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News Page
4/7/2000
It seems like wrestling has been a guy's sport for years! Why do girls suddenly want to wrestle? By looking at posts, there seems to be several of you females out there very interested in the sport. I watched the 20/20 report last year and most of the girls admitted that they liked wrestling guys and that's why they are doing it. Is this really the reason? You may have fallen in love with the sport now but would you not have done it in the first place if you didn't want to make a statement or if you weren't wrestling guys? Please be totally honest about this. I don't really have a problem with girls wrestling but I want to know.
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I am not a girl wrestler, but I have 2 daughters that are. My oldest will certainly read this, as she checks here often, so you will probably hear from her, too.
I really don't think that either of my girls started wrestling because they wanted to wrestle boys. Most of the other girls I have seen in wrestling did start out that way, though. That is why you see a lot of first year females and not very many veterans. I have certainly seen (and been a little disgusted at) girls who just want to be seen in a singlet. I made sure that my girls' clothing excludes that possibility when they wrestle!
My older daughter (who is a sophomore on the varsity squad, now) was always a bookworm. I literally had to bring her books outside to get her to get some sun in the summer. I made her play softball for a year. I made her play basketball for a year. She willingly complied, and admittedly had some fun, but wasn't the least bit interested in doing it again. Then one day, in the middle of her 8th grade wrestling season, she declared that she wanted to join the wrestling team. Believe me, there were no boys involved in wrestling that she was the least bit interested in. I think, in retrospect, that it was a sport she felt that she had some control over. She had little confidence in herself as an athlete, and if she wrestled (in Jr. High - all individual tournaments) she had no teammates to let down. She felt she could succeed or fail without the pressure of the team concept.
Another dynamic in this situation that males don't often think about is the cattiness of school-aged females. Girls that don't naturally fall into 'cliques', and don't enjoy spending Saturday night putting on makeup and talking about boys, run into rough social situations when they become involved in sports, especially in smaller towns. School-aged girls can be cruel. Boys are more prone to give you a hard time, and relent when you can "prove" yourself in some way. There is no way to "prove" yourself to a gang of catty females.
My girls would rather play catch or charades or euchre than run around with a bunch of squeaky girls that gossip. If you are prone to be this way, being around males is a MUCH more comfortable situation.
It is not the norm, but some girls feel more comfortable with a group of guys than they do with a group of girls - no sexual attraction involved. And contrary to popular belief, this does not mean that they are lesbians.
My younger daughter is just young enough to not know that girls should be demure. She played tight end (and started over the boys a year older than her) last fall, and was excluded from basketball because football season ran concurrently with it. There was nothing else to do (except swimming, which she isn't interested in) during the winter, so she wrestled. Plain as that. Of course, it is different for her because her older sister wrestles, so she sees it as a normal thing to do.
Anyway, there's my 2 or 3 cents on the matter. Hope this helps.
From: DZICEMAN Apr-12 3:44 pm
To: Suzan McAllister (MATMOM) (3 of 16)
79.3 in reply to 79.2 prev next
As an amateur wrestler in the state of Minnesota I have had the privilige of wrestling in one of the best states in the country. As a smaller wrestler I've also had to wrestle women on more than one occasion. In my four years of high school wrestling there has been a girl on the team all four years. I think nothing of it. When they're on the mat there just anther wrestler who wants to beat you. When we wrestled suburban schools, if the girls on our team won, the guy who lost was ridiculed to no end. That's why it seems wrestling girls is a no-win situation. If you do win, you were supposed to beat her, but if you lose, you lost to a girl. From what I've seen, I by no means speak for the girls that 've wrestled with as teammates and opponents, girls' enjoy the competion as much as I do. I've found that wrestling is one of, if not the hardest sport. If you can wrestle and do well, you've accomplished quite a bit. This is perhaps why more girl's are wrestling. In our age of bigger, stronger, and faster, girls are just trying to keep up and prove that they can do whatever they want, both to themselves and to others. Once again I don't peak for any female wrestlers, but I know that I look up to a woman who can dedicate themselves to and succeed in such a hard sport.
From: Suzan McAllister (MATMOM) Apr-12 8:49 pm
To: DZICEMAN unread (4 of 16)
79.4 in reply to 79.3 prev next
I am not mat mom, but her daughter. I loved your post. As a wrestler myself, I'd say you speak for me! Thank you very much. I'm sure the girls on your team are happy to be wrestling with someone like you. Lots of people give us a hard time, it's just so great when they think it's cool. Thanks again!! -Katie
From: VETMOM Apr-13 12:51 am
To: ERICFLASHH (5 of 16)
79.5 in reply to 79.1 prev next
Girls wrestle for all of the same reasons that guys do. They like the individual competition, the "getting in shape", the results of a strong effort (a win), the challenge of accomplishment in a difficult sport, the fun of it, etc.
From: CHUBROCK1 Apr-13 9:11 pm
To: ERICFLASHH (6 of 16)
79.6 in reply to 79.1 prev next
The reason I think girls want to wrestle is, because its a sport of power and strength. Alot of people do not give girls the respect they need. As being a high school wrestler I've seen some girls beat guys that are ranked number 1 or 2 in the state in 10 sec. Some girls are faster and stronger than guys. But some times I think that guys let them when so they can be on the bottom of a very fine looking girl.
This is just my opinon.
Jason Warder
From: JEDIWRESTLER Apr-16 1:01 am
To: ERICFLASHH (7 of 16)
79.7 in reply to 79.1 prev next
I've got no problem with girls wrestling. I've always been in the higher weight classes and have never had to wrestle a girl, but I'm currently an assistant coach for a kid's freestyle program and I've seen some of our guys get whooped by girls.
I think a large part of girls wrestling now is that there is a push for all male dominated areas to no longer be all male domonated areas. All male military academies and now being forced to go co-ed. Women want to be able to fight in combat along side of guys, careers such as truck driving, and construction are seeing more and more women. I think that women wrestling is the same thing.
But if a lady is going to wrestle guys, she had better expect to get treated like a guy. If she has a problem with a guy grabbing certain areas on the mat in a match in a non-sexual manner, she shouldn't wrestle.
From: JAZZ95 Apr-18 9:33 pm
To: ERICFLASHH (8 of 16)
79.8 in reply to 79.1 prev next
ERICFLASHH,
well i must stick up for myself here, in Texas girls have their own division from the guys. Our region states that no male-female contact shall occur. I joined this sport for a myriad of reasons although "meeting guys" is DEFINATLEY not one of them. To be honestly truthful I joined this sport for the sheer energy and concentration it requires not to mention the peak level of physical fitness needed to even step out into the circle. It never crossed my mind as an oppruntity to meet members of the opposite sex. Although you are correct in saying that some girls do join this sport for that reason, matter of fact I had the dipleasure of having to train one of those girls for about half this past season. So I for one did not join for that reason, why put my body through the physical strain of workouts and cutting weight on a weekly basis just for the sake of meeting guys? thats what malls and clubs are for!!! When I first started this (my freshman year) I was so scared of what people would say that i just trained and watched for an entire season. No meets i just trained and watched my male counterparts compete. I learned a lot and it wasnt for attention!!!
Sincerly,
Jazmin B Jamison
95lbs. Irvin High School
c/o 2001
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Edited 4/18/00 9:36:01 PM ET by JAZZ95
From: WRESTLERCHIC Apr-21 9:22 pm
To: ERICFLASHH (9 of 16)
79.9 in reply to 79.1 prev next
I am a female wrestler. I wrestle because I love the sport. I love the individidual competition, the hard work, the challenge, and the results of hard work. When I'm out there on the mat, I'm thinking about wrestling, not how close I am to a guy. I think the girls that say they wrestle just to get close to guys are giving us all bad reputations.
From: DRBORK Apr-22 11:02 am
To: WRESTLERCHIC (10 of 16)
79.10 in reply to 79.9 prev next
I enjoyed all of comments concerning this important topic. Girls do wrestle for the same reasons - and there are many - as do boys. It depends on the individual. I believe VETMOM said that very clearly.
Female wrestling is one, if not the fastest growing sports in the country. Female rugby is also right up there.
We, as coaches, physical educators and athletic administrators are learning (we should have 50 years ago) that the values of participation goes beyond gender lines.
The major issue is not girl's wrestling, but girl's wrestling boys. I agree with another message that said, if the girl's elect to join boy teams, they should (and the law requires it ) be permitted. The girl must then accept all the responsibilities of that decision, as must her parents.
Some law cases have aledged negligence when a girl was injured by a boy. Issues such as strength, mental toughness, maturation are only some of the aledged complaints by the plaintiff. We should not have programs behind a "rock and hard place." If the coach doesn't permit a girl(based only on the issue of gender) to participate, he is breaking the law. If he lets a qualified girl participate and she is injured (she faces the same risks of a boy), we should not see a law suit based on "girls should not wrestle boys!"
The second issue is the mental stress/razzing of a boy who losses to a girl. That will change as more girls participate and then disappear when there are wrestling teams for girls and our attitude changes as it has for girl sports in general.
"Go girl!"
From: BEARCATS3 Apr-23 7:03 pm
To: ALL (11 of 16)
79.11 in reply to 79.10 prev next
Wrestling is an excellent sport that teaches great lessons about life, and it can do so for either sex.
Of course girls should wrestle!
But only other girls after the age of 10.
Guess I'm just old-fashioned.
Papa Bearcat
From: EPITTS1 Apr-24 3:41 pm
To: DZICEMAN (12 of 16)
79.12 in reply to 79.3 prev next
I say let girls/women wrestle. Afterall, haven't
we been systematically tearing down any distinctions
between boys and girls for years now? Aren't traditional male and female roles viewed as insulting and restrictive anyway? Girls donning wrestling gear and getting on the mat with boys, in order to obliterate what is left of their femininity, seems to be the logical next step.
From: WRESTLINCHIC Apr-25 3:37 pm
To: ERICFLASHH (13 of 16)
79.13 in reply to 79.1 prev next
i think that everyone has the right idea.
being a female wrestler myself, i can say that not all girls are looking to wrestle guys. i wasn't when i started. i just wanted something to do. they are looking for a challenge and want to do something that few have done or are doing. now the sport is growing and as a result many colleges are picking up women's wrestling teams such as Cumberland College and Missouri Valley College (which is where i am attending now).
From: SAMMAEL713 Apr-26 11:12 am
To: Suzan McAllister (MATMOM) unread (14 of 16)
79.14 in reply to 79.2 prev next
I think that is great about your daughters!! I wrestled in high school at won the states my senior year in CT. We did have two girls that wanted to tried out for the team my sophomore year and wrestled with me to see what it would be like. Unfortunately, during our match she spent most of it fighting off her back, even though she had about 40 lbs on me, and decided not to try out realizing she'd be wrestling guys her own weight. It didn't matter to me that I was wrestling a girl at the time. It was all "business" on the mat. I have seen some televised newscasts covering girls in wrestling and I'm glad that they are able to participate as well. The only sad thing is that universities and colleges have been cutting back on athletic programs and the wrestling programs are one of the first to go.
From: DZICEMAN May-1 10:04 am
To: EPITTS1 (15 of 16)
79.15 in reply to 79.12 prev next
Next logical step in what? Girls' donning wrestling gear is not degrading and obliterating what is left of their feminity, as any female wrestler would tell you. In our society today women are pictured as supermodels. This is hardly ever the case. People like you are the ones who keep women down. Tell me why shouldn';t women be given the same opportunities as men. This isn't the 1950's
From: EPITTS1 May-1 9:48 pm
To: DZICEMAN unread (16 of 16)
79.16 in reply to 79.15 prev
Next logical step in what? Girls' donning wrestling gear is not degrading and obliterating what is left of their feminity, as any female wrestler would tell you.
Will any woman tell you this?
In our society today women are pictured as supermodels. This is hardly ever the case.
Apples and oranges, man.
People like you are the ones who keep women down.
No, it's people like me who treat women like ladies. And, by the way, I believe women should wrestle women if they choose, but NOT MEN!
Tell me why shouldn';t women be given the same opportunities as men. This isn't the 1950's.
They are given the same opportunities, you nitwit. Open your eyes and take a look around. Things have changed for the better. You jump to the most hasty, ridiculous conclusions I have ever seen. You should cool off and think about what you are going to post before you do it. Impulsivity is a negative character trait.
