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Red Lion board resolution: Good intentions, wrong reasons
York Daily Record
Jan 22, 1998; David F. Salter;
Safety.
That word has troubled me the most regarding the reasoning behind Red Lion's
recent decision to ban boys from playing on the girls' field
hockey team.
The resolution isn't necessarily a bad one, but the logic behind it leaves
something to be desired.
One of the reasons this presents such a dilemma is high school athletics
should be about participation. Boys interested in playing field hockey do
not have that opportunity. Field hockey is the second largest participatory
sport in the world, and in every country outside of the United States,
is considered a men's sport. So boys' interest in field hockey is not
unfounded.
Having heard of the verbal abuse and harassment Mickey Harner endured to
play for Littlestown this past year, I wouldn't question his interest in
the game. Besides, any guy who would wear a skirt to play a sport certainly
isn't doing it for the novelty.
Perhaps the YAIAA could institute rules that would prohibit teams that have
boys from using them to create an advantage. Restrict the boys to
only two on the field at the same time. Or, male field hockey players could
be restricted to a certain number of quarters or minutes per game.
They would have the chance to participate, yet not dominate the game as so
many coaches are afraid.
Furthermore, unskilled female players wielding field hockey sticks are more
dangerous than a 150- to 160-pound male player in a sport where
intentional physical contact is a violation.
The resolution also seems hypocritical coming from a school district that
had a girl playing on its boys soccer team. Soccer is a much more
physical sport than is field hockey. Additionally, this decision comes from
a school district that participates in a league that has had girls on
football teams and girls wrestling, two sports with considerably more
physical contact than field hockey. Wouldn't the safety of those girls be in
as much jeopardy as the girls competing against male field hockey players?
One Red Lion board member also thought it prudent to extend the resolution
to include not participating in games when a male is a member of
the opposing team. Would this also mean Red Lion boys teams in football,
wrestling and others would not take the field when a female appears
in the opposing team's lineup?
"It's the worst reason they could have picked," said Ray Yasser.
Yasser is a lawyer in the Tulsa University School of Law and has brought a
number of Title IX lawsuits in Oklahoma. He currently has four
federal Title IX cases in various stages of litigation, recently settling
two others. His daughter is the reigning state high school champion in
tennis.
"It's demeaning to girls and it fosters the stereotype that girls are at a
physical disadvantage. It (the resolution) implicates a lot of interesting
things
... reverse discrimination, affirmative action. Clearly girls can play
football and girls are wrestling. Girls can participate in boy's activities,
but it's
not a one-way street.
"They made the right decision for the wrong reason. What Title IX is trying
to accomplish is to build programs for girls. The resolution should
have been to prevent boys from taking opportunities from girls who have
historically been discriminated against in athletics."
Yasser said Red Lion's resolution mirrors many others taking place in
various parts of the country. Yasser also believes the resolution would
withstand a legal challenge.
"I think he'd lose," Yasser responded when asked if a boy were to take the
school district to court over the resolution. "It is reverse
discrimination, but I'm not sure the case fully supports this. Title IX was
designed to address the problem of girls and women being discriminated
against in sports and to make the treatment of girls and women better. If
you interpret it that way, there is nothing inconsistent with disallowing
boys to participate on a girl's team."
Sometimes we reach the goals for which we strive in spite of ourselves.
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Girls solid in wrestling Beasley, Pearson both in state meet
Bangor Daily News
Feb 10, 1999; Larry Mahoney
Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln's Betty Beasley wanted to "develop my
muscles."
So she figured "why not try wrestling."
Beasley is now a freshman in her second year of wrestling and she is one of
several girls who will be competing in state championship wrestling
meets this weekend. In fact, one of them, Wiscasset's Kristen Jewett, won
the Western Maine Class C title in 112-pound division last Saturday.
Beasley and Jewett will be participating in the state Class C meet at
Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln on Saturday.
Beasley feels she has made considerable progress in two years.
"I've improved a lot," said Beasley, who wrestles in the 103-pound class. "I
think I've won 12 matches and have lost six this year.
Penobscot Valley High School of Howland coach Gerald Hutchinson has been
impressed with her.
"She won four matches at our annual middle school tournament last year,"
said Hutchinson. "She's a little scrapper. She has done a good job."
Beasley said, "I enjoy it a lot. I enjoy meeting people I've never met
before."
She also said her teammates have been supportive.
As for her muscles?
"They have developed a lot," grinned Beasley.
Although she didn't win, Beasley turned in a good showing at the EM Class C
regional at PVHS Saturday. She was one of four in the weight
class.
She lasted five minutes with Woodland's Billy Romanelli before losing by
technical fall and she went the full six minutes with George Stevens
Academy of Blue Hill's James Gagne before losing a 13-7 decision.
Tim White has five female wrestlers at John Bapst High School and one of
them, 103-pounder Jodi Kokoska, has three pins according to
White.
"She's a tiger," said White.
Kokoska wrestled for Calais a year ago and actually goes to Bangor High
School but she trains and wrestles for John Bapst.
Bangor High doesn't offer wrestling.
Kokoska would have had to compete in the Eastern A regional at Oxford Hills
so she decided instead to lend moral support to her John Bapst
mates at the C regional.
Kokoska said she had a 5-6 record this season and enjoys wrestling "because
it's a physical sport."
Kokoska was instrumental in getting friend Amy Pearson involved in the
sport.
Pearson was one of four wrestlers at 119 in the EM C regional so she
automatically qualified as the fourth seed despite being pinned in her two
matches.
"I wanted to try something new," said sophomore Pearson. "It has been a lot
of work but it's also a lot of fun. I've learned a lot of the moves."
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HEALDSBURG'S COOPER EIGHTH AT NATIONALS
The Press Democrat; Santa Rosa; Apr 1, 1998;
Healdsburg High's Misty Cooper finally got to wrestle in her own element.
Participating in the first national women's wrestling championships
over the weekend, Cooper went 2-3 and finished eighth in the 129-weight
class.
Cooper, a junior who wrestled on the Greyhounds' boys' team this season, has
wrestled for two years. "One girl there had wrestled 12 years,"
Cooper said about the wide range of experience of the 271 competitors at the
tournament, held at Pioneer High in Ann Arbor, Mich. It was the
first national championship for girls, grades 7-12.
Cooper lost her first match, pinned two opponents and lost her final two
matches.
Cooper plans on wrestling for the Healdsburg boys' team again next season.
This weekend she'll wrestle in the women's state freestyle
championship at Brentwood High in Antioch.
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WRESTLING WITH THE STEREOTYPES
Daily News; Los Angeles;
Mar 27, 1999; Heather Gripp
Her father wants her to be a tennis player. Her mother cringes as she tries
to support her's daughter's choice in sports.
Laura Felix is a wrestler.
The scrappy Calabasas High freshman proudly talks about how she got the
bruise on her face. She takes it as a sign of how far she's come since
taking up wrestling in November. She's continually learning new moves and
training long after the high school season ended.
She knows she can hold her own with the boys.
This weekend she takes on the girls. Felix is competing in the Michigan
national girls' championships today through Sunday.
"It doesn't really matter to me who I wrestle against," Felix said. "Girls
are just as tough as guys. I like wrestling period. It's a fun sport."
Calabasas wrestling coach Andrew Falk had Felix in one of his classes and
noticed her toughness. He thought she would be perfect for wrestling
and invited her to join the Coyotes' team.
"Once she got in, it was like, `Wow,' " Falk said. "Some people really do
well with the discipline and training that it takes. Wrestling is very
regimented. It's like the military, and it suits her perfectly."
Felix, 14, played on the Coyotes tennis team in the fall. Her only exposure
to wrestling was watching the professional version of the sport with
her older brother.
"She learned real fast," Falk said. "She's stronger than some of the guys.
She's faster, she wrestles better.
Felix quickly earned the respect of her teammates.
Wresting in the 103 weight class, she primarily competed at the junior
varsity level. She finished the season with a 7-3 record and the Frontier
League JV title. She recorded three pins.
Felix's expectations aren't high for this weekend. She is mainly looking to
gain experience against the older athletes.
"I'm just looking to have a good time," she said. "I don't let it get me
down if I don't win.
Watching Felix surpass expectations rubbed off on her Calabasas teammates.
Falk points to a meet against Alemany as a perfect example of
Felix's power. She ignored Alemany's taunting and won. Her victory pumped up
the Coyotes and brought them back to fall just short of a team
victory.
Felix's favorite match was against Chatsworth. After she was dominated in
her first two matches with the varsity, she moved to JV - and almost
pinned her opponent, earning the first win of her career.
Her mother's eyes aren't closed as often during matches anymore, Felix said.
Her teammates and classmates alike support her.
"It keeps me out of trouble and I like it," she said of wrestling. "I like
it because it's different. I like being different."
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Two of a kind // WRESTLING: Monica Sanchez and Wendy Padilla's love for the sport has made them fan favorites while wrestling for Estancia.
Orange County Register; Santa Ana;
Jan 21, 1999; SCOTT BARAJAS
The loud chants and cheering from fans and team members during Estancia's
wrestling matches isn't for the team's star grappler. It's for Monica
Sanchez and Wendy Padilla, two of Estancia's female varsity wrestlers.
"When Wendy and I take the mat, the guys get all crazy," Sanchez said. "Then
if we beat them, they'll get even louder."
Sanchez, a senior, and Padilla, a junior, began wrestling as freshmen
because they wanted something different in their lives. Sanchez, who
wrestles in the 103-pound weight class, ran cross country and played
basketball. She needed a change and discovered the sport by
coincidence.
"I used to work out and lift weights in the wrestling room," said Sanchez,
who's won four matches against the boys. "I somehow just decided to
give it a try."
Padilla, who also wrestles in the 103-pound weight class, had an older
brother who got her involved in the sport.
"I've never played sports in my life and I wanted to get in shape, so my
brother told me get into wrestling," Padilla said.
The experienced duo has brought crowds and opposing teams to their feet
every time they take the mat.
"At the Brethren Christian Tournament, I noticed other teams gathering
around, cheering for me," Sanchez said. "It's pretty funny, but I like it."
But her best moment came at the John Glenn Tournament, when she pinned an
opponent.
"I got him in a choke hold and I looked down and saw his face turn all red,"
Sanchez said. "Then afterwards one of his teammates told me I
made him throw up. I felt bad, but I was happy I won."
Coach Nate Skaar says the duo aren't pushovers, and if opponents take them
lightly, they're in for a big surprise.
"It takes a good, experienced wrestler to win," Skaar said. "If an
inexperienced wrestler goes in expecting a win, they'll get beat."
Padilla, who has won two matches, loves to see the facial expressions on her
opponents when she takes the mat.
"They get a big smile and I think they get overconfident," Padilla said.
"When I beat them the place goes crazy and everyone gets on them."
The worst moment for the two came during a recent tournament when they had
to face each other because there weren't enough entrants at the
103- and 112-pound weight class, so tournament officials had to combine
them. At the time Padilla was wrestling at 112.
"It was the worst feeling," said Monica, who also plays water polo and is a
varsity cheerleader. "I got her in an arm throw, which ended up in a
choke hold. Eventually I won the match. It's a great feeling to win, but not
against her."
Their training regimen isn't any different than the boys'. Sanchez and
Padilla work out five days a week, with one hard workout coach Skaar
calls "red flag day."
It's a short, intense day where they wrestle nonstop for periods of 15, 12
and seven minutes without talking. Then a series of drills commences,
followed by a circle of wind sprints.
"We push one another," said Sanchez. "Wendy kicks my butt every once in a
while if I'm not prepared."
Monica Sanchez, left, and Wendy Padilla, take
a break after wrestling practice last week.; Credit: STEVE ZYLIUS
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GIRL POWER EMILY RIVERA AND HEATHER PETTIGREW CHALLENGE THE ALL-BOYS WORLD
OF
HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
Sarasota Herald Tribune; Sarasota, Fla.;
Nov 26, 1998; Alan Dell
Why would someone subject herself to possible ridicule and embarrassment
while getting thrown around like a ping pong ball in a smelly, dingy
room that somehow passes for a gym.
The question is particularly pertinent to Emily Rivera, who was named Junior
Miss Englewood in the Pioneer Days festivities last year.
Before her family and friends had a chance to fantasize Emily's life as one
filled with beauty pageant honors and fashion shows, the 15-year-old
switched gears on them.
Her partner, Heather Pettigrew, finds herself in a similar situation. The
16-year-old had been swimming competitively for more than seven years,
before she decided to abandon the genteel sport and enter the male domain of
high school wrestling, where smiles and pats on the back are
replaced by snears and growls of opponents figuring how fast they can slam
you to the canvass for a three count.
But there are no regrets for these two Lemon Bay High juniors, who are on
track to become the first female members of the school's wrestling
program. Eight girls originally signed up, but these two were the only ones
to survive a month of stale air, agony and any other kind of pain the
human mind can imagine, in the small sweatbox where the wrestling team works
out.
Even head coach Mark Pearcy, who welcomes their presence, is impressed by
these two young females.
"We weeded out the ones who didn't want to be here with some extremely hard
work and these two girls stuck it out," Pearcy said. "They are
working hard and doing all the stuff the guys are going through, and they
haven't asked for any special treatment. We've thrown a lot of stuff at
them and they haven't quit."
With the matter of their resolve settled, the question that obviously arises
is why these two youngsters want to invade a world that heretofore
was considered off limits for the feminine gender.
"I couldn't do basketball because I can't shoot when someone is trying to
distract me and I'm not athletically inclined so I figured wrestling would
be good and I always wanted to be the first girl on the wrestling team,"
said Emily, who wanted to come out last year, but was frightened away
because she was the only female.
The last time Emily received any notoriety, she was being honored as the
Englewood Pioneer Day pageant winner, but that was like eating your
favorite ice cream; It took no effort and anyone could do it, says Emily.
"I won, but it wasn't something I achieved. I went up on the stage, said
something real short and they picked me. Basically, I had the looks and
knew what to do. Anyway, I'm not the beauty queen type," she said.
The only looks that count in the world of grapplers are hard stares that
some wrestlers wear to frighten their opponents into submission. But
Emily says that doesn't scare her off, though she is not by nature an
aggressive person.
"I had her in my history class and she's such a nice, polite girl, I didn't
know if she could do this," Pearcy said.
Emily added, "I'm doing fine. We get pinned a lot in practice, but I'm
enjoying it. The first day I was timid and shy and some of the guys gave us
a hard time and others were worried that if they lost to us they would lose
their pride, but things have worked out."
When Heather decided to give up swimming, she was looking for a sport and
wrestling seemed the obvious choice.
"I don't like sports were there are objects being thrown at you like in
basketball or soccer and I wanted to so something out of water, so this
seemed like a good choice. I saw some recruiting videos and I wanted to know
how they got into all those weird positions," she said. "When I
first started, a couple of guys said something to me, but they backed off
after they saw I wouldn't quit."
The obvious question facing the athletes, their parents and school
administrators is the nature of the sport with its close physical contact,
but that
hasn't seemed to be a problem.
"If there is unintentional touching, I can deal with that. I support my
children in whatever they do," said Emily's mother, Cindy Rivera. "My
husband and son are big pro wrestling fans and I kind of suspect Emily did
this to get her dad more involved in her life."
Pearcy added, "At first, we were concerned about the close physical contact,
but we talked to the parents and everyone involved and it wasn't a
problem. When you're out on the mat anything goes, but it is more difficult
for the girls because they have less upper body strength than most
guys."
Both girls have wrestled some of the guys in practice and they feel the
problem of being in an uncomfortable situation has been resolved.
"I think in the beginning some of the guys were thinking if I put my hand
here, it will not be right. I don't believe that's a problem anymore," Emily
said.
The driving forces behind the girls are similar in part. They would both
like to open up the sport to females and hope someday there might be
enough participants to start a girls' team.
"Though it's very tiring, I like the workouts and I'm starting to realize
how unfit I am," Emily said.
"I want to prove to myself that I can do this because everything else I have
tried I quit. I won't quit this," Heather said.
For this season, the girls will most likely wrestle on the junior varsity
team, but they are hoping to be on the varsity next year. Whatever, the
case, they don't plan on quitting.
Former Junior Miss Englewood Emily Rivera, 15, left, a
junior at Lemon Bay High School and Heather Pettigrew, 16, also a junior,
are wrestling for the Mantas this year.
