Gavit's Garza enjoys the challenge of wrestling (Indiana)
HAMMOND - The people for whom she was modeling were none too pleased when
she arrived at a photo shoot sporting a nasty case of mat burn underneath
her eye, suffered the night before during her wrestling match.
"They were freaking out and stuff," Dezarae Garza said. "They had to put all
kinds of makeup on me."
Yes, the Gavit freshman is a rare female in the male-dominated sport, who
also models as one of the many other activities in which she participates.
Welcome to the world of Garza, part self-described tomboy, part
self-described girlie girl - and all action and moxie.
Be careful to extend a challenge to her, unless you fully expect her to
accept it enthusiastically.
Just ask Garza's Gavit teammate Aaron Martinez. He and Garza were involved
in some friendly trash-talking - Garza says he was daring her, Martinez
counters she was bragging "she could do as much as I do."
Either way, the result was Garza, as an eighth-grader last year, wound up on
the middle school football team as a center and fullback.
"She was as good or better than a lot of the guys," said Martinez, also a
sophomore 125-pounder on the wrestling team.
The "bet" carried over into the winter, as Garza joined the wrestling team.
Though she didn't play football this past fall, she continued wrestling, and
emerged as the Gladiators' 140-pounder
"She's serious about the sport - she's die-hard," Gavit wrestling coach D.J.
Silvas said.
"She's brutal, she's rough. She doesn't get dainty about anything. She
smacks them around like they smack her around. We've had some other girls in
the program, but they're not as mean."
With her ability and attitude, her teammates have more than accepted her.
Garza admits she initially was met with doubt and there was a transition
period, but she quickly won them over.
"She's a lot tougher than I thought," said Martinez, one of her practice
partners.
"We all support her. We're never negative because she's a hard worker."
Silvas said Garza has the potential to be a standout in the not-too-distance
future if she continues to progress and gain experience. After posting
around a .500 record for the middle school team last season, she had gone
0-3 in her first three varsity matches this season, before injuring her
ankle in practice the day after Thanksgiving.
"She still comes up (to practice) even though she's hurt," junior
215-pounder Dan Galos said.
"It's pretty much like she's one of the guys. We don't treat her any
differently. I have a lot of respect for her. I'm looking forward to seeing
what she can do when she's healthy."
She had no qualms about competing against boys.
"I really don't notice it," said Garza, who turns 15 on Jan. 6. "I just have
to get in there and do what I have to do to win and make my record better.
"I think it's harder for a boy to wrestle me than it is for me to wrestle a
boy. If I win, they don't wanna lose to a girl in front of all their
friends."
Her mother, Anita Garza, has been very supportive. The first day Dezarae
told Anita she was going to wrestle, the mother took the daughter to the
store to buy the necessary gear - just as she had for football, including
purchasing special shoulder pads designed for females. Anita simply made
Dezarae promise that if she got hurt, she'd go to the doctor no matter what.
"I tell her to go kick their butts, have no mercy on them," Anita Garza
said. "The matches are exhilarating, they get me hyped up. Look at my child,
look at my baby. I like that she's not intimidated by males.
"My baby's very strong and courageous. There's nothing she can't do."
Anita Garza said her parents took a "go to school and come home" approach
with her, which influenced the way she interacts with her three daughters,
instilling in them an inquisitiveness and passion at an early age.
"If you prevent your child from trying something that they want to try
within reason, they'll resent you," said Anita Garza, who also has
13-year-old Sabrina and 8-year-old Delilah - both are involved in several
activities, but Dezarae doubted either would wrestle. "If they don't like
it, they'll never have to do it again - you just can't quit, you have to
finish the season, because your team is relying on you. You can't be scared.
I totally encourage my kids - the only way you learn is if you try.
"Try and persevere - that's our motto at home. Do it hard, do it strong and
don't give up."
Dezarae's father wasn't as thrilled about the idea of her wrestling, but has
come to terms with it.
"He doesn't like them touching me," said Dezarae, whose parents are divorced
and whose father lives in Houston.
Anita Garza actually is less enamored of Dezarae modeling than wrestling,
somewhat skeptical of that scene.
Dezarae took classes at Barbizon for a year, and has done a handful of shows
in Chicago and the suburbs, including one for Guess clothing.
"It's kinda scary," Dezarae Garza said. "You don't know if they (other
girls) look better, or they're doing something better.
"It's fun right now."
She has gotten a couple of callbacks based on the shows, and hopes to land
additional jobs. But modeling is not something she necessarily wants to do
long-term. She has been saving the money she has earned for college, and
eventually wants to become a neurosurgeon.
"I was watching TV one night, and they were operating on a brain, and that
caught my eye," said Garza, an honor roll student.
Garza's other interests are diverse, keeping her busy.
She is active in her church, and performs community service. She plays the
flute, has taken dance classes, studied martial arts for four years and
enjoys hunting, bagging her first deer - a four-point, 140-pounder - before
Thanksgiving.
"I hope she encourages other girls who might be scared to put their foot out
there," Anita Garza said. "You never know who's watching you, so that's why
you do everything the best you possibly can. You never know what kind of
effect you have on people."
Indeed, Dezarae Garza has become something of a role model for Gavit
assistant coach Cesar Hernandez's son Mario, a fourth-grader.
"He looks up to her," said Hernandez, whose brother Vincent is a junior on
the team. "She's got a lot of heart."
Said Anita Garza: "I think she's awesome, she's amazing. She's very
well-rounded, and willing to try anything and be successful. I couldn't ask
for a better daughter - three daughters, really. I'm blessed.
"We're girls, but we're not limited. She gets to do it all."
When East Jackson High School senior Melanie Webb took an interest in wrestling after watching older brother Darren compete while she was in middle school, she was apprehensive about taking it up herself.
After all, a girl participating in a sport like wrestling is no longer a novelty, but it still tends to draw extra attention.
"It kind of bugged me at first because everyone would stare and feel bad," Webb said. "But now I look at it as an advantage, because if I do well then everyone will say: 'Wow, girls are tough.'"
Webb, who has been wrestling at 112 and 119 pounds this season after competing at 103 for much her career, won't have people looking past her anymore. She was a regional qualifier last season and has set her goals much higher this season.
"I want to qualify for state this year," said Webb, who is hoping to get back to 103 pounds before the tournament. "I'll be OK at 112; but if I can get down to 103, I'll have a much better chance."
Her coach thinks she has a chance to make it.
"She's focused and serious," East Jackson coach Josh Cunningham said. "She wants to go to state, and I don't think it's out of the question."
Webb admits she didn't begin to gain confidence until last season, when she started winning more than she was losing. But Cunningham said it wasn't because a of lack of hard work.
"She makes it really easy on me," he said. "She busts her butt and works harder than a lot of the guys I've coached in the past."
That work included time with Darren learning how to compensate for a lack of strength early in her career.
"I had a really hard time during my freshman and sophomore years because I was underweight and didn't have a lot of upper-body strength," Webb said.
Webb was quick to offer advice to up-and-coming female wrestlers.
"You can't get discouraged right away," she said. "Stick with it -- sooner or later you'll get better."
Melanie Webb sure has.
This is from ((Feb 28, 2004)).... Note this: "A girls'
wrestling program
could pose problems, too. Lampe said if the WIAA offered boys and girls
wrestling, she would want to wrestle with the boys."
First female wins state wrestling bout
The Tomahawk sophomore sparked debates the entire weekend at the WIAA state
tournament
By Paul Adamski
News-Chronicle
MADISON - When the final buzzer sounded and the victory was hers, Alyssa
Lampe dropped her head between her legs and plunged her face into her hands
to cry.
Accordingly, she slowly lifted her head to a thunderous applause from the
wrestling faithful that packed the Kohl Center on Friday morning and flashed
a weighty smile that scarcely told her story.
Lampe's emotional outburst was tempered, somewhat surprising considering the
historic circumstances in which the Tomahawk High School sophomore had just
starred.
Five days after she became the first female to qualify for the Wisconsin
Interscholastic Athletic Association wrestling individual state tournament,
and seven minutes after claiming a 7-5 victory in a Division 2 preliminary
bout at 103 pounds, it was clear to see why Lampe's celebration was subdued.
"I don't really think about (being the first girl at the state tournament),"
Lampe said. "I just see myself as a wrestler wrestling other wrestlers - boy
or girl, it doesn't matter."
While Lampe didn't think it mattered that she was a girl, it did to many.
Cheerleaders cried and women of all ages whooped and hollered their
approval. Alas, some wrestlers and coaches didn't always see eye-to-eye.
Lampe, who is 55-19 during her high school career, was poised as one could
be considering the magnitude of her actions.
She jumped to a 4-1 lead and was clearly stronger and had better technique
than East Troy's Braden Mayotte in the opening-round match. If not for her
long, flowing blonde hair, ravishing smile and appealing good looks, one
would be hard-pressed to figure Lampe for a girl on the mat.
She flows into moves one after another, has splendid technique, lusty arms
and seems to have that wrestler's edge.
"She's a girl all the way," said Tomahawk assistant head coach Bob Garrou.
"She's a pretty little girl that just happens to be a damn good wrestler."
Lampe lost by first-period pin in the quarterfinals later Friday to Lodi
freshman Jake Madigan and then fell to Mosinee's Jerad Kern in her
quarterfinal wrestleback.
The 1-2 record was far from a disappointment. And, her 33-12 record looks
better when one considers 10 of those defeats came to state qualifiers.
Lampe beat three state qualifiers this season and came out of a sectional
that had five wrestlers with 30 or more wins.
THE EFFECTS OF TITLE IX
Lampe's breakthrough sparked a ferocious debate the entire weekend.
The growth of girls sports in Wisconsin coincided with the passage of Title
IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on
the basis of sex in federally funded educational programs.
Title IX gave needed impetus for the development of girls' interscholastic
sports and expanded opportunities in all educational programs and
activities.
Title IX has been one of wrestling's worst enemies since its inception. Year
after year, wrestling is dropped in college and high schools around the
country to balance the sports.
In the years since 1972, nearly all Wisconsin school districts have
experienced some problems in providing equity between the boys' established
programs and the girls' growing programs.
Most of the problems at the school-district level have been settled by
enlightened leadership and compromise, according to the WIAA. But, it is not
unusual for controversies to result in complaints, frequently through the
federal Office for Civil Rights or litigation through the courts.
At the state level, it has been necessary for the WIAA to change
longstanding rules. For example, WIAA rules prohibited all competition
between boys and girls. In 1978, the U.S. District Court ruled that
qualified girls must be allowed to participate on boys teams if no girls
team is offered in a sport.
This decision, which applies to contact and noncontact sports, is consistent
with other court decisions throughout the country. As a result of this
ruling, the WIAA changed its rule.
The WIAA supported Lampe's decision to wrestle and was pleased to have her
at the tournament.
"In order for girls athletics to continue to grow, the exposure is so vital
to help promote girls involvement in athletics," said Tom Shafranski, an
assistant director for the WIAA.
Lampe's victory was chronicled by more than 50 media outlets, and Shafranski
said national television networks contacted the WIAA and asked to be
informed of her performance in the tournament.
In the matter of boys competing on girls teams and girls competing on boys
teams, Title IX requirements and subsequent case law generally allow
students to cross over only if there is no team for one sex and athletics
opportunities for that sex have been limited in the past.
In Wisconsin and many other states, this approach allows girls on boys teams
under certain conditions, but it does not allow boys on girls teams.
The Department of Public Instruction and the WIAA philosophy tolerates the
apparent unfairness to boys in this situation only because that alternative
would be more discriminatory.
But, is it fair? Many wrestlers and coaches, who would speak on the subject
only if their names where left out of this story, say no.
"We are losing programs because of Title IX every year, but here we can have
a girl come and wrestle in the same sport that is being taken away around
the country to help girls sports," said one exasperated Division 2 wrestler.
"But, if a boy wanted to play volleyball and that school didn't offer it,
then the boy couldn't play with the girls. (Lampe) shouldn't be allowed to
wrestle."
Shafranski disagrees with that position.
"I'm sure that there are political pressures on some of our coaches and
communities to not allow this kind of activity," he said. "Our position is
one that we want to give girls the opportunity to participate - whether it's
wrestling, football or other contact sports. We think that is (in) the best
interest of girls athletics."
Garrou, who wrestled for the University of Wisconsin-Superior before it
dropped its program in part because of Title IX, sees the situation from
both sides.
"If universities use Title IX the correct way, it's a great thing for
everyone," Garrou reasoned. "If you talk to a lot of women in their 50s,
they never had the opportunity to really play sports. That is a shame. That
is wrong.
"I'm for Title IX to give women the opportunity to be in athletics, but I
don't think it should come at the cost of wrestling or baseball at the
university level."
MAKING WAY FOR THE GIRLS?
Jill Brandl Gurtner, the first female to officiate the WIAA wrestling state
tournament, has run a girls' folk-style state tournament in Middleton the
past five years. The last was Jan. 20, and it drew 50 girls.
There also is a girls state tournament in Kenosha that is run by the United
States Girls Wrestling Association. It draws about 100 girls from a handful
of Midwest states. Lampe took second last year.
"Hopefully, women's wrestling will help balance Title IX," Brandl Gurtner
said. "If we can get girls wrestling started, it should only help the boys
programs."
Shafranski believes its just a matter of time before the WIAA offers girls
wrestling. "That's something on the horizon," Shafranski said. "(The girls
state tournaments) are signals that we have opportunities for expansion of
wrestling."
A girls' wrestling program could pose problems, too. Lampe said if the WIAA
offered boys and girls wrestling, she would want to wrestle with the boys.
Shafranski said the WIAA's stance is if a sport is offered by the school for
both boys and girls, then the girl would have to compete with the girls.
But, if the school doesn't offer the sport for girls, she could wrestle with
the boys.
The Department of Public Instruction and the WIAA are committed to the
concept of separate athletics programs for boys and girls. On the surface,
this seems to contradict civil-rights decisions in which courts have
consistently held that "separate but equal" is in fact unequal.
According the WIAA Web site, if all sports activities were open equally to
boys and girls, the number of female athletes would be severely curtailed.
"Guys would dominate women's sports," Garrou said. "But, if you think girls
can do well in a guys sport, then go for it because women are not usually
going to dominate in a boys sport."
LASTLY, THE REACTION
Brandl Gurtner said she struggled with the issue of girls wrestling boys at
first, but, during the past five years, she has come to the conclusion that
they are as serious and as dedicated and they love the sport just as much as
the guys.
"I never wanted to see a girl out on the mat just to prove a point or use it
as a stunt," Brandl Gurtner said. "But, since I've been working with the
girls the past five years at Middleton, I have found out that isn't the case
with these women."
Still, many wrestlers and coaches found Lampe's participation at the state
tournament wrong. It wasn't that they were trying to take anything away from
her accomplishment, it was that they didn't feel boys should be wrestling
girls at this age.
"It's wrong," one Division 1 coach said. "The situations that wrestlers find
themselves in is not right for a boy and girl at that age. It puts a lot of
pressure on the boys to make sure they are putting their hands in the right
spot."
Lampe disagrees.
"It is just the same thing as two guys wrestling," Lampe said. "There are
places you can't ... you don't even think about that."
One member of the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association said the state
should look to Japan for answers. Japan was the first country to basically
start girls wrestling, working on the basis that boys and girls wrestle each
other until they reach fifth grade, then they wrestle in separate
tournaments.
Garrou argues it is the same as guys' cheerleading.
"They toss the girls up, and they are catching them and holding them the
same way that (Lampe) has to hold the guys when she's wrestling.
"There is no difference between a guy grabbing a girl in cheerleading then
Alyssa wrestling a guy. It's very similar."
Jordan Crass, one of Wisconsin's best high school wrestlers and a UW-Madison
recruit, sees nothing wrong with Lampe wrestling.
"In our state, there is not a lot of opportunities for girls wrestling,"
said Crass, a three-time Division 1 state champion from Medford Area. "If
people think it's bad because she's beating boys, too bad. I say start
working harder then, boys."
It's an argument that has been going on for a long time, well before Lampe
stepped on the mat. With women's wrestling becoming an Olympic sport and
more and more women finding a love of the sport, it's safe to say the debate
will continue.
One thing is for sure, the record crowd at the Kohl Center surely won't
forget the actions of Alyssa Lampe for a while. And, by chance they do,
Lampe has two more years of high school to remind them that girls can indeed
compete with the boys.
HEADLINE: EARINING RESPECT, ONE MATCH AT A TIME;
FEMALE WRESTLERS SAY THEY'RE CHANGING MINDS ABOUT GIRLS IN THE SPORT
BODY:
Maybe members of a certain target audience have noticed Natalia Stickle has
won twice as many high school wrestling matches as she has lost this season.
Or perhaps they're aware the Madison West junior has helped the Regents to
their first city title in 13 years.
Those are the hopes of West coach Kirk Mefford.
"I think there are a lot of girls in Madison who would be interested in the
sport, but for whatever reason haven't taken the initiative to join a team,"
Mefford said.
"I think with wrestlers like Natalia, that could help change the face of
wrestling."
For the past four years, Sun Prairie senior Amy Ganser has been the face of
girls wrestling in the Big Eight Conference. She has spoken to younger girls
interested in trying the male-dominated sport.
"(The girls) will just tell me they really enjoy watching me wrestle and
that they're cheering for me and they someday wish to go out and wrestle,"
Ganser said.
"I tell them to go for it because all it takes is a dream."
While the number for this season is still unknown, the WIAA -- the
organization that governs prep sports in Wisconsin -- said 30 girls wrestled
at the varsity and junior varsity levels across the state last season.
Stickle and Ganser are among a handful of area girls that wrestle, and
Friday night they will treat fans to a rare doubleheader. Stickle (103
pounds) and Ganser (112) are expected to compete in back-to-back matches --
believed to be a first in the Big Eight -- when West hosts Sun Prairie in a
dual meet.
"More people should come watch us because we're a sight to see," Stickle
said.
Proving themselves
In recent years, Tomahawk's Alyssa Lampe has given girl wrestlers a firm
hold on the sport.
She made history two years ago as a sophomore by becoming the first girl to
compete in the WIAA state tournament. Lampe, who returned to state last
year, is currently ranked second in the state at 103 pounds among Division 2
wrestlers -- behind Jase Langkamp of Lancaster and ahead of Grant Sutter of
Dodgeville.
"She's put in a lot of hard work and has proven herself over and over
again," Ganser said of Lampe. "She doesn't give out any negative influences,
she keeps everything positive and all I hear is positive stuff about her."
Coming off an 18-22 season in which she led Sun Prairie in decisions and
qualified for sectionals, Ganser is 16-13 this season.
Stickle, in her first year at West after transferring from Bethesda, Md., is
8-4 and was the Regents' leading point-scorer as of last week.
"I think with the exception of Alyssa Lampe, and maybe Amy Ganser last
season, a female wrestler has never stuck out in my mind as being an
exceptional wrestler. Natalia is one of those exceptional wrestlers,"
Mefford said.
"When you have girls that can be light, I think they can do some awesome
things in those lighter weights," Sun Prairie coach Jim Nelson said. "It's a
great thing to see."
Just one of the guys
Stickle and Ganser said they don't want gender labels applied in the sport.
"I don't really think of myself as a female wrestler.' I just think of
myself as a wrestler' and people can take that as they may," Stickle said.
Added Ganser: "If you ask any person on my team, they'll tell you that I'm
just one of them. I'm a wrestler."
But what's it like from a guy's point of view?
"I'm sure guys go in there thinking that (Stickle's) going to be a pushover
because she's a female," Mefford said. "But it's not long into the match
that they find out she's not, when she catches them and puts them on their
backs."
West sophomore 103-pounder Mike Piazza has competed against girls, including
Stickle in practice.
"The first time I wrestled a girl it was different. But you've got to treat
it like she's a guy. I was kind of nervous at first but it goes away after a
while," Piazza said.
"(Stickle's) just like any other guy wrestler. She's pretty good and she's
not much different."
There are a few differences, however. At tournaments, girls usually have to
wait to weigh in until all the boys have finished. And there are the
occasional odd looks.
"If people haven't seen me wrestle before they kind of look at me
differently, like, She wrestles?' " Ganser said. "And just questions if I
can actually handle it. But I can usually change their minds about me."
Ganser and Stickle agree some boys will compete harder because they don't
want to lose to a girl. Stickle said it can go the other way as well.
"One guy was really sad and he was almost in tears," Stickle said. "Another
guy came over and talked to me afterward. He didn't care at all (that he
lost to a girl)."
Hooked from the start
Ganser and Stickle took very different paths to the same destination.
Ganser became interested in wrestling while watching her two older brothers
compete. Her first match came as an 11-year-old seventh-grader, against a
boy.
"I lost that match but it was a good experience," Ganser said.
Stickle's career began on a whim. A few male friends, on the wrestling team
at her Maryland high school last season, asked her to try out. Without ever
seeing a wrestling match before -- in person or on TV -- she made the team.
After two weeks of practice, and one wrestling move, she made her debut.
"It was over in 21 seconds," Stickle said. "I pinned him."
Nelson said the addition of girl wrestlers has been nothing but good for the
sport.
"We want to keep on developing wrestling as a sport and it should not matter
whether it's a boy or a girl."
Mefford marveled at what transpired during a tournament in Oostburg last
month, when Stickle went against a taller, more muscular wrestler from
Milwaukee Madison University High School.
"She threw him right to his back and the entire gymnasium went crazy, which
told you, even though there were two matches going on, the entire gym was
watching her mat," Mefford said. "It was great to see an entire gym
supporting her like that."
GRAPHIC: STEVE APPS State Journal Madison's West's Natalia Stickle is one of
the Regents' top point scorers with an 8-4 record. "I don't really think of
myself as a 'female wrestler,'" said Madison West 103-pounder Natalia
Stickle. State Journal archives Tomahawk's Alyssa Lampe, top, has qualified
for the last two WIAA state wrestling tournaments. Sun Prairie senior Amy
Ganser is 16-13 this season wrestling at 112 pounds.
Cummings ranked
Competing for coach Victor Zampetti's Onondaga Tigers' wrestling team,
freshman lightweight Anna Cummings just became the first female in sectional
history to earn a spot in the weekly individual rankings. Cummings,
16-year-old sister of former Section III champion Don Cummings, is listed
No. 7 at 103 pounds in the Division II ratings this week. For the season,
Cummings has compiled a 7-4 record, vying at both 103 and 96 pounds. She
will compete at 96 for the sectional tournament at the end of the season.
As Zampetti says, "With more and more colleges starting a wrestling team for
women, Anna has a chance to compete at the collegiate level someday if she
stays with the sport."
DAYTON -- The first time Jenny Ryder wrestled a boy in competition the match
ended in tears.
"Last year, this kid cried when I beat him," said Ryder, a freshman at
Northeastern High School. "It was my first match and my first pin. I didn't
expect him to cry but he did. It was a great feeling."
Wednesday "Girl Power" was on display at Chaminade-Julienne.
Along with Coldwater, Dixie, North Royalton and the host Eagles,
Northeastern participated in a modified version of the Oakwood Invitational.
Originally scheduled at Oakwood, the meet was moved due to the school's bout
with Whooping Cough. Oakwood, which closed school early and cancelled all
athletic activities over break due to the illness, did not participate.
Three girls for Northeastern did, though.
Along with Ryder, the sister act of Katy and Emily Fishbaugh wrestled for
the Jets.
Emily Fishbaugh, a freshman, wrestled at 103, while Katy, a sophomore,
competed at 125. Ryder wrestled at 112.
"We have a couple girls in our junior high program right now and we had one
before Katy came," Northeastern coach Ben Obee said. "When we have girls who
want to wrestle we meet with their parents and tell them that the girls
aren't going to be treated any different. On the mat, there are no girls or
boys, just wrestlers."
Of the three, Katy Fishbaugh is the most accomplished.
Fishbaugh began wrestling in first grade after getting a sheet for tryouts
at school. Ten years later she's become one of the best female wrestlers in
the state. Fishbaugh placed third and fourth respectively at 88 and 95
pounds at the National Women's Wrestling Tournament in 2003 and '04. Last
year as a freshman she went 32-11 at 103 and won titles at Goshen and
London.
Fishbaugh plans to continue wrestling at Cumberland College, where she's
already been promised a scholarship. Cumberland is one of the few collegiate
institutions to offer a women's wrestling team.
Following Wednesday, Fishbaugh's record dropped to 8-9, although she did
record her third pin. Fishbaugh -- who plans to eventually drop to 112 --
said the biggest obstacle for girls to overcome is strength.
"The hardest part is that the boys are more masculine and stronger,"
Fishbaugh said. "To offset that you have to have better technique, be faster
and think quicker."
Ryder agreed.
"You have to bump up your effort and work a lot harder," Ryder said. "The
guys are a lot stronger and they've usually been wrestling a lot longer. It
seems sometimes like everything is against you."
According to Emily Fishbaugh, a lot of girls corner her with questions as to
what wrestling is like.
"Girls who see us wrestle will come up and ask questions like, "Is it tough?
Is it weird wrestling guys? Do you think I can do it?' " Emily Fishbaugh
said. "You see other girls starting to get interested in wrestling and I
think it will continue to grow."
When asked if male opponents ever overlook the girls in Northeastern's
lineup, Obee laughed.
"Yeah, occasionally they do," the coach said. "And those are usually the
guys that they end up beating.
"I remember last year this one guy came over after he just lost to Katy and
was amazed. He said 'That's not a girl,' and I said 'Yes, it is.' He
couldn't believe it."
HEADLINE: JUSTA WRESTLER;
Samantha Montoya doesn't want to stand out because she's a girl - she wants
to stand out because she's good
BYLINE: JAMES YODICE Journal Staff Writer
BODY:
The highest praise anyone could pay Samantha Montoya is to simply refer to
her as a wrestler.
Not a girl wrestler.
Just a wrestler.
It would be easy, perhaps, to make her gender part of the equation.
Understandable, even. After all, you can probably count on two hands the
number of girls who are wrestling for a varsity program in New Mexico. And,
while female wrestlers are not novelties per se, it's still an unusual sight
to see a girl competing in a male-dominated sport.
Around the halls and inside the wrestling room at Valley High School,
Montoya might be a girl, and she might be the daughter of the head coach,
but she is, above all else, a wrestler.
"Even though she's a girl, it doesn't matter," says Valley's 112-pounder,
junior Aaron Taylor. "We all give her the same respect as the other guys.
She's a teammate."
Montoya, a sophomore, is the Vikings' 103-pounder.
Headed into the Joe Vivian Classic which began Friday afternoon at Cibola
High School, she was a respectable 5-5 this season, including three pins -
two of her victims being boys.
She's wrestled off and on since the third grade, so it's not like wrestling
is a hobby. It's been a passion for years, she admits. Montoya gave up the
sport for two years in grades 7-8, but returned her freshman season at
Valley.
"I don't know why I gave it up," she says. "I think I'd be a lot better now
if I would have continued wrestling."
When her father, Gary, became Valley's head coach two years ago, the
decision to get back into a singlet was fairly easy, said the 15-yearold.
She split time between the varsity and junior varsity last season but is
entrenched with the varsity this season.
And she earns her keep, says her father.
"All the guys on our team really respect her a lot," says Gary Montoya. "She
goes out and works hard. Everything we ask of them, she does."
Says Taylor, "She busts her butt. She works harder than most of the guys on
our team."
Key is quickness
It's precisely that type of gogetter attitude that quickly endeared her to
her peers, who Taylor admits only needed a short amount of time to acclimate
to this unique teammate.
"She started coming along, getting tougher, and that built up the respect,"
says Taylor.
On the mat, Montoya's style is defined by quick feet. She's a shooter, says
Taylor.
That's by necessity.
"I don't have strength like guys do, so I have to depend on quickness," says
Montoya. "And that's kind of hard, because strength is a big part of
wrestling."
Fortunately, her natural athleticism serves her pretty well. She also plays
volleyball and golf at Valley, and is well versed in softball and soccer,
too.
Opponents, Montoya says, treat her about as her teammates do, which she
finds enormously satisfying.
"It does mean a lot, because I love this sport," she says. "You have to love
this sport to be out here putting your whole body out there. It means a lot
that people respect me."
Montoya says there have been a couple of times where she felt mistreated,
but adds that it wasn't anything too serious.
"I've actually heard a team when they're huddled, saying, oh, she's a girl,
don't worry about it. She'll be easy. She's a fish. But I just blow it off,
because I'm out there to wrestle, and I'm not gonna worry about what anybody
else says."
'A coach first'
As for her coach/father, Gary Montoya says it's all business at school and
at tournaments.
"The biggest thing is, we have to go home together," he says. "I try to keep
myself as a coach first. I think it makes it more comfortable for her. As a
dad, I don't want her to feel like I'm being a dad out there. Whatever
happens on the mat, we'll talk about as coach to wrestler. Then after that,
we'll deal with the family situation."
Gary says he did not encourage or discourage his daughter to wrestle. "I let
her make the choice," he says. "I felt that was important for her to make
the choice, because it is a maledominated sport, and I knew it was going to
be tough for her."
If it is tough, it doesn't show.
"He's been my coach, so he's harder on me than he is anyone else," says
Samantha. "He expects more from me."
Montoya says she may eventually be able to challenge for a state title
before she graduates. For this season, she says she'd be content placing
fifth or sixth at state.
"I need a lot more work to be up there in the top four," she says.
On Friday, Montoya had to wait nearly three hours before her first match of
the Vivian tournament which is arguably the state's most prominent
competition, including next month's state meet.
And it was worth the wait. Montoya recorded a takedown with eight seconds
left in the third period to tie her match against Las Cruces High's Kevin
Chavez at 6-6. Montoya didn't waste the second chance, winning 8-6 in
overtime with a takedown midway through the OT.
She was 6-5 for the season headed into late-round action Friday night.
And Montoya already was proving to be a crowd favorite at Cibola. The
spectators in that part of the big gymnasium gave her a spirited ovation
after her tremendous win over Chavez who looked pretty disappointed.
Montoya didn't smile, didn't flinch. She walked off the mat, peeled off the
ski cap which during matches covers her long, brown hair and walked back to
her seat in the bleachers, awaiting her next match.
Just another wrestler.
"When you're out there on the mat, wrestling, you forget about everything,"
she says. "It's just a great feeling."
GRAPHIC: ROBERTO E. ROSALES/JOURNAL Samantha Montoya of Valley is
congratulated by her father, Vikings' wrestling coach Gary Montoya, after an
overtime victory on Friday afternoon.
Seventh-grader proves girls can be wrestlers too
By MARY MARAGHY, Clay County Line
A few Christmases ago, while fetching mistletoe from a tree, Danielle
Kitchens of Green Cove Springs fell and broke both her wrists.
She never shed a tear, said her father Daniel Kitchens about his only child,
who he says has a high tolerance for pain.
"She was joking and making a hissing sound because her one broken arm looked
like a snake," he said.
Today, the scrappy, lanky blonde-haired seventh-grader is demonstrating her
physical and mental toughness in the wrestling ring as the only girl on
Green Cove Springs' Junior High School wrestling team.
Before practice recently, Danielle said wrestling is now one of her favorite
sports.
"I like it a lot," she said shyly, chewing a lollipop stick. "They were
amazed that I made the team."
A newcomer to the sport, competing in the 95-pound weight class, Danielle
recently pinned her opponent at Lakeside Junior High School in two minutes,
35 seconds, said coach Rick Wetherill, who said he's impressed with his new
recruit, especially her work ethic at practice.
"She's just getting started," he said. "She's a studette. She's competitive
and it's refreshing."
She's the only girl in Florida competing against boys this year on the
junior high school circuit, according to the Florida High School Athletic
Association. Seminole and Orange counties have had all-female wrestling
teams for about eight years now, said Paul McLaughlin, FHSAA director of
athletics/wrestling administrator. However, female wrestling is not
sanctioned by FHSAA.
Danielle Kitchens (left) wrestles Tyler Dusinberrey from Lake Asbury Junior
High. Dusinberrey won the match.
GIL HOFMANN
Meanwhile, Clay County schools have traditionally had male-only teams. No
rules prohibit girls from trying out, however.
"If they want to wrestle, the school has to let them," McLaughlin said.
Bill Tillo, wrestling coach at Orange Park Junior High School, said it's
rare to have female wrestlers. He saw Danielle in action recently when
Orange Park defeated Green Cove Springs.
"You have to be a real special person to do it," he said. "She's tough. She
gave one of our boys a tough time."
At practice recently, Danielle was focused and quietly kept up with her 40
some teammates as they did dozens of push ups, stretching and strength
exercises. While practicing take-down techniques, Danielle scooped up
teammate Junior Davis and dumped him on the mat with a splat.
Davis blushed when a teammate pointed to him during the drill.
Green Cove Springs Junior High's only female wrestler, Danielle Kitchens,
flexes her muscles before her match Dec. 10.
GIL HOFMANN
"You got beat up by a girl," the teammate said.
Another teammate, Martin Dixon said he's not ashamed to admit Danielle is
good.
"Most of the time she beats me," he said.
Another team member, Christian Yelton, said Danielle is the team's secret
weapon.
"It's better to have a girl on the team because it intimidates the other
team," he said. "They think she can't wrestle and then she beats them."
The team has accepted the quiet, even-tempered Danielle as one of the
fellows, said assistant coach Josh Matthews. However, her gender does seem
to fluster her opponents, he said.
"It unnerves them," Matthews said. "They are like, 'Please God don't let me
lose to a girl.' "
One male opponent from The Bolles School refused to wrestle her, Matthews
said. Danielle was credited with a win.
"I admire her. I wouldn't do it," said team manager, student Brooke
Baudendistel, who said Danielle puts Vicks vapor rub under her nose before
she competes to offset smelly armpits in the ring. "She's a lot stronger
than I thought."
Danielle played junior varsity volleyball at Green Cove Springs Junior High
this fall. Though new to the game, she developed a consistent, effective
jump serve with a signature kick at the end, said coach Dawn Smith, who
awarded Danielle the Cougar Award for her work ethic, attitude,
"coachability" and teamwork.
"She's just got a great personality. She could care less about who is
watching her. She has no limitations," Smith said.
When volleyball ended, Danielle wanted to pursue another sport to keep her
in shape for track, her true passion. Basketball didn't interest her. So
Smith suggested she try wrestling.
"She's a tiny little thing. She's awesome," Smith said. "She pinned a kid
last week."
Danielle's father said he really didn't want his daughter out on the mats
but said he lets her do what she wants if she keeps up her grades.
"As long as she brings homes A's and B's and keeps perfect attendance," he
said admitting that he's enjoyed watching the matches. "I just hope the
other teams don't get mad because there's a girl on the team. I know I'm her
daddy, and I might be bragging, but she's amazing. She doesn't win every
match, but she has a blast doing it. And if she doesn't win, it doesn't
bother her. I get tickled at the boys who cry when they lose."
