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The Times Mirror Company;
Los Angeles Times 1999
She went from the padded foam mat inside the gym to the artificial turf mat
at the driving range, and now Amy Nadell isn't looking back.
Once a wrestler for Esperanza, Nadell, a junior, gave up her singlet and
head gear for a set of clubs and a pair of soft spikes.
Nadell, who played recreational golf for two years before getting serious
last spring, now shoots in the mid-40s for nine holes and has played her
way into the Aztec top four.
Along with freshmen Kayley Parrett and Vicki Yang and sophomore Lindsay
Holt, she has helped Esperanza improve from a 9-9 record last
season to a No. 7 ranking in the county.
"I think I made the right decision," Nadell said of giving up grappling for
gripping and ripping.
"I loved wrestling. I loved every minute of it. But golf is a little more
relaxing. Wrestling is stressful, and golf can be too, but this is more my
personality."
One of four girls on the Aztec wrestling team as a freshman, Nadell
acknowledged that competing with the boys became too difficult.
"As a freshman it was fine, but it's hard to compete with the juniors," she
said. "They have too much muscle."
Nadell is also an avid recreational basketball and beach volleyball player.
In the spring, she competes in the pole vault for the Esperanza track
team.
"There is nothing like flying through the air," Nadell said.
Except, perhaps, a golf ball flying through the air.
"I got into golf really hard starting in March," she said. "I play all the
time during the week and on the weekends. I guess you could call me an
addict."
Nadell, who hopes to improve enough to attract college interest, said
wrestling and golf aren't as different as they appear to be.
"They both take a commitment," she said. "They take dedication,
determination and hard work. A different kind of hard work, but hard work."
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Female wrestler excels despite odds Friday
March 6,
1998
By Glenn Kimball
Aggie Sports Writer .
After a stellar high school career, freshman wrestler Samantha Reinis seems poised to make her mark on UC Davis.
Like most of her wrestling career, Samantha Reinis would once again find herself in a tight spot. In this particular high school match, she finds her body crushed to the hard mat, nearly pinned by the boy draping his body on her back.
Slowly, she begins to go to work. Using her tiny 5-foot, 102-pound frame, she bridges her way out of trouble. Quickly, she uses her forearms to lock a tight hold of the boy's neck. A loud thud echoes throughout the gym as she flips him over her back onto the mat. Now Reinis is in control, and the boy is in a tight spot.
With his teammates yelling, "Don't let the bitch beat you," he frantically kicks and claws his way to get out of the hold.
It's too late, the match is called, the crowd erupts and the referee swings Reinis' arm into the air. The boy is unable to even look up as he sits stunned, crying on the mat, pinned by the girl.
It has never been easy for Reinis, a UC Davis freshman. As the only female wrestler in the entire UC system, she has had to fight an uphill battle to continue her wrestling career, a career that started because of a lost bet.
In her freshman year of high school, a teacher told Reinis that the wrestling team was in desperate need for a lightweight wrestler. Reinis joked back that if she didn't make the school's soccer team she would consider it. Two weeks later, she was wrestling.
What started out as a bet gone wrong would turn into one of the better wrestling careers at Berkeley High School, regardless of gender. In fact, throughout her career, Reinis would dominate so much she was named team captain.
Reinis started out as the only female on her high school team. Thanks in part to her presence and the publicity she has gained, there are currently 11 females on the squad.
If you think Berkeley High is an isolated hot spot for female wrestlers, think again. What used to be a sideshow joke involving strip bars and mud is fast becoming one of the hottest sports for female athletes in America. In fact, it has become so popular that trials will be held for the 2000 Olympic Games.
So why aren't more women doing it?
"Most female sports, in general, like basketball and softball, initially had a hard time getting started," UCD head coach Mike Burch said. "Women's wrestling is a little bit different because of the physical grappling involved, yet their are still a lot of the same stupid stereotypes."
Some of the problems in getting women's wrestling to full throttle are breaking down the ridiculous beliefs related to the sport.
"Despite what a lot of guys think, when you are on the mat it's not erotic," Reinis said. "This isn't turning me on or getting me off."
Another belief is that the sport is just too rough for females. Reinis had a difficult time arguing against this one, noting that her own dad can't stand that she wrestles. In fact, he refuses to attend her matches for fear of watching his daughter get bruised up.
"Girls are suppose to be like sugar and spice and everything nice, but half of the girls that I know aren't even like that any more," she said. "There are a lot of stereotypes, along with fear and hatred toward the sport - it takes a lot to not be afraid."
Reinis took a huge risk by attending UCD. She knew going in that she could be the only female on the squad, although the Aggies have had female wrestlers in the past. Yet to her teammates and coach, this has never been a source of awkwardness.
"All the guys on the team are really comfortable having her around," Burch said. "Being around her, you get a sense that this is serious thing for her. She loves physical combat, she is feisty as hell and has an intensity that lacks in even some of the males."
Giving up on the sport is something Reinis has never given any thought to. Instead, she simply sees the circumstances of being involved with a traditionally male-dominated sport as a test of her resolve.
This year has probably been the biggest test of that. Because there are no other female wrestlers, she had been forced to practice with the men's squad, but weighing 20 pounds less then the nearest wrestler on the team, she has been unable to find a practice partner for the season.
"No one said it was going to be easy," she said. "Someone had to do it - I was the first. I just didn't see anyone else doing my job. I think it will get easier eventually, we're just at the point of making baby steps. Hopefully this will continue to all the UC campuses."
Reinis emphatically denies that she is simply trying to gain personal attention by competing in the sport. To Reinis, it has never been about being a female wrestler, as much as just being a wrestler.
"I just think it is a great sport," she said. "Any wrestler will tell you that once you start doing it, it gets in your blood, and you can't let go of it."
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ON AMY ALVARO: WV WRESTLING'S 1ST FEMALE STATE QUALIFIER
"Life is full of ironies."by Dr. Bill Welker
A few of my readers may remember the scathing senario I wrote on a teenage girl who wrestled her first varsity match. The column wasn't very complimentary to girls who choose to compete against boys in wrestling. Well, on Saturday, February 21st, I had my eyes opened by a very courageous wrestler.
While officiating at the Region I AA Wrestling Tournament at Oak Glen High School, I refereed a match in the consolation semi-finals at the 112-pound weight class. The outcome of that bout had historical significance in West Virginia scholastic wrestling. Weirton Madonna's Amy Alvaro defeated her opponent and became the first female to qualify for states at Huntington. Humbled by the experience, I felt it was my duty as an objective journalist to solicit Amy's side of the story. She graciously obliged to have an interview with me. The following are the highlights this very informative conversation.
MAT TALK: "Amy, what enticed you to go out for high school wrestling?"
ALVARO: "I was a mat maid as a freshman at Weirton Madonna, and I was dating a wrestler on the team. As the season progressed, I began to enjoy the action on the mats so much, I decided I would give it a try. That's how I got started."
MAT TALK: "How supportive was your family and friends when you finally made the decision to wrestle?"
ALVARO: "My mom, dad, and brother Chris have been quite encouraging. It's funny. Mom is very fiery at matches, and Dad watches with quiet nervousness. Even my brother Chris, who plays freshman basketball for the school, supports my decision to wrestle. My classmates and everyone on the wrestling team were surprised at first, some even laughed, but most of them said, 'Go for it'. Even the fans have cheered me on and wished me 'Good luck'."
MAT TALK: "Amy, what do you believe you learned from wrestling?"
ALVARO: "I have always considered myself to be a strong-willed and well-disciplined person. Wrestling put these personal characteristics in motion, especially self-discipline."
MAT TALK: "What has been your most memorable experience in wrestling thus far?"
ALVARO: "I would have to say it was when I placed 3rd at the Cameron Tri-State Tournament in 1997. I brought home my first trophy. Mom and Dad were very proud."
MAT TALK: "Amy, do you have anything else you would like to share with the readers?"
ALVARO: "Yes. I guess the main thing is that I want to thank everyone who has been on my side in my desire to wrestle, especially my coaches, Mr. Lesh and Mr. Miller."
I, for one, am very impressed with Amy's reasons for wrestling. To her, wrestling is not about girls competing against boys, but a sincere desire to compete in the mat sport. Her head coach, Jamie Lesh, made it a point to tell me that Amy Alvaro works just as hard as her male counterparts at practice, and he has been very proud of her efforts on the mats over the last two years. Amy, like many wrestlers, is quite a scholar as well. She presently carries a 3.70 grade point average. This is just another testament to Amy Avaro's uncompromising determination to succeed in life.
Congratulations, Amy Alvaro, on defying the odds, proving that anything is possible if you believe in your dreams, and turn them into reality. Now you'll have to excuse me. I have some very tough "crow" to eat!
