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By David Horsley 3/27/2000
I have an idea how you can make a million dollars without appearing on television: write a screenplay for a movie about Tori Adams, the star wrestler from Caprock High School who happens to be a girl.
In case you missed Mike Lee's great story in the March 8 "Friends and Neighbors" section of this newspaper, Tori is generally credited with establishing girls' wrestling in Texas. Her Lady Longhorns team won the state championship for Caprock this year. Tori is 18 years old.
Writing this screenplay will be a snap. The scenes will almost write themselves. For example, have one scene where an 8-year-old Tori watches her older brother Justin wrestle at the Maverick Club. Soon she starts bugging her parents to let her try it, too. They refuse for all the usual reasons, but they eventually grow tired of her nagging and decide to let her try wrestling one time. Her dad figures Tori "would get her head twisted off, and she'd get enough and we wouldn't have to listen to it anymore."
But what happens? Tori wins the match.
Have a scene in the principal's office at Bowie Middle School. Tori's coach, Henry Harmoney, is trying to convince school officials to let Tori wrestle at school. School officials say "No way!" for all the usual reasons. They phone the AISD attorney: "We can't do this, can we?"
The attorney says he'll research the issue, assigning two paralegals to examine case law. The paralegals are a man and a woman, who get in a big fight in the law library about whether girls should be allowed to wrestle.
Then have a wrestling match scene in which Tori, suited up and ready to compete, sees one referee after another refuse to call her match. Unable to wrestle, she goes home dejected and discouraged, but not before running into one of the referees in the parking lot.
Tori: "Thanks a lot for nothing, pal."
Ref: "You show some respect, young lady. God didn't mean for girls to wrestle."
Next have a scene six months later in the boys' locker room before a match. Tori has finally received permission to compete, but since she's the only girl, she has to wrestle boys, who've watched her practice and know she'll tie them in knots.
The jocks are sweating bullets. They know that if they get lucky and win, they'll look like creeps for beating up on a girl. They also know that if they lose, they'll look like wusses for getting beat by a girl.
The closing scene will be the state final when the Lady Longhorns win the championship.
It all comes down to a match between Tori and a snotty daughter of ... guess who: the referee who refused to call her match a year ago.
The girls go after each other tooth and nail, the crowd holds its breath. Then, in a lightning-fast secret move Tori learned from her brother back at the Maverick Club years ago, she pins Cruella de Ville.
The crowd goes wild. Roll closing credits.
David Horsley can be contacted in care of the Amarillo Globe-Times, P.O. Box 2091, Amarillo, Texas 79166, or letters@amarillonet.com.
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U.S. Wrestlers Saunders, Ocampo Win Golds At Manitoba Open
January 30, 2000
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
WINNIPEG, Canada--Three U.S. wrestlers claimed gold medals at the Manitoba Open, held in Winnipeg, Canada, January 29.
The U.S. champions were women freestyle wrestlers Tricia Saunders (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) at 101.25 pounds, Olivia Ocampo (Oxnard, Calif./UM-Morris) at 112 25 pounds, and men's freestyle wrestler Sean Bormet (Ann Arbor, Mich./Cliff Keen) at 167.5 pounds.
Saunders, a four-time World Champion, dominated the field, including a 21 second pin over Carol Huyah of the Burnaby Mountain WC of Canada in the gold-medal finals.
Ocampo, a 1999 U.S. Nationals champion, won three matches on the way to her title, including a 3-2 decision over international veteran Marta Wojatanowski of Poland in the gold-medal finals.
Bormet, who was second at the 1999 U.S. Nationals, defeated Matt Baugh of Canada in the gold medal finals.
Earning a fourth place at 136.5 pounds in the women's division was Sarah McMann (Lock Haven, Pa./Sunkist Kids). McMann was pinned by Canadian Tara Hedican of the Univ. of Guelph in the bronze-medal match in 2:49.
Women's medalists
46 kg/101.25 lbs. - 1st - Tricia Saunders (USA-Sunkist Kids); 2nd - Carol Huyah (Canada-BMWC); 3rd - Lyndsey Belisle (Canada-BMWC)
51 kg/112.25 lbs. - 1st - Olivia Ocampo (USA-UM-Morris); 2nd - Marta Wojatanowski (Poland); 3rd - Teresa Piotrowski (Canada-U of Guelph)
56 kg/123/25 lbs. - 1st - Anna Gomis (France); 2nd - Erica Sharp (Canada-U CWC); 3rd - Jen Ryz (Canada-BMWC)
62 kg/136.5 lbs. - 1st - Viola Akin (Canada-U of S); 2nd - Margorzata Bassa (Poland); 3rd - Tara Hedican (Canada-U of Guelph)
68 kg/149.75 lbs. - 1st - Lise Golliot (France); 2nd - Ewelina Pruszko (Poland); 3rd - Shannon Samler (Canada-BMWC)
75 kg/165.25 lbs. - 1st - Edyta Witkowska (Poland); 2nd - Else Comeau (Canada-U of C); 3rd - Christine Nordhagen (Canada-UCWC
