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Women fight for acceptance with Athens debut

8/11/04

When women wrestlers step onto the mat at the Olympics for the first time, they will be grappling with prejudice as well as each other. "There's a long way to go, even within our own sport, to gain respect," said Patricia Miranda of the United States.

She is one of the athletes who will make history at the inaugural Olympic women's wrestling competition at the Athens Games.

"Athens is our opportunity, is our stage to say 'hey look at us' -- look at us for more than a sly joke or thinking about us mud wrestling," she said on Wednesday.

"Look at us and see the sweat, see the tears, see the triumph that is sport and that is as intense as any other sport or any other male sport," said Miranda, a 25-year-old Stanford graduate who is going on to Yale law school after the Games.

Women wrestlers have been struggling for decades to be accepted by their male counterparts and society in general. Members of the U.S. team, among the medal favourites in Athens, said attitudes had improved but they faced a long battle.

Much of their early careers were spent wrestling men as no other women took part in the sport at their schools or colleges.

"I grew up in Ohio which is a pretty strong wrestling state and it was really tough at first," said 21-year-old Toccara Montgomery, originally from the city of Cleveland.

"I definitely had ... guys refusing to wrestle me or coaches refusing to look at me but it's definitely changed over the last couple of years," Montgomery said.

Tela O'Donnell had to conduct a lobbying campaign with phone calls and letters to persuade her junior high school in Homer, Alaska, to let her wrestle.

"I guess I was pretty motivated," said 22-year-old O'Donnell, competing in Athens in the 55 kg category.

Men's wrestling has an Olympic history going back to ancient times and was part of the first modern Games in 1896. While the men now wrestle in both Greco-Roman and freestyle categories, the women make their debut in four freestyle weight classes.

The U.S. team has one competitor in each class and coach Terry Steiner said all four athletes had a great opportunity to both win medals and change perceptions.

"We can talk all we want about what we think of women's wrestling but their actions, both on and off the mat, are going to move the sport forward -- or hold it where it's at," he said.

"If we're wrestling up to our ability, there's no reason why every one of these girls can't walk out of here with hardware."

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U S Wrestling
WRESTLING: Quotes from Women's Wrestling Press Conference

Author: Craig Bohnert 8/11/04
Organization: U.S. Olympic Committee
Phone: Greece: 210-003-0801



Patricia Miranda (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 48kg
On her preparations in 2004:
“I think of my year as starting at the last world championships. It had a jump-start. Losing in the finals last year helped focus me and see that it was redemption that I’m looking for in Athens. It’s been neat to get to focus on that goal. I’m privileged that I get to go on to (Yale law) school right afterward. It helps punctuate the point to me that this is a time in my life that I get only one dream, one shot.”

On why she chose to compete in wrestling:
“When I started I was in the eighth grade, and I was ready for something that would challenge me. I didn’t know that wrestling would be my thing. I walked into practice because I was a curious kid and did tryouts. I scared me so much that first day that I knew it was something that would take all of my mind, all of my body to get good at. That really excited me. As it developed, I liked the fact that it was a one-on-one combat sport. Especially at a high school age, you learn a lot of accountability, a lot of life’s lessons that are special to have the rest of your life.”

Tela O’Donnell (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 55kg
On whether she has an advantage as a newcomer:
“It could be an advantage. I have competed with some of these athletes. I’m new to the international competitions – I’ve only been in it for about a year. I think I’ll do well.”

On resistance she’s faced as a wrestler:
“When I first started wrestling in the eighth grade, they wouldn’t let me. I guess there was a girl wrestler earlier who beat some of the boys and their parents were upset. I talked to the school board members, wrote letters and made phone calls. I was pretty motivated in junior high because I thought it (wrestling) could take me somewhere. Eventually they let me stay on the team as a practice person. Since high school, I’ve been treated like a wrestler. When somebody is doing a sport because they love it and they’re taking it seriously, then it’s hard not to take them seriously.”

Sara McMann (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 60kg
On competing at the Olympic Test Event and if it will help her:
“I think it was a huge advantage, not only getting familiar with the venue and learning the ins and outs and feeling what it’s going to be like in Athens, but just standing on the podium at No. 1, being the champion, it was a really great feeling. Even though it was just a test event, it definitely gave me a taste, and I want to feel that again. I got a little teary as they raised the flag, and I had to say ‘calm down, this isn’t the one yet.’ It was a special tournament.”

On how she got into wrestling:
“My older brother wrestled since he was six years old, so I grew up going to wrestling tournaments every single weekend. I kind of worshipped him. I would go to his practices and try to imitate what he was doing. Not to mention that most of my life I was his wrestling dummy. It seemed like the most natural sport to do. I don’t get many negative responses. Most of the time, especially with women, it’s like ‘really? Good for you!’ The only negative responses I get are more like ‘you’re a wrestler?’ like they anticipated that I would be bigger, have two teeth and look like an ogre.”

Tocarra Montgomery (Cleveland, Ohio), 72 kg
On the meaning of competing in the first Olympics that offers women’s wrestling:
“It’s an honor and a privilege to compete in the Olympics. For most athletes, to be an Olympic athlete highlights your career. It’s an amazing feeling, and to actually be able to live that dream and accomplish that goal is something that a lot of athletes have tried for. I’m happy that I’ve able to attain that so early in my career. I’m really happy for the honor.”

On the acceptance of women’s wrestling in the United States:
“It was really tough for me at first. There were opposing teams that refused to wrestle me, or coaches that wouldn’t let their athletes wrestle me. It definitely changed over the last couple of years. I can go back now and I have guys coming out and asking me if I would wrestle with them. It’s definitely changing over the years. As far as college, I’m in NAIA, and the men’s coach and the men’s team have been great. They’ve always been very supportive. I get a lot of guys who after their own practice come in and work out with me. There’s definitely been a huge change.”

Tricia Saunders (Phoenix, Ariz.), coach
On the inclusion of women’s wrestling on the Athens program:
“I started wrestling in 1989. I’ve been competing on the circuit with women from across the world, my competitors from different countries who are now my friends because when we came to compete we all had the same goal: ‘Let’s get to the Olympics.’ A few of them are still going and will get to get a taste of it. It was something we thought about all the time. We were told maybe you’ll get into ’92, ’96, 2000. We kept going for it, but it didn’t happen. That’s okay for those of us who’ve retired now because we don’t really want to be competing at this point. I’m very honored to be a coach of these four (athletes), who have taken the torch from the group of Americans who paved some of the way. They’ve taken it and stepped it up to a new level. I’m amazed at what they’ve done technically, and the fact that we have a chance at four medals as a team. All the teams I was on, we had a couple that maybe could shoot up there and win a medal, but never a solid team like this. Last year, taking seven girls to the world championships and getting seven medals was just outstanding. It was something I’d never seen in my career. I’m proud to be a part of this American team. It’s a privilege and honor to be here as a coach.”

Townsend Saunders (Phoenix, Ariz.), coach
On his team’s preparations for the Olympic Games:
“This team is really well-prepared. They’ve been focusing on this goal for a long time now. As Tricia said, we’ve had this goal since 1992. Many of these athletes had that same dream, though they were a little young. Since 2000 we’ve seen them compete at the world championships multiple times. They’re focused and they’re prepared. They understand as athletes and as pioneers what it takes to compete on this level, and what it means not only for the international community, but also for the domestic community, for women’s wrestling in the United States. We have a shot at winning a medal in every weight class, and they know that. They’re prepared to do that.”

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TORCHBEARERS: Michigan athletes on a mission follow the Games home to Greece

BY JO-ANN BARNAS
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER August 11, 2004

Tricia Saunders: Wrestling pioneer
The dreamer in her made her think she might be among the first.

Her father, Jim McNaughton, wrestled. Her grandfather was a Big Ten
champion at Michigan. She had two brothers in the sport.

And Tricia Saunders herself was a wrestler -- an outstanding one at
that. In 1976, she was the first female to win a Michigan state title at the
club level. In 1992, she became the first American to win a women's world
title. She won seven straight national titles in 1990-96, skipped a year to
have knee surgery and a baby, then won the next four.

But in 2001, when women's freestyle wrestling was added to the Olympic
program for the Athens Games, Saunders, then 35, knew it was too late
for her.

She was a mother of two. But that wasn't it.

"In my last match of my career, I popped all my ribs," Saunders said.
"It was the last of astring of devastating injuries. Between June and
September that year, I had a broken rib, a broken hand and torn cartilage in both
knees. I physically fell apart."

So Saunders, who ended her career having never lost to another American
woman, poured herself into coaching.

Her knowledge was part of the reason she and her husband, 1996 Olympic
silver medalist Townsend Saunders, were selected to coach the inaugural
U.S. Olympic women's wrestling team.

"It's ironic that she's going to Athens as a coach," said her father,
Jim McNaughton, who lives in Ann Arbor. "But she will instill in her team
the same kind of energy and outstanding technique that she displayed during
all her years wrestling."

Now 38, Saunders, who lives in suburban Phoenix, is committed to
helping expand the sport for women.

She advocates adding more weight classes, for sure. The women will
compete in four at Athens.

"But things get better by fixing one small thing at a time," she said.
"I'd rather have four than zero.

"What I want for our team is to win all four of those gold medals. The
Olympics isn't about just getting a warm-up and being proud to be here
and represent your country. It's also about trying to win -- the same
objective as any other sport."

Spoken like an Olympian.

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Equality hops onto the podium
U.S. women share a heavy medal load

By Jody Berger, Rocky Mountain News
August 11, 2004

"When a (women's) sport is added, we have a jump start because we have
an infrastructure," said Steve Roush, the USOC's director of sport
performance.

Other countries, Roush added, often don't spend money until a sport
gets in the Games.

The United States is different. College athletics programs contribute,
and the USOC supports many non-Olympics sports. Women wrestlers, for
example, are making their debut in Athens, but USA Wrestling has been
subsidizing their training and travel costs for years.

When USOC president Jim Scherr was wrestling's executive director, he
decided to fund women wrestlers. Many on his staff fought the idea.

"I had to fire half my staff," Scherr said.

The same conversation wouldn't happen now. When the USOC made its
100-medal prediction, they were counting on the women athletes, wrestlers
included.

Women are 47 percent of the team, and the USOC expects 47 medals out of
them.

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In Athens, female athletes nearly level playing field

These Games will mark the true arrival of women's Olympic sports:
Nearly half the athletes are female, and women may enter as many events as men.

By JEFF SHAIN 8/11/04

SPORT'S DEBUT

Women's wrestling makes its Olympic debut this year, nearly evening the
field in terms of sports offered. With the exception of boxing, every
Olympic sport now features women's competition or offers a female
equivalent.

That includes some ''combat'' disciplines once thought exclusive to men
--
wrestling, judo -- and team sports like soccer, ice hockey and water
polo.

''It reflects a change in attitude toward women's sports,'' said Robin
Bachin, a University of Miami history professor and contributor to UM's
now-defunct Center for Research on Sport in Society.

``For a long time, there was an anti-competition way of thinking that
women
shouldn't engage in team sports, that it promoted elements of
aggression and
competitiveness -- elements seen as uncharacteristic of ladies.''