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Young Paw Paw Girl Takes KVA Wrestling Crown

By Daniel Thornton February 23, 2004

PAW PAW - The eyes of the Kalamazoo Valley Association's wrestling programs have been fixed on Paw Paw all year long.
The Redskins have been a force to reckon with since day one of the year and the Red and White even claimed a share of the league's crown.
To top off a host of accomplishments that have gone for Paw Paw this year, the Redskins' female wrestler won a conference championship.
Natesha Raymond may forever changed the face of wrestling in the KVA.
"Wrestling is something I have always been around my whole life," said Raymond, who competes at the 103 lb. weight class. "My brother and father both were involved in wrestling, so I've always been around it and known about it."
Raymond entered this week's team and individual Districts with a record of 36 wins to only 12 defeats.
The very competitive sophomore has had to battle some of the stereotypes, and comments from other male wrestlers (which she has faced all but once this year), but she has not allowed it to effect her performance.
"I think it was odd at first last year for maybe some of my teammates. They had to watch what they said and stuff like that," added Raymond. "Now it's nothing big, not that it ever was. Sometimes you'll get another school who might look at you different, or maybe say something, but nothing big. My teammates support me pretty well."
The Redskin wrestler is believed to be only the third female conference champion in the state.
WRESTLING NOTES: Gobles also featured two conference champions as Brian Leighton (heavyweight) and Blake Jackson (152) claimed conference gold.

PAW PAW - The Redskins entered the Kalamazoo Valley Association's annual conference tournament leading the league, but had to settle for a first-place tie with rival Delton-Kellogg.
The Panthers narrowly edged out Paw Paw, 165-157.5, to push the two teams into the tie for the KVA's overall league crown.
Red and White wrestlers went 4-0 in regular season dual meet action, but DK pulled off the first place tournament finish to force the tie.
"I knew this was going to be close," said Paw Paw coach Scott Szekely. "Delton was the only team in the conference that has a full line-up. We still are missing three weight classes. We made it close, but fell short."
Paw Paw needed just one more win in the finals to secure the league's overall title outright, but the Panthers held on to earn the win.
Redskin Natesha Raymond (103) became the first ever KVA female champion. Raymond currently boasts a record of 36-12 overall.
Nate Medema (152) successfully defended his title from the season before while Josh Sundberg (135) and Sean Szekely (171) were other Redskins who claimed league championships.
Andy Osbon (119), Jake Shanley (125), Leif Eggert (145) and Brad Warncke (160) all took home second place honors while Tim Fletcher (13) notched a third place finish with Devin Musgrave (14) placing fourth.
Paw Paw will square off at Hamilton High School on Saturday in the Individual Districts.

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Yamamoto sisters keep Olympic dreams alive

Ken Marantz / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter 2/23/04

Although they have combined for seven world titles, Miyu and Seiko Yamamoto face long odds in their attempt to live out a dream and emulate their father by wrestling in the Olympics.

The sisters remained in contention to make the Japanese women's wrestling team to the Athens Olympics by winning their qualifying round matches Monday at the Japan Queen's Cup.

"If it ends here, then everything we've done will have been for nothing," Seiko Yamamoto said she and Miyu have told each other.

The Yamamotos, despite their credentials, might miss out on the Olympics because of a numbers crunch, as the tradeoff for putting women's wrestling on the Olympic program was to pare the weight classes down from seven to four.

That has particularly hit Japan, which had five gold medalists and two fifth-place finishers at last year's world championships in New York.

They are all in action in the two-day Queen's Cup at Tokyo's Komazawa Gym, the second qualifying tournament following last December's All-Japan championships.

The four winners at the All-Japan--Chiharu Icho (48-kilograms), Saori Yoshida (55 kg), Kaori Icho (63 kg) and Kyoko Hamaguchi (72 kg), all world champions--can clinch Olympic berths by winning their respective weight classes.

A loss would result in a playoff in March between the All-Japan and Queen's Cup winners. That is what the Yamamoto siblings are shooting for in their quest to compete under the Rising Sun like father Ikuei, who wrestled at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

A clash of the titans is expected in the 55-kilogram class, where Seiko Yamamoto, the world champion at 59 kg, has dropped down to challenge Yoshida, the 56-kg titlist. The two met in the All-Japan final, with Yoshida winning an overtime decision.

"I don't want to wrestle like I did last time," Yamamoto said of the impending rematch with Yoshida.

Yoshida ended her day Monday in just 38 seconds, the time she needed to pin high schooler Shizuka Sakuma in her lone match. Not to be outdone, Yamamoto followed with a 40-second fall of Ushirono Gono.

"It went as I expected," said Yoshida, whose father was an All-Japan champion but never made the Olympic team. "I still have one match before the final, but whoever gets there, I'm confident I can beat."

The Icho sisters--although lighter, Chiharu is the older of the two--and Hamaguchi all posted easy victories on the first day of action.

Chiharu Icho, who won both of her matches by technical fall, will face the winner of the semifinal between Miyu Yamamoto and Makiko Sakamoto, who placed fifth in the world at 48 kg.

Yamamoto, 29, who has gone through a marriage, childbirth and a divorce since winning the first of her three world titles in 1991, said she is ready for the challenge of two tough matches.

"I have to go at my own pace and control the flow of the match," Yamamoto said. "I believe in myself and that will show in the results."

Failing to make the semifinals was 35-year-old Shoko Yoshimura, a five-time world champion between 1989-95 for whom the Olympics came too late.

The finals will be televised live starting at 1:30 p.m. on the TV Tokyo network.

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STATE WRESTLING NOTEBOOK - White Swan Girls Banded Together

By SCOTT SPRUILL YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC 2/21/04

TACOMA - They didn't set out to be a team, but Marie Olney, Felipa
Acevedo and Serena Watlamett sure ended up that way.

White Swan's three seniors are among 70 girls competing this weekend in
the first state invitational girls wrestling tournament, which is being
held in conjunction with Mat Classic in the Tacoma Dome.

While the experience is new for all involved, one thing was clear
Friday afternoon. These Cougars aren't messing around.

Olney and Watlamett, whose father Pernell coaches the boys and girls at
White Swan, pinned their opening opponents.

Instead of specific brackets, the single-classification field was
divided into groups of four (roughly based on weight) and each girl will
wrestle three round-robin matches. The final matches will be held after today's
first session.

"It was kind of intimidating wrestling here in front of all these
people," said the 4-foot-11 Olney, who built an 8-5 lead before pinning Kelsey
Richman of Mountlake Terrace in the third period of her opening match.
"I was nervous as heck, so it was great having two other girls with me."

In her opener, Watlamett pinned Edith Cruz of Evergreen in 1:16.

Olney said the trio discovered each other's intentions this season only
at the first practice.

"This is our first year on the (boys) team, and I didn't know there
would be any other girls until we started," she said. "My older brothers taught
me some moves, and I always told myself I'd turn out my senior year no
matter what."

It might not be long before girls have their own official state
championships, according to the Washington Interscholastic Activities
Assoication. If interest continues to grow there could be an official
tournament by 2007, Jim Meyerhoff of the WIAA told the Seattle Times
earlier this week.

Once 20 schools field exclusive girls programs a state tournament can
be staged, Meyerhoff said.

Leilani Akiyama, a junior at Bellevue's Newport High, competed in the
3A boys tournament for the second year in a row. One of only three girls
to ever qualify for state, the 112-pound Akiyama was 0-2 Friday.

Of the 70 entries in the girls invitational, Kennewick and Riverside
were the only other schools representing eastern Washington.

HITTIN' THE BOOKS: Not only did Ellensburg bring the largest local team
to the 3A tourney, but the Bulldogs have the Mid-Valley League's only two
all-state academic champions.

Junior Joe Savidge earned the 3A honor at 119 pounds with a 3.99
grade-point average, and senior teammate Cade Lillquist has the state's top 3A GPA
at 215 pounds (3.82). Both qualified for Mat Classic.

Two locals made the all-state 2A team - East Valley senior Kyle Fay
(275 pounds, 3.91 GPA) and Toppenish senior Jess Leon (135, 3.75).

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Tomahawk girl pins down trip to state

By CHRISTOPHER DABE
cdabe@journalsentinel.com Feb. 23, 2004

Alyssa Lampe of Tomahawk High School has spent the last decade as a wrestler, working to earn the respect of her peers.

She did that over the last two years as one of the growing number of girls around the state to make a high school wrestling team. She will do so again this weekend, when she becomes the first girl in the 61-year history of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association individual tournament to compete in the state meet.

Lampe, a sophomore 103-pounder, placed third Saturday at the Amery Sectional to qualify for state, which is Thursday through Saturday at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Along the way, Lampe also has dispelled some myths about girls.

"All week long she saw some not-so-kind stuff on the Internet, saying that girls should not be allowed to wrestle," said her mother, Judy Lampe. "It said she only got that far because she beat scrubs."

Alyssa Lampe holds a 32-10 record and will face East Troy freshman Braden Mayotte (36-14) at about 10 a.m. Friday in a Division 2 match. A victory would put her in the quarterfinals.

Of her 10 losses this season, five came against the two wrestlers who placed ahead of her in the sectional. She lost three times to Jered Kern of Mosinee (35-2) and twice to Joe Steffen of Osceola (32-0).

"I've been working really hard," said Lampe, who added that she hoped someday compete in women's wrestling in the Olympics. "I think I deserve it."

Lampe, 15, began wrestling so her brother, Anthony, would have a practice partner. She competed in her first tournament when she was 5.

"I don't think she remembers a time when she was not wrestling," Judy Lampe said.

Tomahawk coach Kurt Weyers said Lampe opened some eyes last weekend at the sectional.

"Each person I've talked to and every coach I saw and everyone who knows Alyssa knows why she is successful," Weyers said. "Most were excited for her. That tells me they appreciate all her hard work and respect her as a wrestler, girl or boy."

He said the Amery gymnasium "just exploded" when Lampe pinned her opponent in the match that qualified her for state. Weyers said Lampe walked off the mat to a standing ovation from the 2,000 fans.

"The feeling after the match was just awesome for a high school sporting event," Weyers said. "Everyone reacted. We all were jumping up and down. She jumped up. We all just exploded."

Anthony Lampe, a 112-pound sophomore who wrestled after Alyssa, lost in his bid to reach state.

WIAA Deputy Director Dave Anderson said accommodations for Lampe at the Kohl Center were in place. He said Lampe would have use of a locker room and there would be two female officials present for the weigh-in and skinfold check.

"It is a big deal to have this young lady there," Anderson said. "It is not a big deal for us to make it happen on-site."

Two other females reached WIAA sectionals this year. Amberlee Ebert of Reedsville and Aubrey Audetat of De Soto competed in Division 3 sectionals.

Kent Bailo, director of the United States Girls Wrestling Federation, said it is becoming more common to see girls qualify for state wrestling tournaments.

Two Wisconsin girls have competed in the WIAA state team tournament, in which an entire team must qualify as a group through its performance in individual regionals and dual-meet sectionals.

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Tomahawk Girl Makes It To State

Wisconsin State Journal :: SPORTS :: E3
Sunday, February 22, 2004

Tomahawk sophomore Alyssa Lampe qualified for the WIAA state individual wrestling tournament on the strength of a third-place finish Saturday at 103 pounds at the Division 2 Amery sectional meet.
Lampe was pinned in the semifinals, but rebounded to win on a technical fall and earn a spot in the consolation final where she pinned West Salem/Bangor's Zach Arentz in 1 minute, 54 seconds to clinch a trip to state. She lost her wrestleback for second place with Jared Kern of Mosinee pinning her in 8 seconds.

Lampe, who is 32-10 on the season, is ranked second in the country by the United States Girls Wrestling Association in the 100-pound weight class. It was not immediately known if a girl had ever qualified for the state tournament.

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Tomahawk wrestler is first girl in state tournament

ROBERT IMRIE

Associated Press 2/24/04

TOMAHAWK, Wis. - Alyssa Lampe, a 15-year-old high school sophomore with long blond hair, blue eyes and strong arms, makes sports history in Wisconsin this week.

Wrestling at 103 pounds, she is the first girl to qualify for the state high school individual tournament that starts Thursday in Madison.

Lampe is the only girl among 560 wrestlers competing in the tournament.

"I would say she has as good a chance as anybody of being a champion," Tomahawk High School athletic director Ron Wilson said Tuesday. "Probably the most unsexist way to describe her is she is really a great athlete. She has been wrestling since kindergarten."

If Lampe follows her dreams, the big stage of the state tournament is just a stepping stone. She hopes someday to compete in women's wrestling in the Olympics.

Lampe posted a 32-10 record this season and qualified for the state tourney by placing third in the Amery sectional. She received a standing ovation from 2,000 spectators, coach Kurt Weyers recalled.

"The feeling after the match was just awesome for a high school sporting event," he recalled.

Todd Clark, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, which sponsors the state tournament, said Lampe's accomplishment just shows how far wrestling has come.

Girls who want to wrestle have the same opportunity as boys, he said.

It has yet to be determined whether Lampe's achievement will blaze the trail for many girls qualifying for the state tournament.

No exact figures were available but there were dozens of girls among the 7,200 high school wrestlers this season in Wisconsin, Clark said.

Two other girls reached WIAA sectionals - Amberlee Ebert of Reedsville and Aubrey Audetat of De Soto. Two girls have competed in the WIAA state team tournament, in which an entire team must qualify as a group.

The WIAA has heard of no problems associated with more girls moving onto wrestling teams, Clark said.

Lampe began wrestling so her brother, Anthony, would have a practice partner, and competed in her first tournament when she was 5.

"I don't think she remembers a time when she was not wrestling," her mother, Judy Lampe, said.

Five of Lampe's 10 losses this season came to the two wrestlers who placed ahead of her at the sectional.

She lost three times to Jered Kern of Mosinee, who is 35-2, and twice to Joe Steffen of Osceola, who is 32-0.

"I've been working really hard," Lampe said.

Bruce Howard, a spokesman for the National High School Federation in Indianapolis, said 3,769 girls participated in high school wrestling in 34 states during the 2002-03 season, the most recent for which statistics were available.

"I would say that the number of those who advance to state tournaments is very small," he said.

During the 1997-98 season, 1,907 girls competed in high school wrestling in the United States, compared with 404 in 1992-93, Howard said.

Two states, Texas and Hawaii, now have girls state wrestling championships, he said.

Wilson said the novelty of Lampe wrestling with boys wore off a long time ago in Tomahawk.

"The boys treat her just like one of the guys. They joke around with her. Poke fun at her," he said. "She is just a great kid. She is a great student. ... We are just really happy to have her at our school."

Lampe is not a tomboy, either, the athletic director said, just another athlete who is good at what she does.

"She does have pretty good muscle structure, not just for a girl, but for an athlete, period," he said.

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Girls high school wrestling catching on

TODD MILLES; The News Tribune2/24/04

Vashon High's Lauren Daniels wanted better competition since she had wrestled against the boys all season at 125 pounds.

But for Daniels - and girls wrestling in the state of Washington - the bigger prize came Saturday. It was the debut of the girls sport on the biggest stage possible, at Mat Classic, the state championships.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association hosted n girls exhibition tournament - the first step toward what likely will be a sanctioned sport by 2007 - that 68 combatants participated in.

Daniels, who is nationally ranked in women's collegiate-style wrestling, was one of the 17 group winners Saturday night in the Tacoma Dome.

"She liked being a part of something new and historic," Vashon coach Anders Blomgren said.

The feeling was encouraging throughout the tournament to get the girls this opportunity, something the coaches association spearheaded, said Tahoma coach Doug Pecha.

"I think (sanctioning girls wrestling) is definitely on track, and a big step in the right direction is having the sports separating themselves, women against women," Pecha said. "It would allow the women to be more successful."

The girls exhibition took part in three sessions, with 17 groups of four girls. Each wrestler in that group took part in a round-robin rotation, wrestling another girl in her group.

The girl with the most total points won the state title in her group.

"We thought it went great," said Jim Meyerhoff, the WIAA associate executive director assigned to oversee wrestling. "Obviously, girls wrestling is something that can't be avoided anymore."

The progress of the sport is much further along than the level of competition.

The top girls such as Daniels, Ridgefield's Melissa Simmons, Puyallup's Whitney Condor and Bethel's Christy Watson, had little trouble winning their matches convincingly by fall.

In fact, of the 102 matches, 82 were decided by pins.

Really, the match results are almost secondary. What is key in keeping the girls sport on track is participation.

"There is no question it is growing," Meyerhoff said. "Before we can make more steps, the numbers have to increase."

For the exhibition, Meyerhoff lined up the 68 girls in order of weight, and divided them up in groups of four to wrestle. He would like to change that approach in coming years.

"I think our next step is establishing some weight classes," Meyerhoff said.

Meyerhoff and others will be contacting officials in Texas and Hawaii - two states that have sanctioned high school girls wrestling tournaments - to get feedback on what weight classes would work, since the National Federation of High Schools has not established any working guideline.

Pending WIAA executive board approval, the girls tournament likely will remain an exhibition for the next two seasons, Meyerhoff said. A minimum of 20 schools would have to offer girls wrestling in order for the WIAA to approve sanctioning the state tournament.

No welcome mat for Tacoma Baptist - The Tacoma Baptist Crusaders' search for a new Class B League is finally over, but not without tension.

After the Chinook League dissolved, the Crusaders decided to return to B football - and applied to join the Cen-Pac League in November.

The league denied their request.

Tacoma Baptist officials took the matter up with the WIAA at the executive board meeting earlier this month, and the WIAA approved the school's move to the Cen-Pac League, making it a 13-school league.

"We are actually surprised (about the resistance)," Tacoma Baptist athletic director Keith Plunkett said. "In the beginning (with the Cen-Pac ADs), it was a very positive discussion. We thought it was a shot in the arm for B football, with six new teams on this side of the mountains. But it is the end of February, and we still don't have a football schedule."

Because of the transition, longtime coach Mark Smith will return next year to help groom a new coach for the 2005 season, Plunkett said.

Notes - Rogers High School has hired Gene Bowen to replace Bill Wernofsky as the school's football coach. Bowen was a Rogers assistant for the past two seasons as a line coach and offensive coordinator last season. Bowen is a 1980 Puyallup High graduate.

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Beavers' McNeal wins state wrestling division

By Staff
Feb 24, 2004

Woodland's Katelin McNeal was one of 70 girls who participated in the first-ever girls wrestling invitational state tournament, held in conjunction with Mat Classic XVI boys tournament Friday and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.

McNeal won Group 9 of the round-robin tournament with pin victories over Kristen Kozak of Vashon Island (18 seconds), Emma Zelenko of Garfield (1 minute, 30 seconds) and Christina Crow of Raymond (26 seconds).

According to Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) assistant executive director Jim Meyerhoff, girls could have their own high school championship tournament as early as 2007.

"It's not very far away," Meyerhoff said in a story that appeared in the Seattle Times. "It's just a numbers game."

Meyerhoff said as soon as schools get enough girls to participate, separate programs will then develop. When 20 schools field girls teams, then a separate girls state tournament would be sanctioned by the WIAA.

Prior to Friday's invitational, Meyerhoff placed the girls in divisions according to their size.