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Girls at home in AAU wrestling world

By Ken Steinken, Journal Sports Writer 4/4/04

RAPID CITY -- Last year, Amanda Malone's little brother started wrestling. Amanda thought it looked like fun and wanted to try it. But her brother's team didn't take girls. So Amanda started wrestling as an independent.

"I didn't have a team," said Amanda, who is a nine-year-old third-grader at Bergquist School. "I'd go to meets with my dad, my mom and my brothers."

Amanda's dad, Ed, who wrestled from age five through high school, filled the role of coach. For practice she would wrestle her brother Ean, who is 20 pounds lighter than her.

But by the end of last season, the Malones found out that the Douglas AAU wrestling program in Box Elder allowed girls on its team. So this year she joined Douglas.

"I like being on a team," said Amanda. "You can practice with somebody your own size."

Although Amanda wrestles boy teammates in practice, AAU wrestling has a separate division for girl wrestlers. Amanda is one of about 70 female wrestlers who qualified for this weekend's state tournament.

"They have a girls division in each age group," said Rapid City Central varsity wrestling coach Lance Pearson, who helps out as much as he can with the Cobbler Kids AAU wrestling program as soon as Central's wrestling season is over.

"The girls division is run exactly like the boys except that they are always wrestling girls," said Pearson.

Amanda thinks it's "cool" to wrestle boys in practice especially when she beats them, which she does "sometimes."

Even though there are not a lot of girl wrestlers Amanda's age and size in the area, Amanda faced competition at every meet she attended this year.

"She always had a match at the tournaments we went to, so she didn't have to exhibition," said her father Ed. In an exhibition match, she would face a boy opponent.

There were a couple girls that Amanda faced regularly over the season as she worked her way to a 12-2 record and qualified with a first-place finish at regional tournament in Sturgis.

Amanda frequently faced Jennifer Rusk of Belle Fourche and Alissa Jackson of Newell at tournaments.

Last year Amanda couldn't beat Alissa. This year she lost to her the first time she faced her and then beat her each match after that in the regular season.

"Every time I wrestled her, one of us got pinned," said Amanda, who found success by concentrating on her goal.

"We usually talk before the match. The (first) time I beat her, I didn't talk to her. I just thought about what I wanted to do on her."

Amanda may have learned to be focused for her matches, but she has more on her mind than wrestling.

"She's a girl when she's off the mat, but she's completely different when she's on the mat," said her father Ed, who would like to see a little more competition for his daughter.

"We're trying to get the interest (up) for girls wrestling. If we get more exposure, we might get a little more participation."

According to Central coach Pearson, wrestling for girls and women is a growing phenomenon.

"Nationally and internationally, they have gone to adding girls wrestling," said Pearson. "They have a national women's team that wrestles freestyle."

Right now Ed is happy his daughter is wrestling, but he wants her to make the choices for what she is involved in in the future.

"I'm going to encourage her to do whatever she wants to do," said Ed. "If she wants to wrestle when she gets older, then that's what I'll support her to do."

When Amanda wraps up her wrestling season this weekend, she knows what her plans are for the near future.

"Tomorrow I'm going to baseball practice," said Amanda, who plays second base and catcher.

Which does she like more, baseball or wrestling?

"I like both of them."

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Park Forest girl 'bit by the wrestling bug'

9-year-old brings home first place win from state contest

Sunday, April 4, 2004
By Jason Michael Freeman
Correspondent

Whoever claimed that wrestling is a man's sport apparently has never met 9-year-old Makeba Elliott.
The Park Forest native who is a fourth-grader at Blackhawk Elementary School took first place in the recent Midget State Finals in wrestling amid predominantly male competitors.

"She's been around wrestling ever since she can remember," her father, Mike Elliott, said. "My son would always roll around the mat with her and try to show her moves.

"She just grew up around it. I knew she was an athlete already, because she could always outrun all the boys and outplay them in any sport."

Makeba, who competed as a member of Harvey Park District's Harvey Twisters wrestling club, feels that the victory transcends simply winning it.

"It feels good because boys sometimes think they're better than girls, and I just wanted to show them that they're not," she said. "I like to do other sports and I want to be other things when I grow up.

"I like math, reading, art and gym. I do track. I play basketball and football with my friends. I go bowling, skating and play with my cat."

As only one of three girls on the team, Makeba had a lot to prove. Her two fellow female teammates made it to the finals in 2002 and 2003, but Makeba was the first to win it this year.

"I had to train a lot, I had to go over a lot of tapes and view my mistakes, and then I was ready," she said. "I got a lot of energy, and I like to play a lot. I like to be athletic."

To qualify for the state championship, Makeba had to succeed in the regional tournament to make it to sectionals. From there, she had to place in the top three to make it to state.

She posted an impressive season record with 50 wins and 4 losses.

"These girls are athletes, and they are equal to the boys, particularly at this age," said her father. "In this age group, they can physically hang with the boys."

Makeba plans to participate in the tournament next year, and credits her coach, Quintroy Harrell, and her father with helping her understand and master the sport.

"She started out playing soccer, but we let her start wrestling around age 6 or 7 and she loved it," her father said. "She would push me to go to practice all the time, even though I was already an assistant coach with the Harvey Twisters.

"She got bit by the wrestling bug and she just carried it on from there. She was really easy to teach. It was natural for her."

Makeba also will compete in the National Junior Olympics in track and field this summer, which will take place in Portland, Ore.

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Mighty mite

T.S. Last News-Bulletin Sports Editor; tlast@news-bulletin.com 3/20/04

Belen Five-year-old Danielle Saavedra is a little shy. In her first encounter with the news media, she lets her dad do the talking.

"She loves it," Charlie Saavedra says of his daughters passion for wrestling. "She's always wrestling daddy, mommy or her brother at home. It's all she talks about."

Danielle doesn't say much when she steps into the ring either. She lets her wrestling do the talking.

This weekend, Danielle is competing in a junior wrestling national tournament in Denver. She'll be wrestling in an all-girls division and is the only girl enterd in the 6-and-under 35-pound open division.

Danielle is used to wrestling against the boys. She qualified for the tournament by winning the state championship in February. She finished second to a Rio Rancho wrestler at the regional tournament in Albuquerque earlier this month, losing the match by one point.

Beating the boys isn't a big thing for Danielle, "but their dad's don't like it too much," says Charlie, who is accompanying Danielle to Denver along with her mother, Christina.

Danielle, who will enter kindergarten next fall, has always wanted to be a wrestler. At least ever since she saw her older brother Tyler, 10, wrestle in competition.

"We entered her brother in wrestling, and she was crying and screaming. She didn't want to be left out. She wanted to be a part of it," says Charlie.

Danielle, who has been wrestling under the guidance of Belen Junior Wrestling coach Brian Griego for about a year, may have a long career ahead of her.

"She's a tough little girl," her father said. "She's hooked on it, and she's going to stay hooked on it."

Danielle's trip to nationals was supported by Benny's Mexican Restaurant, Toppers, Dr. Jeff Jaramillo and Marcelino and Sawella Lucero.

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Lady Vikings capture three Can/Am gold medals

Monday, April 05, 2004

LAKE ORION, Mich.-- Senior Kiersten Hyatt and freshman Maika Watanabe each went 5-0 and sophomore Kelly Branham won all three of her bouts to claim gold medals for the Missouri Valley College women's wrestling team in the freestyle competition at the Can/Am Open at Lake Orion, Mich., on March 27-28.

Watanabe and freshman Debbi Sakai were also unbeaten in folkstyle matches. The U.S. Girls' Wrestling Association-sanctioned event offered divisions for high school, junior high, college and senior women.

Sakai won three of four matches for second place in freestyle, where freshman Alecia McCoy also garnered a silver medal by splitting her two rounds. Freshman Erika Chew won twice and freshmen Julie Duarte and Clarissa Calibuso each picked a victory.

The Lady Vikings will travel to Las Vegas this week for the U.S. Senior National Championships.