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INTERVIEW: NORDHAGEN ON COMEBACK TRAIL, TAKES AIM AT ATHENS

TUNIS (March 6) - Six-time world champion Christine Nordhagen of Canada wrestled at the Olympic qualification tournament for women's wrestling in Tunis, March 6-7. She took some time away from her preparations to answer some questions for the JWF website.

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Q. You won your last world championship in 2001 and we haven't see you for a couple of years. Were you retired for a while?

CN: When I won the world championship in 2001, my knees really hurt. I was in a lot of pain with kind of an arthritis in my knees.Well, with the Olympics coming up in 2004, we decided that it would be a good time to have the knees cleaned up. So in June 2002, I had surgery on both knees and then started wrestling again that October. It felt good to be wrestling again, but it seems like just when I'd get going, then I'd have an injury and then another -- the neck, then the ribs. It was kind of discouraging since I wanted to be healthy and I wanted to wrestle. But I tried to stay positive.

Q. At the Japan Queens Cup competition last month, we saw the end of the competitive careers of former world champions Shoko Yoshimura and Miyu Yamamoto. But at 32, here you are at the Olympic qualifying tournament. What is the secret of your longevity?

CN: (Laughing) Well, I guess I just haven't been challenged by a stud athlete yet! You know, when I lost to Ohenewa (Akuffo), I was a little worried because she has always been dangerous and she has always given me a tough match. But, I've been around for a long time and I think I have a lot of experience which helps me now.

Q. So, how long have you been wrestling?

CN: Twelve years. But since I started wrestling at the age of 20, I've only been in senior wrestling. I think that that's a lot different than starting out with a little kids club and then wrestling for 12 years.

Q. What made you decide to take up wrestling?

CN: At university, I had to take a number of activities classes as part of my minor in physical education. One of the classes wrestling and since I've always liked wrestling I thought I would try it.

Q. What would you say is the biggest between your wrestling 12 years ago and now?

CN: In the beginning, of course, I was just trying to learn how to execute the moves. Now, I'm trying to learn the game. I guess I'm always trying to learn more about wrestling.

Q. What influence did Yayoi Urano have on your wrestling? (Note: Urano defeated Nordhagen in the finals of the 1993 world championships. She traveled to Canada in the 1990s and decided to marry a Canadian and move there.)

CN: Yayoi and I met in the finals of my first world championships, then she moved down a weight. So, we were never really rivals. When she started coming to Canada, I always had fun wrestling her. It's difficult to find a female who's at that level of wrestling, so I always enjoyed wrestling with her.

Q. Which world title would you say is your most memorable?

CN: It would be 2000. In 1998, I had won my third straight title at 68 kg, and Kyoko (Hamaguchi) was beginning to win regularly at 75 kg. So, Leigh and I discussed moving up a weight for a new challenge. Well, I lost to Kyoko in the semifinals of the 1999 world championships. And then, I lost to Edyta Witkowska (Poland) in January 2000. So, I could made the cut back to 68 kg and could have taken the easy way out, but I decided to stay. Then, I got food poisoning at the championships, so everything was working against me. I was really sick the first day, but managed to get through. I was supposed to wrestle Kyoko in the semifinals on the second day and I hadn't eaten for a couple days and felt really weak. But the semifinals were postponed to the next day and I had a chance to recover. Anyway, I beat Kyoko in the semifinals and Eddy (Witkowska) in the finals for the championship. So, when I have a speaking engagement, I like to tell
people about the 2000 championship and the importance of accepting challenges and remaining positive.

Q. How would you describe Kyoko as an opponent?

CN: Kyoko's very strong and solid. She always stays in good position and it's hard to get her out of position. She's very good at waiting for her opponent to make mistakes and then taking her point.

Q: How would you describe Toccara (Montgomery of the United States)?

CN: Very explosive. It's like "Bam!" and she's in on a double-leg.

Q. And China's Wang Xu?

CN: Actually, I don't think I've ever wrestled her. But, I'm not sure.

Q. And (Stanka) Hristova of Bulgaria?

CN: I've never wrestled her, but after watching her I think she would be fun to wrestle. She's aggressive and I enjoy wrestling against offensive wrestlers. But, she's also young and she makes mistakes.

Q. And, Germany's (Anita) Schaetzle?

CN: She's a good technical wrestler, but she's not as physcially strong as some of the others.

Q. And, what are your goals for Athens?

CN: Of course, I would like to win it. I think the World Cup (in Tokyo) was good experience for me because I had a chance to wrestle some of the top people again. I lost my focus in a couple of matches, but it was a good test for me.

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CHEVRON STATE WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Farrington girls capture first crown

By Wes Nakama 3/7/04
Advertiser Staff Writer

Farrington High School won its first girls wrestling state championship and Kailua's Danyelle Hedin became the fifth girl to capture three state titles yesterday at Blaisdell Arena.

Farrington, which trailed Kahuku by 10 points entering yesterday's semifinals, finished with 153.5 points to win the championship. Defending champion Kahuku (127) was second, followed by Baldwin (97.5), Kamehameha (94.5) and Iolani (82).

Hedin, a senior, came from behind and then pinned Baldwin's Shyla Iokia at 5:27 to win the 125-pound championship. She also won state titles at 121 pounds in 2002 and 2003.

"There was a lot more stress with this one," Hedin said. "The first time, you're just a sophomore and no one's really looking at you. But once you win it, they all expect you do it again and everybody's looking at you. And then the third time, it's even harder."

Her victory over Iokia actually proved to be one of the best matches of the finals. Iokia took a 1-0 lead in the first period on an escape and went up 3-0 with a takedown early in the second period. Hedin got a reversal to make it 3-2, then got another reversal early in the third period to go up, 4-3. Iokia tied it at 4 with an escape, then they traded reversals to tie it again at 6-6. Hedin got a takedown to go up 8-6, then scored the pin with 33 seconds remaining in the match.

"It was a real tough match," Hedin said. "I was trying to ride her (in the third period), then she reversed me, then I reversed her and got on top and got the pin. I wrestled her in last year's tournament and I wrestled with her in (offseason) freestyle, so I knew she'd be tough."

Hedin, who wrestles "11 months of the year," said patience was a key to winning yesterday.

"Even though I was down, three points is not a lot — you can still come back," she said. "I wasn't panicking, because there was still five minutes left. I just tried to breathe, wrestle my game and do what I had to do. It feels great."

Besides Hedin, Roosevelt's Sadie Kaneda (108) and Farrington's Sunshine Misa-Uli (175) also repeated as state champions.

Kaneda pinned Iolani's Catherine Chan at 44 seconds, and Misa-Uli defeated Baldwin's Leolani Corpuz, 12-4.

Tamitha Hufana (114) also won a title for Farrington, which had 11 wrestlers entered into the tournament.

"We had been in this situation before with Kahuku, but today we just closed the gap because our strengths were their weaknesses," said Governors coach Sandy Obra. "Kahuku had some adversity with injuries and sickness, but still nothing was guaranteed for us. Everybody just did their job and things fell into place."

Two freshmen, Brandie Dela Rama (98) and Noreen Paned (108), played key roles for Farrington by taking third and sixth, respectively. Also, the Govs' Pualani Nunies (130) and Stephanie Feleunga (220) each took third and Sherilyn Tambua placed sixth at 140.

"We expected Tammie and Sunshine to do well, but it was also all the other people who gave us four points here or three points there," Obra said. "If you look at Sherilyn, she's a basketball player who Sunshine got to come out for wrestling this year, and she contributed 10 points in this tournament. And Noreen, she was on the JV until halfway through the season when we needed her to fill a slot and get us points. If we don't get wins and pins from people like that, we don't win. All the girls took the challenge, took it to heart and did their job."

• Girl's results

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Farrington's shining star

• Trio can pin down three state crowns

By Wes Nakama 3/5/04
Advertiser Staff Writer

If ever someone was given the most fitting name, it was when Farrington High School senior Laosamoa Sunshine Misa-Uli's parents decided on hers.

"Sunshine is my real name — it's on my social security card," said Misa-Uli, a 2003 state champion in wrestling and Advertiser first-team All-State selection in basketball. "And anyway, Laosamoa means 'Sun of Samoa.'"

Even if it weren't her given name, Misa-Uli very likely would have been called "Sunshine" sooner or later.

"People are given their names for a reason, and that's the appropriate name for her," said Jenic Tumaneng, who coaches Misa-Uli on the Governors' volleyball and basketball teams. "It's ideal for her personality."

Farrington wrestling coach Charles Williamson agreed, saying Misa-Uli "lights up our team."

In a way, she has brightened Farrington's entire wrestling program, winning the Govs' first individual state title since Milton Yasunaga in 1973 and then coaxing three of her basketball teammates to come out for wrestling this season.

Now, Farrington enters today's state tournament as one of the favorites to take the girls team championship and Misa-Uli is the No. 1 seed and defending champ at 175 pounds.

Not bad for someone who took up the sport barely 16 months ago.

"Coach (Williamson) had been trying to get me to come out for wrestling ever since I was a freshman, but I didn't like the sport — I thought it was kind of funky," Misa-Uli said. "I never pictured myself wrestling. But last year I told him I would practice with the team for one day, and I did right after volleyball season. It was OK, so I just stuck it out from there."

'Fast learner'

Misa-Uli, already a gifted volleyball and basketball player, had the strength to compete in wrestling right away but was learning techniques from scratch.

"I was strong, but I didn't know any moves," she said. "But I got a lot better as the season went along, and I think I'm a fast learner, so that helped me out. But please believe me — I've still got a lot more to learn."

Misa-Uli learned enough last year to win the O'ahu Interscholastic Association championship, and then the state title as a No. 3 seed. She won the championship match by pinning Hilo's Ashley Truchan in 4:24 after building a 7-0 lead.

"I was really surprised," Misa-Uli said. "I joined wrestling mainly to train and condition for basketball, and I told the coaches that once basketball started (in February), I was going to stop wrestling. But then they said, 'You've got a shot at states, so you should stick it out because you don't know how far you can go.' I was shocked I went that far."

Williamson, Tumaneng and others weren't as surprised.

"She's a different breed of athlete," Williamson said. "I knew that if she set her mind to it, she could do whatever she wanted."

Tumaneng said he doesn't mind sharing Misa-Uli's talents with the wrestling team.

"To me, anything to represent the school or community is good," said Tumaneng, himself a former multi-sport athlete at Farrington. "And she's so athletic, she can pick up things really fast."

'A whole new level'

Like any wrestler, however, Misa-Uli still had to put in her share of sweat. She said the training is unlike anything she went through in volleyball or basketball.

"Wrestling practice is way harder," she said. "It's a whole new level. But it's fun, too. My first year, I thought it was a weird sport ... but it can be satisfying because there's more pressure on you, and if you win, it's all on your own. It's hard work, but it's fun."

By season's end, Misa-Uli earned the respect of teammates and rivals alike.

"She's a heck of an athlete, and she's very strong," Kahuku coach Reggie Torres said. "You don't see a lot of basketball players wrestling, because usually the physiques are totally different. But Sunshine has a good work ethic and picked up the wrestling techniques, and she's mentally tough. She would be a great wrestler in college."

'Fitting in'

Misa-Uli hasn't completely ruled out college wrestling, but her favorite sport by far is basketball. She said she is considering offers from Western New Mexico, Northern Colorado and Northern Iowa, among others.

In the meantime, Misa-Uli will try to win another state title for the only high school she ever dreamed of representing.

"I had a chance to go to Punahou after sixth grade, but I had big plans to play for Farrington," she said. "My whole family went to this school, and all my friends are here. I think I fit in better here ..."

Misa-Uli paused, then smiled and reflected once more on her well-suited name.

"Then again, I'm very outgoing and talkative, as you can tell," she said. "I think I could fit in anywhere."

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Orabona, Bogard place high in state championship meet

March 07,2004
Amanda Schulz
Sun Journal Staff

GOLDSBORO -- Sometimes the knowledge gained is more important than getting the win.

Havelock's Laine Orabona found this out when she wrestled Candice Pellerin, who recently won the Florida girls state wrestling championship at the 112 weight class, in the first round of Saturday's 3rd annual North Carolina Girls Wrestling State Championship meet held at Rosewood High School.

Pellerin, a muscular senior who stands 4-feet-11-inches, defeated Orabona 7-6 in the first round and went on to win the USWGA meet.

Orabona was down 5-0 early in the match but battled back. In the end, Orabona could not pull out the win, though she learned a valuable lesson, "I learned to keep my hips up," Orabona said. "I got kind of sloppy."

Still, Orabona won her next two matches. In the second-place match, Orabona pinned South Davidson's Billie Nichols in 1:04.

Orabona and Pellerin wrestled one more time in an exhibition match. This way, both wrestlers gained more experience, "I wrestled her again because I wanted to get better," Pellerin said. "It's great to pin a girl in 20 seconds but you don't learn anything that way."

Havelock's Heather Bogard placed second in her division with a pin over Warry Woodard of Smithfield, Va. Bogard was up 7-2 in the second round and pinned Woodard in 3:04.

Injuries continued to plague Havelock's wrestlers as Gabrielle Aguiar was seriously injured in her second match. She took third place by injury default. Head coach Ed Cruz believes that she injured her shoulder. Nayanda Whitehurst was injured last week when she injured her knee in practice.

Next week's national meet will be held in Minnestoa and Cruz hopes that he can send some of his girls, "I'm not sure if we can send anyone right now," Cruz said. "It depends on our funds."

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Havelock female wrestlers shoot for state titles today

March 06,2004
Jeremy Slayton
Sun Journal

Three Havelock wrestlers will take a shot at a state championship today at Rosewood High School in Goldsboro.

Laine Orabona, Heather Bogard and Gabrielle Aguior will compete in the 3rd Annual North Carolina Girls Wrestling State Championships.

And according to head coach Ed Cruz, he expects the trio to do well.

"Quite frankly, all three can win," said the Havelock coach. "Laine was named outstanding wrestler at last year's tournament. Gabrielle got a couple of varsity matches and went 1-1. She and Heather also won a lot in JV matches."

Orabona, who is currently ranked No. 10 in the nation in the 118-pound class by the United State Girls Wrestling Association, defeated Smithfield, Va.'s Warry Woodard to win the title.

Bogard and Aguior also competed last year, finishing third in their respective weight classes.

Cruz said that wrestlers from outside of North Carolina will be there and that "there should be tough competition."

Cruz will also be putting on a clinic that will put an emphasis on technique.

"I gave it last year and I focused a lot on takedowns," said Cruz. "This year, I'm going to spread it around and work some on top and bottom. … I'm going to key on moves that pay off technique-wise, not strength."

Wrestling is open for girls ages 5-to-18 and will be broken into three divisions: elementary school age, middle school age and high school age.

Competition will begin at 10 a.m.

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St. Cloud girls wrestling coaches will retire

05 Mar 2004
By Rick Pedone News-Gazette Staff Writer

St. Cloud girls wrestling coach Terrie Drake and assistant Lee Sill, who combined have 72 years of coaching experience, said that they have decided to step down.

“I’ve been doing this in some capacity since 1971. I’m 57 now, so I feel like it’s time to try something else,” said Drake, whose career has taken her through the collegiate and high school ranks as a coach and athletic director.

She came to St. Cloud three years ago to take over the softball program, but health problems prevented her from assuming the job. She was a softball assistant before starting the girls wrestling program in the fall of 2002.

“The girls are wonderful and I’m very pleased with what we’ve accomplished. I’m proud of all the girls,” said Drake. “There are other things I would like to take on. There are issues with the girls in the high schools today, and I’d like to work on that.”

Sill, 68, has coached wrestling at the high school level in Iowa and St. Cloud since 1965. He resigned as the St. Cloud boys coach after the 1998 season after nearly a decade on the job. Two Bulldogs wrestlers, Marshall Smith and David Burgess, won state titles while he was the St. Cloud coach.

“This is the third time I’ve retired. I think this time it’s finally going to stick,” Sill said. Terrie persuaded me to help her with the girls program, and it has been an interesting experience,” said Sill. “It’s a little different situation than I was used to working with, but it has been fun. I’ve really enjoyed working with these kids.”

Drake said it would have been difficult for her to begin the wrestling program without Sill’s assistance.

“He is a great man and a great teacher. I’m not sure how I would have done this without him,” said Drake.

Sill said Drake’s commitment to girls athletics has made an impact at St. Cloud.

“She works extremely hard to give the girls an opportunity to learn,” he said. “I think the state tournament shows that the girls can come out and get after it. Anyone who doesn’t believe that should come out and watch them.”

Athletic Director Vic Lorenzano said he will interview possible replacements for Sill and Drake later this year.

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East Bay making a hit in the new sport of girls' wrestling

Catherine Howard 3/5/04

There was a time when some high school students would make fun of girls who went out for wrestling.

Field hockey, basketball, tennis and soccer were fun and familiar, but the wrestling uniforms alone would send many female athletes scurrying for the school handbook to find another sport.

Last weekend at the Kaiser Arena in Oakland, the North Coast Section held its girls wrestling championship, and 73 girls took to the mats. By comparison, the boys competition drew almost 500 entrants.

While the competition was sparse in some weight classes as the new sport gathers momentum, NCS championships were awarded, and East Bay girls did very well.

San Leandro and Castro Valley wrestlers were most impressive, as expected, and came home with nine NCS championships among them.

"There is Castro Valley and San Leandro and the rest of the state," said San Leandro wrestling coach Lester Souza, who has been in charge of the Pirates wrestling program for 12 years. He says the two schools have an advantage because they have a separate program for the girls. At other schools, girls practice with the boys team and don't get as much individual attention.

As for any stigma, Souza sees none at San Leandro. "They aren't just girls, they are accepted as athletes, and the other athletes on campus give them the kind of respect they deserve," he said.

San Leandro pushed eight wrestlers into the final bracket and notched five champions as Valerie Briones won at 103, Estella Pino won at 138, Stella Brown took home the championship at 144, Juana Juarez pinned Montgomery's Lexy Duerr at 242, which avenged earlier losses to Duerr, and Deana Lax won the 177- pound title.

"A few years back, we had three girls, and now there are 18 girls in the program," Souza said. The Trojans had seven wrestlers reach the final matches. The girls who came home with titles: Jessica Fazio (160), Summer Scott (126), Sharlee Solis (132) and Gabrielle Solis (98). Castro Valley's Dana Rogers lost to San Leandro's Briones in the 103-pound title match.

The two teams are now getting ready for state competition in Bakersfield in a week and then a national competition in Michigan in late March.