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Girl wrestlers finding welcome mats
BY DENNIS KNIGHT
Mercury News Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 22, 1999, in the San Jose Mercury News
At first glance, the action in the Del Mar gym Tuesday looked like any other high school wrestling match. Sweating competitors struggled for position, coaches and fans shouted their encouragement, and when a match ended, sometimes there were tears.
But then competitors removed their hair nets, revealing the shoulder-length tresses of teenage girls.
Girls wrestling in high school is no longer a rarity, but the inaugural North Coast Women's Classic held at Del Mar was the first all-girls wrestling tournament sanctioned by the Central Coast Section. Fifteen schools and 34 wrestlers participated in seven weight classes ranging from 104 pounds to 145 pounds.
Organizers say the goal of such tournaments is to give girls a greater chance to succeed. But that was only part of what made Tuesday's event special for the athletes.
``I think it's definitely better to wrestle with girls than with guys because the guys are all macho about it,'' said Melissa Moore, a 15-year-old sophomore at Del Mar. ``They don't talk with their opponents, they keep their distance. . . . With girls, they are friends before the match and after it.''
Moore's dad, John, the tournament director and wrestling coach at Del Mar, saw a need for a girls-only event.
``I think there are more girls coming out, although they sometimes get discouraged when they have to wrestle guys all the time,'' John Moore said. ``Sometimes it's a brutal match for them. Nobody likes to lose, especially when you don't even have a chance to win. A lot of girls don't wrestle because of that factor.''
Melissa has had success wrestling against both sexes. She placed fifth in the Women's World Cadet Championships held in England in 1998 and won the Bellarmine freshman tournament last season.
But given her preference, she'd wrestle girls all the time.
``Girls really put their hearts into the match (against boys) because they have to work twice as hard as the guys just to keep up with them,'' Moore said.
``Some of the more experienced wrestlers don't take it too well when they lose to a girl,'' Moore said. ``They think losing to a girl is humiliating.''
Despite the challenge, the allure of wrestling still attracts girls, who like the physical aspect of the sport.
``I just have something for all contact sports,'' said Berkeley High's Christie Ravera, a sophomore in her first year of wrestling. ``I think wrestling gives you a chance to let out aggressions that you're not really allowed to let out normally.''
Girls-only tournaments are becoming more popular. Last year Vintage High School in Napa hosted a tournament with 75 female wrestlers. The event will be held again Jan. 22.
Half Moon Bay High has six girls out for the wrestling team this year. Sara Fulp-Allen, a 14-year-old freshman, won the 109-pound division earning a pin in 2:30 against Vallejo's Sheila Lerit.
``I prefer wrestling girls because it's a lot more equal, you have a better chance to win,'' said Fulp-Allen, who has wrestled for six years. ``There are some guys you can beat up on, but they are usually a lot stronger.''
The California Interscholastic Federation has noticed the rise in popularity of girls wrestling.
John Moore said the CIF is studying the possibility of holding a state women's tournament in the 2000-2001 school year. Melissa would be a senior then.
``The intensity of the sport is what attracts me,'' she said. ``It's not just physical strength and technique, it's also what you put into it. . . . It's not like soccer or other team sports when you can blame a loss on a teammate, and I like that a lot. When it's just you there's no one else to blame.''
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HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING;
YANCY'S MISSION IS TO GIVE GIRLS AN OPPORTUNITY
January 5, 2000, Wednesday,
Los Angeles Times Valley Edition
Shannon Yancy has dedicated herself to promoting girls' wrestling.
Some might consider that mission impossible, but Yancy is encouraged by her
early efforts.
Yancy, a four-time silver medalist at the women's wrestling world
championships, has recruited 23 girls for the sport at Thousand Oaks High.
She's organized a tournament and clinic to be held Saturday at Westlake High.
Approximately 70 girls from 12 high schools are expected to participate in
the tournament, which begins at 10 a.m.
The clinic, which includes instruction from Yancy and Thousand Oaks boys'
coaches Larry Mortensen and Manny Valdez, begins at 9 a.m.
Yancy is optimistic girls' wrestling can become a sanctioned high school
sport if participation is encouraged. Golf and water polo are among the
sports made available for high school girls in recent years.
"At every tournament you'll find girls, but they're usually wrestling guys,"
Yancy said. "Once other schools have girls, then I think it could be a CIF
sport. That's my mission in life. I'm done competing for myself and now I want to give back
to the sport."
Yancy, who has been teaching English and physical education at Thousand Oaks
for three years, was the only girl on the Chaffey High wrestling team in
1989 and was a seven-year member of the U.S. national women's wrestling team.
She was an assistant boys' coach at Wooster High, which won the Nevada state
title in the 1996-97 season.
Her father, Mike Williams, wrestled in high school. For Yancy, it seemed
natural to pursue the sport.
"I just grew up playing rough and I was looking for a sport that challenged
me," said Yancy, who has three brothers. "The coach had no idea what to
think. I have a feeling that he tried to run me into the ground but I just had a wonderful
experience. I never had any negative reactions."
Women's wrestling has grown internationally and Yancy says it might be an
exhibition sport at the Sydney Olympics.
"We know it's a for sure thing in 2004, then women's wrestling is really
going to take off," Yancy said. "Wrestling will never be a huge spectator
sport but when it hits the Olympics . . . "
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