Tasha Eady is sixth ranked in her class in the OUA. Leith dunick/Thunder bay’s source
News
Wrestler has a Locke on provincial trip
By Michael Onesi - The Chronicle-Journal
February 24, 2005
It’s good Sarah-Lynn Locke never made the St. Ignatius cheerleading team when she was in Grade 9. It might have ruined her wrestling career.
Locke locked up a gold medal yesterday at the Northwestern Ontario high school wrestling championships. There were 110 kids hitting the mats at St. Patrick High School on Wednesday.
Next week, Locke heads for the Ontario championships in Brampton where she dreams of winning a provincial gold medal.
“I started wrestling in Grade 9 because they kicked my off the cheerleading team,” said the Grade 12 student. “My wrestling coach (Shane Comeau) put it in my head two years ago that I had the capability to (be an Ontario champion). This year my coach said he wanted to see me on the podium.”
The cheerleading coach’s loss is the wrestling coach’s gain. Comeau feels Locke has the skills to do well at the provincials.
“The big thing is her mental game. She’s competed at OFSAA before, she knows what’s there and she knows she can compete with them. So I think she has a solid chance of coming home with a medal, no doubt about that,” Comeau said.
“She’s strong and experienced. The last couple of years she just tried to muscle people and now she recognizes she doesn’t have to do that.”
The top-two finishers in each division earned a trip to the Ontario championships.
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Steve Coad takes a look at local people involved in the world of sports
Steve Coad, London Free Press Sports Reporter 2005-02-26 01:52:06
Sisters Andrea and Kirsten Ross wrestle for universities on opposite sides of the country. Next weekend, however, the London Catholic Central grads will be together -- and chasing the same prize, the gold medal in the women's 53-kilogram weight division at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships at Brock University in St. Catharines.
Kirsten, 20, in first year -- with an eye to getting into kinesiology in the fall -- at the University of New Brunswick, advanced to nationals by winning the Atlantic conference championship last weekend.
Andrea, 21, a second-year business/kinesiology major at the University of Calgary, earned her way to nationals by placing second at the Canada West championships. Her only loss was to Erica Sharp of the University of Alberta, an international veteran and former silver medallist at the world championships. Andrea's dad, Bill Ross, said the first thing Andrea said to him on the phone following the loss is she wants another shot at Sharp at the CIS finals.
One thing Bill Ross isn't anxious to see is a bout between his daughters, which may or may not happen, depending on how the eight-women draw is set up.
"I'd have to walk out. I couldn't watch it," Ross says.
But before he walked, Ross says there'd be one bit of fatherly instruction: "Make sure no one gets hurt."
Along with Andrea and Kirsten Ross, Western's - Terri McNutt, the Ontario champion, will compete at 53 kg.
While the sisters spend most of their year far from London, Bill Ross says a couple of local grappling gurus -- coaches Chris Capangyarihan and Ray Takahashi -- deserve lots of credit for their roles in the wrestling development of the two women.
Along with cheering on their wrestling daughters, Bill and Linda Ross boast a pair of star athletes still at home and attending high school in Dorchester.
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LU wrestler shows she belongs with the best
By Leith Dunick tb source
Web Posted: 2/18/2005 2:02:30 PM
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Tasha Eady is sixth ranked in her class in the OUA. Leith dunick/Thunder bay’s source |
In her teenaged years, Tasha Eady was named Miss Renfrew but unlike most beauty queens, the athletic first-year nursing student isn’t spending her time preening in front of a mirror. Instead she’s slamming other women to the ground, and quite successfully for that matter.
Ranked the No. 6 wrestler in the Ontario University Athletics 65 kg weight class, the Lakehead University freshman is coming off a spectacular month of January when she finished first at the Ontario Junior Provincial Championship, first at the Alberta Invitational and second at the Western Open. It garnered her recognition as one of the school’s athletes of the month and is just the tip of the iceberg of things to come.
“I had a very successful month in Edmonton,” said Eady. “I was very intimidated by all the national ranked wrestlers. This was like a national event. I went in pretty confident and was hoping for good results and it came out.”
Her sport of choice might seem odd to some. Women’s wrestling ranks far behind basketball, hockey, volleyball and other endeavors in the athletic world when it comes to participation levels and popularity, but for Eady it’s just something she’s always done.
“I got into wrestling (when) I was in about Grade 5, which was about 10 years ago. My mom wanted to encourage us in sport, so she was just like, ‘Join every team that you can.’ So I joined wrestling and it just ended up that I did really well so I stuck with it and here I am,” she beamed, her proud mother watching all the while from the wings.
Beverley Eady, who traveled 21 hours by bus to visit her daughter in Thunder Bay and be with her for the athlete of the month presentation, said she had no qualms about her daughter’s decision to take up such a rough-and-tumble sport.
“I’ve been there from the start, whether it’s ringette, soccer, cross country running or track and field. I’ve stood behind her all the way, given her 100 per cent. She’s the light of my life and I’m so proud of her,” said her exhausted mother.
University wrestling may fly under the media radar most days, but Lakehead has a proud history. Eady hopes to continue that tradition and said she thinks the team is headed in the right direction to return to the top in the near future.
“Francis Clayton, our coach, is working us really hard. We’re a really, really hard working team. I’ve never worked this hard on a team before,” she said. “They push you right to the limit. I think the major part is we’re all supportive of each other. Everyone congratulates everyone, we train with each other, encourage each other, it’s an awesome team.”
For now her plans are to continue wrestling through her university years and reevaluate from there. She wants to improve her speed and strength before thinking about a future in the sport after that, and is looking forward to being part of the growth she expects the team will experience in the coming months and years.
“I think the outlook is really good. There’s a lot of potential, a lot of good wrestlers who work extremely hard, so I think we’re going to pull it together and make a good reputation for Lakehead.”
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Nguyen turns it up a notch on road to wrestling title
Feb 16, 2005
Staff photo by Rob Beintema
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Jennifer Nguyen is heading home next summer -- sort of -- and she couldn't be happier. Nguyen, 17, who competes for Port Credit Secondary School and as a member of the Lakeshore Amateur Wrestling Club, won the 48-kilogram division at the Ontario Cadet and Juvenile Wrestling Championships in Guelph last weekend.
Nguyen disposed of Sudbury's Alyssa Unwin, herself an Ontario champion, in Sunday's final match, to qualify for the Canada Summer Games this August in Regina.
It will be somewhat of a homecoming for Nguyen, who was born in Saskatoon.
"I'm really looking forward to it. I'm so excited," said Nguyen, whose family moved east when she was still a toddler.
Nguyen dominated all four of her matches in Guelph, defeating each opponent in straight rounds.
Entering the gold medal match, Nguyen said she was nervous, mostly because she didn't fare well last year. This time, though, she employed a different strategy.
"Going into (the gold medal match), I looked at it as just another match, so I wouldn't get too nervous, and it worked," said Nguyen, who has been wrestling competitively for four years. "Even after I won, it still didn't hit me. It sunk in when I was on the podium."
Nguyen now has her sights set on the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) championships next month in Brampton and the National Championships in St. John, New Brunswick this April.
She placed second at OFSAA last year.
Nguyen, who has maintained an above-80 academic average, plans to study kinesiology at university in the fall.
She's also going to stick with wrestling, for which she has developed a fiery passion.
"I live it every day, I love it," said Nguyen, who trains at least five days a week. "One of my biggest strengths is my commitment (to the sport)...hopefully, I'll make it to the Olympics one day."
Scott Proctor, who coaches Nguyen at school and the Lakeshore Club, said the sky's the limit.
"She's a very technical wrestler, she knows all the moves and she's very smart," said Proctor.
THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
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Family affair with wrestling hold
The Solises span seven decades in sport
By Ken Silman, STAFF WRITER 2/25/05
NEWARK — You can't become the best wrestler in a league, section or state without dedication and hours upon hours of hard work.
But good genes help, too.
Castro Valley High's Sharlee and Gabrielle Solis — and their cousin, Tony Wagoner of Washington High — will have that genes thing going for them today and Saturday when they chase titles at the North Coast Section Championships at Newark Memorial.
Top seeds Sharlee (126 pounds) and Gabrielle (100) will compete in the one-day girls championships, which begin today at 10 a.m.
Wagoner is the seventh seed at 130 pounds in the two-day boys tournament, which opens at 10 a.m. today and Saturday.
All three are part of a long line of wrestlers to come out of one East Bay family.
Steve Solis — Sharlee and Gabrielle's father and coach, and the 2004 California State Girls Coach of the Year — estimates his family has produced between 40 and 50 high school wrestlers over seven decades.
That list includes son Dev Solis, who took fourth at state in 2003, and nephew Jim Medeiros, who won the 1999 state championship.
However, numerous others — dating back into the 1940s — have won championships in several East Bay leagues.
"I remember we had such a big family on my mom's side," Medeiros said. "She had nine brothers and sisters, and they all had kids. Almost all of them wrestled. It was kind of like a family thing."
Steve Solis' father, Art, was a boxer, but his uncles fought their battles — and won most — on the mat instead of in the ring.
Eloy Solis, a 1950 graduate of Castlemont in Oakland, was an undefeated wrestler for three years in the OAL. Brothers Clarence, Joe and Jimmy followed, and each claimed league championships in the mid-1950s.
Steve and his brother, Tony, won league titles at Newark High in the late 1960s. Another brother, Dennis — who helps Steve coach the girls at Castro Valley — won a title for Newark in 1975 and placed in regional competition.
The youngest brother, Chris, wrestled in the late 1970s. His son is Wagoner.
Their cousins John, Mike and Frank Ramirez (Pacific High in San Leandro) and Buddy Cisneros (Moreau Catholic) all wrestled in the 1960s and'70s.
Earning the family stripes
It's not surprising the Solis family and relatives have been so successful. Wrestling is a part of everyday life for almost everyone, it seems.
Through the years, whenever the Solis family and relatives got together, wrestling matches broke out. At family picnics or out on grandma's lawn, takedowns and cradles were part of the family experience.
"The kids were always wrestling (at family functions)," Steve Solis said. "Occasionally, you'd walk by, and a 9- or 10-year-old would jump onto your leg. The kids would be wrestling on the grass, and my sister would punish them for ruining their good clothes.
"My dad would try and stop it, too ... but he eventually gave up."
You learned wrestling right from the start in this family. It can be tough learning the ropes when you're dealing with older and bigger relatives who love to pound on the young ones.
Of course, that old saying "what goes around, comes around," often applied with this family.
"My older cousins used to always beat up on me," Medeiros recalled. "My cousin Jake (Solis of Amador Valley High) was always big and tall, and he was 3 years older than me. He would jump on me and put my arm behind my back (or) put me in other painful positions."
By the time Medeiros was a freshman in high school, he was in the same weight class as Jake. One day, they took the battle onto the lawn at grandma's house.
The decision? "I finally caught up with him," Medeiros said with a chuckle.
Medeiros continued the family tradition of whomping on the young guy at family gatherings, using Devereaux (Dev) as his foil.
It paid off, though, for Dev Solis. He went on to brilliant high school career that included going unbeaten in the HAAL, taking fourth place at state and earning All-America honors in freestyle and Greco-Roman.
He and Medeiros now are competing for nationally ranked Fresno State. Medeiros made a run at the U.S. Olympic team last year, coming up just short of reaching the Olympic trials.
The girls make their marks
Sharlee Solis picked up the sport by watching her brother Dev on the mat. She admired him for all of his accomplishments and strives to be just as successful.
She's getting there. Sharlee has won back-to-back unofficial California state high school titles and earned All-America honors at the FILA Cadet Nationals last year when she was the fourth-ranked wrestler in her class in the country.
Sharlee is having another banner season, going 25-0 against girls (24 by pin) and 2-2 against the boys. She had a pin during Castro Valley's 45-27 victory over San Leandro that clinched the HAAL boys team title.
Right there with her is Gabrielle — who also competes in junior national dance competitions — with a 24-4 record.
Michelle Solis, 21, is a cousin to Sharlee and Gabrielle and was the first female in the family to wrestle. Michelle finished as high as third in the state during her career.
While Sharlee and Gabrielle strive to carry on the family's legacy, Steve says no demands are made on any of the girls to add to the trophy case.
"They don't feel pressure ... they do it because it is part of the family," Steve insisted. "There are nieces who don't wrestle, (but there are) some older ones who wish they had gotten the chance."
Sharlee and Gabrielle are afforded every chance to succeed by their father, who converted the family garage into a makeshift wrestling room. It is complete with two treadmills, wrestling mat and scale.
The other piece of equipment that is a vital to the Solis family is the cell phone. On weekends when everyone is wrestling in different tournaments at various venues, the cell phones are essential to learn how everyone is doing.
"I usually get 10 to 20 calls before and after tournaments from people asking how they did," Steve Solis said.
The support the family gives via phone or in person is very special. The Solis girls, for instance, made sure to be at the Mission San Jose Tournament earlier this month to support cousin Tony. Wagoner went 4-2 and took fifth place.
Gabrielle said that kind of family support spurs her on in her competitions ... gives her that little bit extra drive to win.
"I kind of have to live up to my brother and sister, but I love it," Gabrielle said. "I am expected to be as good as them."
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Four Marin girls golden at NCS wrestling
IJ report 2/26/05
Kristen Esterheld and Gina Warren showed that what Redwood High lacked in quantity, it made up for in quality yesterday at the North Coast Section championships.
Esterheld and Warren were two of four Marin girl wrestlers to win section championships yesterday at Kaiser Auditorium in Oakland. They also led Redwood, which had just three girls wrestlers, to a fourth-place finish against teams comprised of as many as 12 or 13 wrestlers.
Kristina Koenning of Novato (120) and Anne Campbell of Tam (heavyweight) also won NCS girls titles.
"This says a lot about our girls," Redwood coach Pavan Gulati said. "If we had a Team Marin, we would've gotten first. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way."
The news was much bleaker on the boys side at Newark High. Terra Linda's Andy Russell is the only Marin wrestler still in contention for an NCS title. Russell won three straight matches in convincing fashion to advance to the semifinals of the 171-pound weight class against Mathias Williams of Montgomery.
"(Russell) is going to get pushed tomorrow but no doubt he's going to push right back," Terra Linda coach Mike Gardner said. "He's got two chances to win one match and if he wins that one match he goes to state, so he's pretty motivated. He's already beaten Williams from Montgomery so we're hoping he can do it again."
The top-seeded Esterheld won her second straight NCS title, pinning Lu Lu Morrar of San Leandro 1 minute, 20 seconds into the third round of an emotional match. Both girls were battling injuries during the match, with Morrar striking Esterheld's injured shoulder and Esterheld returning the favor with a takedown that left Morrar in tears.
"It was actually emotional for her," Esterheld said. "It was a tough match, but good."
Esterheld will decide this weekend if she will attend the girls nationals finals in Lake Huron, Mich., March 12-20.
Warren defeated Jackie Sloves of Washington 9-1. The top-seeded freshman never gave up more than two points in her three wins yesterday and never trailed.
"For a freshman, she handles herself well," Gulati said. "The beautiful thing is, she's already getting better. She's already so young and already a champion."
Campbell, a senior, also repeats as an NCS champion, pinning Michaela Rodriguez of Maria Carillo in 1:40. Rodriguez scored the first takedown, but Campbell bounced right back with a reversal, then "saw an opportunity to throw a half (nelson) and ran with it."
"I felt very awesome," Campbell said. "It's definitely a good way to end my career."
Lynette Bomer of Drake finished second at 138 pounds.
With yesterday's showing, Russell has guaranteed that a Trojan wrestler will place in the top eight at the NCS for the seventh straight year. Justin-Siena's Nick Lendaris also advanced to the semifinals at 145 pounds.
"Katzman and Bartesh," Gardner said of wrestlers he thought had the best chances to advance to state. "They're seniors and they've been wrestling well all year."
Eight other MCAL boy wrestlers remain alive in the consolation bracket, with a potential top-four finish and a trip to the state championships still within reach.
Terra Linda has five other wrestlers still in the hunt - Robert Spina (119), Wyatt Furderer (125), D. J. St. James (130), Peter Bartesh (145), and Nathan Katzman (215). Marin Catholic's Brian Hughes (140) and Anton Scherba (152) are still alive, along with Tommy Keating (152) of Drake. If Keating wins his first match today, he'll square off against Scherba in the next round.
Marin wrestlers eliminated on the first day were Marin Catholic's Tyler Logwood, Matt Barry and J. T. Huskins; Novato's Nate Sheehan, Doug Collins, Kyle Zisk, Chris Wooster and David Kram; Redwood's Michael Davoren, Matt Reid, Chris Reilly and Cliff Mettier; San Marin's Taylor Brewster, Ian Pederson, Pat DeShazo, Kristian Correnti, Tyler Rushton and Chris Suseoff; TL's Pavel Yakovlev, Jacob Ayyoub, Evan Shaw and Kyle Algeo, Tam's Rene Rico, Drake's Joe Grey.