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Wrestling With Girls' Wrestling
by Sara Cooper
1999 by A Girl's World Productions
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am not exactly an avid athlete. I
can't catch, I'm a slow runner, and I simply have no interest
in watching people on TV excel at the very things gym teachers torture me
with every other day at school. But I do feel very strongly on
the subject of whether or not there should be a girls’ wrestling team.
It’s not that I would like to wrestle. You must understand, I am not a fan
of the sport, in fact I find it rather pointless (if you happen to
like wrestling, please do not take offense: I may enjoy things that you find
pointless; it’s all a matter of opinion). It’s just that there are
some girls who would really like to wrestle and they do not have the
opportunity to.
It used to be that my school offered wrestling
only for boys. I believe state law forbids this, so now girls
are allowed to try out for the same team as
boys. There are several problems with this approach. One is
that a good deal of girls are, shall we say,
not built as sturdily as boys. It’s simply the way humans have
evolved. But this certainly gives boys an
advantage of getting into the team, leaving the girls rejected and
dejected off on the side. I, for one, know
that, even if I was a good wrestler, I would probably not get
on the team: as a 13 year old girl who is only
4’10" and 1/4" and weighs just a little over 100 pounds, I
seriously doubt I’d be able to pin a boy who
is, oh, say, 5’10" and weighs 160 pounds.
Another problem is the parents of
wannabe-wrestler girls. For example, a friend of mine recently told me
that her parents would not let her try out for
wrestling because they were afraid she’d get hurt. Her
brother was allowed to do wrestling if he so chose to, though. When I told
this to another friend, she said maybe that girl should do
cheerleading instead. Cheerleading! Now, there is nothing wrong with
cheerleading, and if you do it and enjoy it, good for you. But this
girl wanted to do wrestling-- why in the world would she settle for
cheerleading instead?!
(Is there a girl in this picture? It's the Boys and Girls Club Team:
Bowie) The last two problems go together: moves and uniforms.
Some of the wrestling moves would seem a little inappropriate for
girls. They should be able to do them, but they are a bit
embarrassing. And then there are the uniforms. These uniforms do
not cover parts of a girl that need to be covered. They are often open
at the chest, something girls, by law and even just dignity, are not
allowed to wear. Sure, they could wear a shirt underneath, but from
what I’ve heard, wrestling is a very tiring sport and one gets hot and
sweating doing it. A tee-shirt underneath would increase the heat and
make it practically unbearable for the poor girl wearing it.
Although schools try to make it fair and equal, wrestling is still mostly
for the boys. I think that this should not be so -- girls should have an
equal chance at it. So, girls who tried out for wrestling and didn’t
make it because of the boys’ size advantage, or girls who wanted to
try out but whose parents wouldn’t allow it, put down your pompoms and have
a go at it again! You can do it! You can do anything!
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Female wrestler hopes to advance career to college
Summary:
Since competing in the first even national high
school girls wrestling tournament in Michigan, Sharon Notah's
dream of wrestling in the future didn't stop
there.
Navajo Times; Ethnic News Watch
04/23/1998
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Montgomery Blair H. S., Silver Springs, Md.
Female Wrestlers Ignore Stereotypes and Hit
the Mats
by Emily Gustafson
December 17, 1998
On a red mat in BlairÕs wrestling room, pairs of wrestlers
circle each
other, hunched over, lunging when the opportunity is right.
"LetÕs get
tough, this is where the men are made," yells one of the
coaches.
But what about the women?
Two of the wrestlers on the mat are sophomore Jessica
Woodlock and
freshman Maryn Valdez, who both first joined the JV
wrestling team this
winter. Senior Renata Jandova also joined the JV team
recently. These
girls are among an increasing number who have ignored the
stereotype that
wrestling is only for males. They are three of the six girls
who have been on
the Blair wrestling team in the schoolÕs history, and of the
approximately
25 girls who have ever wrestled in the county.
Montgomery County has no all-girl wrestling teams, so female
wrestlers
must join a traditionally male-dominated team. As the
experiences of
Woodlock and Valdez suggest, this is easier said than done.
One of the guys
"Before I started, the guys were totally against me joining.
But now IÕm
part of the team," says Woodlock.
The girls say that now everyone on the team treats each
other as equals.
"The second you walk in the door [of the wrestling room],
youÕre a guy,"
says Woodlock.
Woodlock and Valdez have found the coaches very accepting.
"The
coaches donÕt act like IÕm any different [from the guys].
TheyÕre really
supportive but theyÕre not extra nice to us," says Woodlock.
Coach Jeff Levine says, "The girls joining the team is fine
with me. For me
as a coach, [the situation is] not different."
Junior co-captain Jeff Edelstein, who was at first
uncomfortable about
having girls on the team, changed his view after he saw how
hard
Woodlock and Valdez worked. Although Valdez recently broke
her leg,
he says she still attends practice and participates when she
can. He
believes that most males would not have done the same.
Edward Masood, Director of Aesthetics, Health and Physical
Education
for Montgomery County and past head wrestling coach at
Blair, believes
that the only time having a co-ed team may present a problem
is if the girls
are treated differently because they are girls. "As a coach,
the only
problem I would have had was if there were special
exceptions made
because of gender," he says.
Coaches must allow females to participate, according to
Facts and Dates
of American Sports 1988. A 1975 ruling by the federal
government
requires equal opportunity for participation in school
sports, so if a school
sponsors only one team in a sport, it must permit both sexes
to participate.
For fitness and fun
Both Woodlock and Valdez joined the team primarily to stay
in shape, not
to be noticed. "IÕm not one of those people who are trying
to get
attention. It wouldnÕt be worthwhile if you are just doing
it for a
statement," says Valdez, who intended only to wrestle during
pre-season
to get in shape. She decided, however, to continue for the
entire season
after all the effort she had put in. "I didnÕt do this much
work to give up,"
says Valdez.
Both girls now participate not just for fitness, but because
they enjoy
wrestling. "Everyone struggles at practice, but [the
work-outs] pay off,"
says Woodlock.
Close contact
Although wrestling is a contact sport, neither Woodlock nor
Valdez find
this aspect to be a problem. " When youÕre [wrestling], you
totally forget
that youÕre with a guy," says Valdez.
Valdez is accustomed to close but non-sexual contact with
the opposite
sex from her experience in ballet. "YouÕre doing a sport and
thatÕs all it
is," says Valdez.
Although senior co-captain Vincent Nguyen says he has few
concerns
about wrestling girls, he admits he is not quite sure how
far is "too far"
when wrestling with them. "The most awkward thing is that
you donÕt
know where to draw the line on what you can do physically,"
he says.
Edelstein says he is more conscious that he is wrestling a
girl in practice
than during a match although even in competition gender is
never a big
issue. "If you grab something you shouldnÕt during a match,
you just have
to keep going," he says.
According to Masood, Montgomery County has had few problems
with
girls wrestling on male-dominated teams, although some
parents have
occasionally raised concerns when their sons have had to
wrestle girls.
The difference between guys and girls
According to Wrestling U.S.A. Magazine, the average male is
20 percent
stronger than the average female and reacts 25 percent
faster. Males also
have a cardiovascular capacity advantage of 25-50 percent.
Woodlock is
determined, however, not to let these factors get in her
way. "If you push
yourself you can do it," she says.
Masood says that females rarely win matches in Montgomery
County,
although he does recall a Richard Montgomery High School
female who
won a few JV matches. Masood also recalls instances when a
girl won by
forfeit when a male did not want to wrestle her.
Girls can compete effectively with males in wrestling,
however. A female
from Oakland Mills High School has wrestled so successfully
she is now
on the High School National Team.
A growing trend
Recently the number of female high school wrestlers has
increased by
1234 percent in the past six years, according to Fritz
McGinnes at the
National Federation of High Schools.
At the collegiate level, women wrestling has become an
official varsity
sport at five colleges, and countless women have joined
collegiate menÕs
programs, according to the WomenÕs Freestyle Wrestling
Program at
The University of Minnesota-Morris.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
100-pound champion
By MARK FOYER /
Half Moon Bay Review / May 28, 1999
Sara Fulp-Allen knew it was going to be hard. Wrestling is tough, and
she knew
from five previous trips to the California State Championships in
Fresno just how
hard it could be.
This time, it was hard for Fulp-Allen's opponents.
In late April, the 13-year-old El Granada resident won the California
State
Championship, School Girls Division.
Then, on Saturday, Fulp-Allen helped Cunha Intermediate School win the
Peninsula Junior High School League Finals.
She claimed the 100-pound title ‹ and became the first girl in league
history to claim
an individual title.
Unlike in the state championships in Fresno, where Fulp-Allen claimed
the title in
an all-girls' division, on Saturday she claimed three wins for the
title against boys.
"I don't care who I am wrestling against," Fulp-Allen said. "I just
want to wrestle."
The eighth-grader said that she has even wrestled high-schoolers.
"It's easier to wrestle against boys in junior high," Fulp-Allen said.
"They're a lot
stronger in high school."
Fulp-Allen will get up-close to the male high school wrestlers next
year, when she
enters Half Moon Bay High School.
She will not be alone in the locker room. Half Moon Bay has group of
girls who
have made a major impact for the Cougars.
"I've wrestled with them a couple of times," Fulp-Allen said. "But I
only go there
when I don't have any homework."
Getting an interest in wrestling for Fulp-Allen was not that hard, even
though girls'
wrestling is just starting to pick up steam. After all, her father,
Lee, has been
involved as a coach of women's wrestlers since its inception a decade
ago.
Lee Allen has a long history in wrestling. Twice, he participated in
the Olympics.
He was supposed to coach the United States Olympic Wrestling Team in
1980.
But the U.S. boycott of the Games, which took place in Moscow,
prevented him
from participating.
All the while, Allen maintained his presence in San Mateo County,
coaching at
Skyline College in San Bruno.
When Lee Allen introduced Sara to wrestling, she went for it.
"She showed an interest," said Lee Allen. "She was very willing to
wrestle."
"Dad brought me to one of his tournaments," Fulp-Allen said. "I tried
it and I liked
it a lot."
The first time she took to the mat in a wrestling competition, she made
an instant
impression.
Participating in a tournament in Livermore, she won her first match
20-0. Yes, it
was against a boy.
Those two would meet again. The results were different the second time.
"He pinned me in 10 seconds," Fulp-Allen said with a smile.
These days, Fulp-Allen is the one doing most of the pinning.
In Fresno, she won all three of her matches by pin. Each time, she won
with a head
and arm lock.
There was one big difference for Fulp-Allen in the state meet. All of
the wrestlers
she pinned are people she never faced before.
As a veteran of five state meets, Fulp-Allen usually knows whomever she
wrestles.
But with each passing year, some of the competitors move up to a new
age group.
This year in Fresno, other competitors moved up a weight class.
"Usually, I have wrestled one of those people before," Fulp-Allen said.
"But not
this year."
As good as she is in wrestling, there is more to her life than just
wrestling and
school.
"In the fall, I do gymnastics," she says. "Next year, I'll go out for
track."
Track was something she could not do at Cunha, since both track and
wrestling are
offered in spring. That is not the case at Half Moon Bay, where
wrestling occurs in
the winter, with track in the fall.
"When the class goes out for a run, she always does well," said Lee
Allen.
She has plenty of goals set for herself. She would like to participate
in the state high
school tournament, as well as the high school national championships.
Right now, she is taking it one step at a time, she said. All she knows
is that she will
wrestle for the Cougars next year.
She's not sure at what level she'll wrestle. She might even wrestle for
the varsity
team. The final decision on all that is a long way away.
But whatever level in which she competes, she knows one thing for sure
when she
arrives for the first day of practice.
"It will be hard," Fulp
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Girls help break male strangle hold on wrestling
MARK FOYER /
Half Moon Bay Review / January 28, 1998
Julie Stefan is a bit like the Pied Piper. In November, Stefan joined the
Half Moon Bay High School wrestling team. She
liked the camaraderie she saw among team members and viewed wrestling as a
physical and mental challenge.
Soon after, she was joined on the junior varsity team by Elisabeth Krueger.
Then Heather Engle and Katie Dean. Then
Rachel Robertson. Katie Ayer was the next to sign up.
Two months later, the six grapplers are regulars at practice, working on
moves, running and jumping rope. Afterward,
they do their part returning the school's multi-purpose room to its
pre-practice appearance. Female wrestlers are not
uncommon in the high school ranks. Half Moon Bay had a female wrestler who
tired out for the team a few years ago, but
quit before the season. What is unusual, though, is a group of six, on one
team, that has lasted the season.
"It looked very challenging and I wanted to give it a try," said Stefan, a
senior. "I asked them if girls could join and they said sure." Krueger's
decision to sign up was
much more pragmatic. She hoped the training would help her rehab a knee
injury she suffered two years ago.
"This is the toughest sport in the world on the body. With my knee, it's
twice as difficult," she said. "I would love to win and get a medal, but all
that matters to me is
that I took a chance."
Earlier this school year, Ayer, a freshman who wrestled at Cunha
Intermediate School, was set to serve as team manager. Her father Jess is an
assistant coach on
the team (and a 1979 Half Moon Bay graduate) and her brother J.B. wrestles
on the varsity. She soon discovered, however, that she couldn't get
wrestling out of
her blood.
"At first I was very busy with school, but I realized I missed the sport
very much," she said. Engle, a black belt in karate, watched a lot of
wrestling matches last year
before deciding to join. Dean is using the sport to help get into shape for
track and field. Whatever their reason, each is aware they are helping break
the strangle
hold men have traditionally held on the sport.
Unlike community college, where the growth of female wrestling has forced
the creation of female teams (including a team at Skyline College in San
Bruno coached
by El Granada resident Lee Allen), in high school there are no girls' teams,
so female wrestlers usually end up wrestling boys. That can create some
uncomfotable
situations for both male and female wrestlers. The Cougar girls say it
doesn't faze them, though it does some of their parents.
"My mom was hoping it was a phase I would grow out of," Dean said. "My mom
thought I was joking," Stefan added. "My dad said, `No, you're not.' They
were all
very surprised."
The Cougar six say they don't want to be treated differently than their male
counterparts and - from appearances - they aren't. "The guys on the team
have been very
cool about it," said Engle, a senior. "We have had no conflicts." "The guys
tell me when I'm doing something wrong," Stefan added. "They are all very
proud of us."
Since 1988, girls have been slowly appearing on wrestling teams throughout
San Mateo County, though the six Cougars are the most that have ever turned
out for
one county team. In 1990, a female wrestler from Westmoor High claimed the
North Peninsula League individual title in the 112-pound weight class. She
qualified
for the Central Coast Section meet, where she was eliminated.
Right now, none of the local wrestlers has such a lofty goal. This is the
first year of high school wrestling for each, though Robertson, like Ayer,
also wrestled at
Cunha Intermediate School. "I just want be comfortable with the moves," Dean
said. "I don't expect to win matches. I just want to get the moves down
pat."
While that can be difficult, the girls already appear to have succeeded in
another area: earning the respect of their male teammates.
"They come to practice every day and work very hard," said D.J. Pemberton,
Half Moon Bay's 160-pound wrestler, who noted that many students who come
out
for the team don't last the season. "None of them has quit, which says a
lot." "It used to be taboo for girls to participate," he added. "Now girls
are starting to break
through. This can only help wrestling."
"The girls are equal to the guys," said Ted Hanson, who wrestles in the
103-pound category for the Cougars. "They have as much chance of winning as
the guys do.
If they work hard in practice, and stay devoted, they could probably win
some matches." Krueger agreed: "We have the same ability as the guys and the
same skills.
They are starting to see us as equals."
But respect is one thing and wrestling is another. When the ref blows his
whistle at the start of a match, both sides say they are out to win. "I see
that person out
there as just another wrestler," Hanson said. "I know that the girls I
wrestle will want to beat me as much as I want to beat them." Engle couldn't
agree more. "When
I'm into a match it doesn't matter to me what sex my opponent is. When I'm
on the mat, all I think about is wanting to beat that wrestler."
The female wrestlers acknowledged that their male counterparts are sometimes
in an awkward position. The girls are expected to lose, they say. The boys,
meanwhile, tend to be teased if they beat up too badly on a female opponent
- and teased if they don't beat them soundly enough.
Each of the Coastside girls has gotten some match experience this year,
wrestling in various tournaments. "In my first match, I made it to the end
of the third round,"
Engle said proudly. "I was very nervous at the start, but it was cool to be
in their wrestling." The matches can be tough on the female wrestlers since
their male
counterparts often win on strength alone. "We have to be more manipulative
to get points," Engle said. "We don't have the brute force the guys have."
Stefan learned that first hand last week. Wrestling Jan. 17 at the
Burlingame JV Dual Team Tournament, Stefan landed hard on her head after
being taken down by
Vaja Kasablyn of Fresno's Hoover High. The match was stopped for a few
moments as trainers checked on Stefan, who was pinned a few moments after
being
cleared to wrestle. After the match, Stefan sat in the stands holding an ice
pack to the back of her neck, her whole body shaking.
"The shaking was more mental than physical," Stefan said. "It was like being
in a car accident." The incident, however, has not changed her feelings
about wrestling.
"I'll be back at practice, no question about it," Stefan said. "This match
has made me more determined to work harder. When I started wrestling, I was
determined
not to quit. I want to see this season all the way through." Engle,
meanwhile, laughed when asked if she or her female teammates ever feel out
of place in the
male-dominated sport.
"When we step onto the mat, we are here to wrestle," Engle said. "Outside we
wear dresses and makeup. I'm doing wrestling to learn about the sport and
gain
experience." The only regret Stefan has is that she didn't take up wrestling
sooner. "There is so much room to learn and improve," she said. "If I were
to return next
year, I know I would have a chance for success."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Life lessons are found on the wrestling mat
JULIE STEFAN /
Half Moon Bay Review / January 28, 1998
Some of my male friends both inspired and encouraged me to join the
wrestling team. It turned out to be the hardest thing I have ever done. I
have spent the past
few months testing, and maybe even stretching, my will and limitations. I
can't pinpoint exactly why I chose to start, but it was something new and
different, and I was
searching for something to learn in my seemingly repetitive world. I'm
pretty athletic, but I had never participated in a truly contact sport.
Wrestling has been the source lately of both my frustrations and excitement,
and it has become, in many ways, the most meaningful thing I have done in
high school.
Not only was I a novice, but I was also a girl and a senior. I was nervous.
I didn't have any high expectations, and I didn't know what would be
expected of me. I
didn't know if I would be rejected or welcomed.
I borrowed a pair of wrestling shoes from one of my inspiring friends, put
my head down and charged. I gave myself many lines of advice. Keep your
mouth shut
and do as you're told. Have fun. Don't give up. Be inspired. Learn. Protect
your face - literally and figuratively. Don't put up with anything you don't
want to.
The first few weeks were focused on taking in as much as possible. I was
starting completely blank. I knew none of the rules, except the obvious ones
like no biting,
and I knew none of the moves. After the first two days, I couldn't lift my
arms above my head. Practices were a tough two-and-a-half hours, and I was
working
muscles I never had before. I was determined to prove to everyone who
doubted me that I could do it.
Each day I finished, I felt accomplished. I would be proud of myself for
continuing, for that itself was success, and then let my exhausted body fall
asleep before 7:30
p.m.
The reason I was so content was that my mind and body understood the
challenge I was putting myself through. Both parts of me were bordering
their limitations.
Practices were hard. Twice my nose has been slammed into someone's
collarbone and the mat. There are days when I felt aggressive and ruthless,
and others when
I felt like a frail child. There were times when I got discouraged, asking
myself what I was doing, and there were times when frustration was so
intense I cried. It
took everything, every bit of strength I had, to hold myself together and
not bawl like the child I felt wanted to.
I knew that I had to take a deep breath and keep charging. Beyond the
challenge, actually because of it, wrestling has taught me more than I ever
thought it would.
Through knowing that a match is the most brutal six minutes in any sport, I
gained a whole new sense of self-respect and self-confidence.
All of my teammates are supportive, and I enjoy being part of the minority.
It is a powerful and safe feeling knowing that some of them are protective
even. In spite
of those frustrating days, I refuse to quit or go down quietly. Wrestling
has been ultimately inspiring. I never knew the strength I have found
existed within me. Such
an awesome barrier crossed, both on the physical and mental level, has been
an experience that I can always refer to for encouragement and inspiration.
