the next year I won state."

Over the past six years, Miller,now in her seventh season as a wrestler, has continued to win - 50-plus tournament championships in all and numerous other medals and trophies.

Joey Miller, in fact, is one of the most recognized youth wrestlers in Oklahoma and across the nation. One of the few girls in
Oklahoma who wrestle competitively, Miller has competed in events from Las Vegas, Nev., to Pontiac, Mich. She has been featured on the syndicated televsion program "Inside Edition."

Competing almost exclusively against boys, Miller has won invita tional tournaments, a state kids tournament and regional tournaments.

In girls only events, she has won the United States Girls Wrestling Association national championship along with an AAU World Championship.

Last summer, Miller received the highly regarded Bob Cairns distinguished wrestler award for freestyle wrestling.

Now 12 years old, Miller's future in the sport is bright and her sights are set high - at Olympian heights.

"I plan on going to the Olympics, that's my goal," Miller said.

There is a push for women's Wrestling to be added to the Olympic program for the 2004 games, said Jerry Miller, Joey's father. If not this time around, then the 2008 or 2012 games are certainly targets for the sport.

Before the Olympics comes junior high and high school wrestling and Miller said she is looking forward to competing on the Woodward Middle School team when she reaches the seventh grade.Miller, who competes in the 70-pound weight
class, has already wrestled and beaten some junior high age boys including Josh Grubb, a member of the Yukon Junior High team and the powerhouse El Reno Kid., Kids program.

But representing her school on the mat is a couple of years away as well.

This year, Miller is concentrating on challenging for another Oklahoma Kids state title (she won in 1996,placed third in 1999 and sixth last spring), and another national championship.

"My goal is to win state in my age group this year and keep going and building up to girls nationals in Michigan," Miller said. "Wrestling boys definitely helps."

Already this season Miller has won a tournament in Edmond and placed in the prestigious Cliff Keen open in Tulsa and Panhandle Nationals in Amarillo.

Wrestlers tend to travel to the same tournaments and see each other on a regular basis.

Miller has some familiar targets she would like to defeat during the season, like Riley Adamson from New Mexico and Donny Altman, and three-time state champion from Kansas , She has lost close matches to this season. Another is Johnny Koepp from Texas(2 timr Tulsa Nationals Champ), who beat her in overtime recently."He's a guy I really want to beat," Miller said. ,It's really hard to beat him."

While women's wrestling has'nt taken off in a big way in Oklahoma,it is a major sport in other areas.Texas, for instance, offers state high school championships for girls, and in places like Canada, girls wrestling is extremely popular.

The sport's appeal is growing worldwide as well. Miller knows many of her fellow wrestlers and other girls who want
to take up the sport through her website - www.wrestlegirl.com. .

The site, started by Miller's father to keep track of her statistics, gets sometimes up to 600 hits a day and Joey receives e-mail from wrestlers or coaches just about every day. One of the correspon dents wishing her well was six-time women's world champion Tricia Saunders.

"She gets a lot of e-mail from coaches asking for tips on good moves," said Jerry Miller. "She has got mail from all over the world."

"One man from Germany sent us $300 to help us go to nationals," Joey Miller added.

The site also includes articles on girls and women's wrestling from all over the nation and world.During the summer freestyle season, Miller hopes to compete in Canada and possibly hook up, along with two other girls from Oklahoma who have enjoyed wrestling success, with a freestyle team in California that could eventually lead to a wrestling exchange trip to
Germany.

Miller is involved in other activities as well. She has played soccer and softball and this year played football at Kids-Inc.

"I will play next year, too she said.

Wrestling, though, is her love. "It's my favorite sport," Miller said.

Scrolling across wrestlegirl.com are the words, "People are divided into three groups - those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what's happening."

Put Joey Miller in the first group.

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