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A FIGHTING FEMALE Girl makes her mark on school wrestling team
Florida Times Union; Jacksonville;
Feb 3, 1996; Brent Beaird
Stephanie Cole is just like most other high school girls, except for one
thing.
She is a member of a high school varsity wrestling team, a small but
apparently growing fraternity on the First Coast.
Cole wrestles with the Clay High School team, which will be competing in the
district tournament in Live Oak this weekend. An informal survey
of the First Coast area revealed three other female wrestlers, all competing
on the Ribault High School team -- LaShonda Oglesby, Crystal
Maddox and Canisha Moses.
While Cole, a 103-pound sophomore, hasn't won many matches, she is serious
about wrestling.
"It's cool," she said. "It is more than I expected but I am dedicated to
making it work. I am not discouraged even though I have not won many
matches."
Her first win came in a junior varsity tournament last weekend in Palatka on
a pin at the beginning of the second period.
"When the official's hand went down on the mat, I could not believe it. I
screamed and starting kicking my feet in the air because I was so
happy," said Cole, who also wrestles on occasion with the junior varsity.
She lost two other matches in Palatka but her coach, Jim Reape, said that
she wrestled well.
Cole got an emotional lift when she earned her first varsity takedown in a
Jan. 20 tournament. Even though she did not win, she received a
standing ovation.
Team manager Sarah Callaway said the match was a great moment for Cole, who
is also a cheerleader.
"All the parents were rooting for Stephanie," Callaway said. "It was neat to
see her get an overwhelming response for not getting pinned."
Moses of Ribault, who also wrestles in the 103-pound division, has the best
record of any of the girls, 10-6. Oglesby is 6-11 with five forfeits in
the 145-pound division and Maddox, 112 pounds, is 2-15.
"Most of the girls think that it is neat for us to be on the team, although
some have said that we shouldn't be wrestling boys," Moses said. "At
first, the boys said they shouldn't be wrestling girls."
Her advice to any girl who wants to wrestle is "work hard."
Cole got the idea for joining the Clay team after attending her younger
brother's wrestling matches in middle school.
"I went to my brother's first match and decided then that I could wrestle.
So I started practicing with him," she said.
The next step was to talk to Reape, who was initially wary of the idea.
"I was not crazy about the idea of a girl wrestler because I anticipated all
kinds of morale problems since this is a macho sport," he said. "We
have had girls who wanted to do it previously but Stephanie was different.
She spoke to me quietly, without any fanfare and was very serious
about trying out."
Assistant coach Tom Petrucci said there have been no problems with Cole
joining the team because allowances have been made to have her
dress and weigh in with privacy.
Cole said she is often asked about the reaction of her family and friends.
She was concerned about her mother's response but after some early
worries, her mom is one of her biggest supporters.
"My first reaction was to think that she was wrestling similar to what is on
television, then my second concern was that she would get hurt, but, I
have come around. She is never afraid to try anything," said Cole's mother,
Terri McCord.
The reaction from her peers was mixed. Cole thought other Clay students
might ridicule her but she is pleased with the way they've treated her.
"I thought that they would make fun of me but the girls, especially, have
been supportive. With the boys there was a lot of talk but now they
come up to me and cheer me on," she said.
Cole has won the respect of opponents such as sophomore Billy Johnson at
Middleburg. Johnson pinned Cole in their match on Jan. 24 after
Cole re-injured her ribs. Although Johnson said he did not want to lose the
match because he would be teased by other team members, she did
earn his compliments.
"She is really pretty good with her technique. She surprised me with her
opening move. She backed away so I followed her then she shot in and
got me. She also wrestled OK on the mat," Johnson said.
When asked about the acceptance of her teammates, Cole laughed and said,
"I've been accepted as one of the guys."
According to Reape, Cole is the only girl wrestler in Clay County who
wrestles on the varsity.
Records are not kept in the Florida High School Activities Association on
the number of female wrestlers in high school athletics.
Jack Watford of the FHSAA said that the names of females involved in
predominantly male sports are not singled out by schools sending in
census information but he is aware that individual cases do exist.
Reape is pleased with Cole's progress in her first season.
"She has done as well as many first-year wrestlers. She defends her legs
well on the mat which is due to her athleticism and flexibility. Although
she can do pull-ups, which is unusual for girls, she lacks power. Her
inexperience has cost her some matches but her coachability and toughness
compensate for a lot."
Cole says that she is willing to work with weights during the off-season in
the hopes that she can get stronger and still stay at 103 pounds.
One of Cole's dreams is to create enough interest to form a girls' wrestling
team.
"If this can't happen, then I want to see other girls join the boys' team."
1. Clay High School's female wrestler
Stephanie Cole reacts to frustration after being pinned Jan. 24 by
Middleburg's
Billy Johnson during their match in the 103-pound division.2. Stephanie Cole
struggles with Middleburg's Billy Johnson. She lost the match but won the
praise of her opponent.3. Stephanie Cole gets instructions and encouragement
from her coach, Jim Reape, before her match against Middleburg. She
said her teammates have accepted her as "one of the guys." 1.
Team manager Sarah Callaway -- who is unofficially known as Stephanie's
"hair coach," helps her push her long hair into the cap. If the cap comes
off during a match, it is counted as an injury time-out.2. Hair is a
continuing
concern for Clay's female wrestler Stephanie Cole. Before her match, she
prepares her hair to be stuffed into a swimmer's cap.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Weatherby putting headlock on history for the Marauders/ Mitchell gymnast
the best of local female wrestlers
Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph
Colorado Springs; Feb 2, 1995;
Tim Bergsten;
And she has a 10-18 record, mostly in junior-varsity matches for Mitchell.
Two of her wins were by forfeit, so at least eight
wrestlers know Weatherby is for real - if not unique.
"I think I'm very different from a lot of girls," she said. "Most of them
don't like to sweat and lift weights or do anything like
that. I'm trying to accomplish what I want to do. I don't give up."
Weatherby is one of the best high school gymnasts in the area. She's also
interested in pursuing a career in judo, body building,
or even lifting weights.
HIGH SCHOOLS
For Beth Weatherby, the question wasn't why. It was why not.
Why not try out for the wrestling team?
Why not take on the guys?
Why not use wrestling to improve her skills in other sports?
She had the tools - strength and determination. She had the spirit to be a
pioneer, to open doors for high school girls in Colorado.
And she has a 10-18 record, mostly in junior-varsity matches for Mitchell.
Two of her wins were by forfeit, so at least eight wrestlers know
Weatherby is for real - if not unique.
"I think I'm very different from a lot of girls," she said. "Most of them
don't like to sweat and lift weights or do anything like that. I'm trying to
accomplish what I want to do. I don't give up."
Weatherby is one of the best high school gymnasts in the area. She's also
interested in pursuing a career in judo, body building, or even lifting
weights.
The athletic 16-year-old junior has time to decide. Meanwhile, wrestling
keeps her in shape and sharpens her judo skills.
This is the first year the Colorado High School Activities Association has
allowed girls on the mat.
Three other area girls have taken advantage:
Lewis-Palmer's Alicia Grimes, Doherty's Miki Nakajima and Widefield's Sue
Fisher have all competed in junior-varsity matches.
Weatherby, who wrestles in the 106-pound class, comes from a training ground
that has produced many great athletes - the back yard.
She and her older brother and sister competed in everything. Being the
youngest, she benefited most.
"We went at it," Weatherby said. "Football, baseball. We beat each other
up."
She's applying that toughness to wrestling, and Mitchell coach Steve DeLeon
is a big fan.
"I'd say that in 85 percent of her matches, including varsity, she has
gotten the first takedown," DeLeon said. "Most girls wouldn't have put in
the
same kind of effort. She can lunge, and she has one hell of a throw. She is
tenacious. She'll take on any of our wrestlers in practice, and they all
know she's going to give 100 percent. If they're not ready, she'll put them
on their backs."
With a girl in the wrestling room, DeLeon said he had to adjust his
approach. It's customary for him to grab a wrestler at any moment to
demonstrate a move. Usually, the kid closest to him is the guinea pig. And
one day, that was Weatherby.
"I got about halfway through the move when I realized I didn't have one of
the guys," DeLeon said. "She just laughed about it. She knows she's a
female, but she also knows she's a wrestler. We don't treat her any
differently than anybody else."
Being smashed into the mat by a bigger, stronger, sweatier guy wrestler
doesn't bother Weatherby. The fact is, sometimes in wrestling hands go
places they wouldn't otherwise.
"I didn't even consider it," Weatherby said. "It doesn't bother me, really.
I'm here to wrestle. I'm not worried about that kind of stuff."
She said she hasn't heard a single bad comment or joke. Her teammates have
been 100 percent supportive.
Her parents, Sandy and Tom, have slightly different attitudes about their
daughter's interest in wrestling.
"My dad thinks its great," Weatherby said. "My mom isn't so sure, but she's
getting used to it."
Grimes, a sophomore with an 0-6 junior varsity record, said she just wanted
a chance to do something for herself.
"I'm not doing this to prove that girls can wrestle, too. This is for me,
not anyone else," she said.
Grimes is also using wrestling to stay in shape for track, and she likes the
challenge. Plus, it gives her an opportunity to compete.
"I can't play basketball," she said. "I can't play softball. But I can do
this."
GOING TO THE MAT:
Beth Weatherby,
competing in Saturday's Widefield JV Invitational, is one of four female
wrestlers competing in the area this season. "I think I'm very different
from a lot of girls," she said. "Most of them don't like to sweat."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
There may still be a gender barrier in high school wrestling, but some
Midstate girls are...Stretchin' it
Nashville Banner; Nashville; Jan 21, 1997;
The billing is for two of the top wrestling squads in District 7, but the
main attraction is in pigtails. A good chunk of the buzz in
John Parsley Memorial Gymnasium prior to host Riverdale's match with Warren
County is directed at the matchup at 103
pounds.
Jennifer Daugherty is a sophomore in her first year in the sport. Andi
Jones, a senior at Warren County, has been wrestling
varsity for three seasons in McMinnville for a program that is only five
years old. It's Jones' third match against a girl in three
seasons. It's Daugherty's first match against a girl. Ever.
No gasps. The world stayed on its axis. The hands on the clock on one of the
adjacent walls to the stands ticked on. Same pin.
Same points. Same mat. Same headgear. Same refs. Same moms with camcorders
perched on their shoulders. The carnival
freak-show stares were nowhere to be found. Buoyed by Jones' fast points,
Warren County hangs on for a narrow win.
MURFREESBORO -- The billing is for two of the top wrestling squads in
District 7, but the main attraction is in pigtails. A good chunk of the
buzz in John Parsley Memorial Gymnasium prior to host Riverdale's match with
Warren County is directed at the matchup at 103 pounds.
The card: Daugherty versus Jones.
As in Jennifer versus Andi.
Jennifer Daugherty is a sophomore in her first year in the sport. Andi
Jones, a senior at Warren County, has been wrestling varsity for three
seasons in McMinnville for a program that is only five years old. It's
Jones' third match against a girl in three seasons. It's Daugherty's first
match
against a girl. Ever.
The two years' difference in experience between the two looks more like dog
years on the mat: Jones, the aggressor from the outset, pins
Daugherty at the 1:33 mark of the second period.
No gasps. The world stayed on its axis. The hands on the clock on one of the
adjacent walls to the stands ticked on. Same pin. Same points.
Same mat. Same headgear. Same refs. Same moms with camcorders perched on
their shoulders. The carnival freak-show stares were nowhere
to be found. Buoyed by Jones' fast points, Warren County hangs on for a
narrow win.
A taboo thought not so long ago is becoming less of a novelty in the
Midstate, and nowhere was that more apparent than last Tuesday at
Riverdale.
One coach estimated that there were a dozen girl wrestlers in Middle
Tennessee, and about half compete regularly at the varsity level. Officials
have said they began spotting female participants in Midstate matches four
or five seasons ago.
But only recently -- and rarely -- have they been able to match moves
against foes of their gender. Depending on the results of a legal battle in
Texas, those types of matches in lighter weights could be more common in the
Midstate.
The prospect of girl-boy matches moved to the national forefront recently
when officials in Texas decided to boycott them altogether. A group
of parents have sued the officials and the state wrestling organization for
discrimination.
Referees were so adamant against boys wrestling girls, they disbanded the
organization in mid-December rather than work boy-girl matches.
The Texas state wrestling association does not even recognize the results of
female wrestlers' matches.
``When I heard about that I was really mad,'' says Jones, unbeaten in
varsity appearances for Warren County. ``It's ridiculous. I think with
football, wrestling, or any other physical sport, if they don't have a
women's option, then it's open. Like volleyball for men. If they're capable,
they should go on.''
TSSAA official Jack Faircloth, who has been working matches in the Midstate
for 21 years, said he has found coaches and officials in
Tennessee to be split ``50-50'' on the issue of female wrestlers in the
state.
``A lot of people were negative toward it at first, but there are some
positives now, too,'' Faircloth says. ``I don't have a problem with it as
long
as the girl is athletic and is as strong as her opponent. The majority of
the girls I've seen are very physical and I don't have a problem with
that.''
A growing presence
Roles for women in TSSAA wrestling have been more common in the last five
years. Fred Rigbsy, director of officials for Middle Tennessee,
predicted that the area could have a woman official within a decade.
Their presence has been notable in some coaching staffs in the Midstate for
some time. Martha Fleming of Hunters Lane was a head coach until
this season and Martin Luther King -- which has a freshman, Nao Ueda,
wrestling at 103 -- has a woman assistant.
``We tried to get some (more women) already to come out a few years ago,''
Faircloth says. ``They don't necessarily need to be doing the
weigh-in thing with the boys, but they could do that with the principals, or
really anybody from the school. But as far as officiating on the mat is
concerned, that's fine so long as they have knowledge of the sport.''
Riverdale coach Steve Britton wouldn't go so far as to label himself a
progressive because of Daugherty's presence.
``It has been a learning experience for me and for her also,'' he says. ``I
didn't feel comfortable about a girl coming out for wrestling. But if I had
to have one, I'd have her. She's a class act. I don't cut her any slack. Her
teammates have accepted her. I admire her character and the way
she's presented herself.''
Safety has been the most common complaint among opponents of co-ed matches.
But MLK coach Paul Bass said that most wrestlers cannot
participate without proper insurance and parental consent. They know what
they're letting their kids into -- and what they're getting into
themselves.
``They have that information before we let them step on the mat,'' Bass
said. ``Parents must have that knowledge. Nao's parents have been great
. . . they've been real supportive.''
Daugherty's rookie campaign, meanwhile, has had its share of lumps. The
sophomore picked up a win against a wrestler from Forrest -- ``I feel
so bad for him,'' she says -- but most of her matchups against boys have
resulted in forfeits.
``I can understand that in a way,'' Britton says. ``In certain moves and
certain situations, if it was my daughter, I don't know if I would feel
comfortable with that.''
Daugherty shrugs. A black belt in karate, she got into wrestling to help
stay fit and complement her self-defense training.
``I've worked just as hard for this opportunity as anyone else,'' she says.
``I've had to prove myself to my team first.''
``People are entitled to their own opinion,'' says her mother, Cherie. ``I
don't condemn them, they shouldn't condemn us.''
