News Page
03/21/2005
LAKE ORION, Michigan - Kingston High freshman Shorna Brown put the area on the national wrestling map Sunday with a top 12 finish at the United States Girls Wrestling Association (USGWA) National Tournament in Michigan.
Brown, who is coached by her father, Kingston High wrestling coach Phil Brown, wrestled to an 11th-place finish in the 130-pound weight class representing the Mid-Hudson Wrestling Club.
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Last Sunday, Brown earned acclaim a bit closer to home, with the Tigers' first-ever state title in the 134-pound division at the USGWA New York State Open Championships. She won two matches before losing to Samantha Fee in the final.
Brown earned the state title, though, because Fee in a New Jersey resident. The event was open to wrestlers from other states.
She also scored a second-place finish recently in the 133-pound freestyle division at the Mohawk Valley International Wrestling Festival.
Brown, like all Kingston girls wrestlers, has only been wrestling competitively since November.
Mid-Hudson teammates Anna Roinila, an eighth-grader at Bailey Middle School in Kingston, and Kim Briglia, a Kingston freshman, didn't fare quite as well in their respective divisions, though Brown said they gained valuable experience heading into future tournaments.
Roinila lost both her matches in the 150-pound plus division, while Briglia won one match and lost two in the 110-pound draw.
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Talented high school seniors with Olympic dreams should consider USOEC programs for their college career
4/5/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
The spring is often a time of the year that high school senior athletes make their decision concerning where they will attend college. All across the nation, talented and dedicated wrestlers and their families are looking into many possibilities for their athletic and educational futures.
In the old days, a wrestler had college wrestling options in only one style, the collegiate “folkstyle” of wrestling contested at the NCAA, NAIA and junior college levels. However, for high school athletes with goals of winning Olympic medals, for both boys and girls, there is now a option that will allow them to reach their athletic and education goals.
The U.S. Olympic Education Center (USOEC) is located on the campus of Northern Michigan Univ. in Marquette, Mich. This program, which has an affiliation with the U.S. Olympic Committee, provides elite teams in sports not currently within the NCAA program, including boxing, speedskating, weightlifting and wrestling.
The wrestling trained and contested at the USOEC are men’s Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle wrestling. The Greco-Roman program, which has been in existence for many years, has become a model system in building future U.S. champions in the style. The women’s program, which is completing its first season, has attracted talented athletes who are already making noise on the national level.
Both teams have high-quality coaching staffs. The Greco-Roman program is led by head coach Ivan Ivanov, a past Greco-Roman World medalist, and assistant Steve Goss, a veteran competitor and coach. The women’s team is managed by head coach Shannyn Gillespie, also a talented athlete and coach in freestyle.
Each team has a highly competitive schedule, which features both top domestic events as well as international tournaments overseas. Both teams are closely connected with the National Coaching staffs for USA Wrestling, and participate in special training camps and programs. All of the athletes have access to high-quality training facilities, medical staffs and resources. The great thing is that these future U.S. stars are also receiving a quality college education while they are pursuing Olympic goals.
The athletes in the USOEC program are eligible for direct financial support in terms of scholarships. The B.J. Stupak Olympic Scholarship Program is a federally-funded grant program, provided for Olympic hopefuls. This program allows the USOEC athletes to have their education costs covered, similar to an athletic scholarship at a school competing in folkstyle.
In some ways, the financial support is even more extensive than can be received by a “scholarship” from a program affiliated with the NCAA system. And while a Div. I men’s college team can provide up to 9.9 scholarships, the USOEC program in Greco-Roman can support more than 25 scholarships to their team.
The USOEC programs at Northern Michigan provide athletes with the kind of coaching, competition, support resources and education that matches opportunities that other college wrestling teams can offer. However, the ability to train and compete in the Olympic styles gives these athletes a decided edge in their quest for Olympic glory later on.
The Greco-Roman program has over 30 athletes involved, many who are already nationally ranked on the Senior level. Although the program is already large, there is room for many new talented and motivated wrestlers each and every year.
“If they are looking for a place to wrestle Greco-Roman in college, they should come to us,” said Ivanov. “We will give them the best foundation here. They will not lose four years of international preparation while in college. We have the tools to make them better wrestlers. We have national and international tournaments they can compete in.”
Ivanov reminds wrestlers with Olympic goals that if they hope to wrestle in Greco-Roman after college, but decide to compete in a folkstyle program, that they will graduate from college many years behind the athletes who are USOEC wrestlers in Northern Michigan.
More than 20 members of the USOEC team traveled to Bulgaria this year for an extended joint training camp with international stars there, then participated in the Petrov Cup tournament against many top foreign athletes. The USOEC athletes are showing strong results.
“We are on the brink of world success,” said assistant coach Goss. “We are on the cutting edge here.”
The women’s program started this year with more than a dozen experienced and talented college athletes. Coach Gillespie is seeking to build the roster to be equal in size and prestige as the Greco-Roman team.
“We are trying to get the best wrestlers in the nation,” said Gillespie. “The first year, we had the challenge of educating the public about the program, and we have done that. Now we want the most talented wrestlers to come here.”
Based upon the success of some of the athletes competing on the first USOEC team, Gillespie has set high goals for the incoming athletes and the overall program.
“A person should come to our school because we have the best training partners, coaching and resources. This is because we are so closely linked to USA Wrestling, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the USOEC. We are trying to develop Olympic champions. We have been seen as a feeder program in the past. But now, some of our athletes already have high rankings. We want to produce some of the best wrestlers in the entire nation.”
The coaching staff of both programs always encourage athletes to fill out applications and have themselves considered for the USOEC program. However, current high school seniors need to get their applications sent in right away if they wish to be considered for a spot on the team in the fall.
Those interested in the USOEC Greco-Roman program should contact Coach Ivan Ivanov at 906-227-2869 or via e-mail at iivanov@nmu.edu.
Those interested in the USOEC women’s program should contact Coach Shannyn Gillespie at 906-227-1285 or via e-mail at sgillesp@nmu.edu.
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Dream Team Girls Coach Kent Bailo (Michigan) Kent Bailo was asked, and quickly accepted, the opportunity to serve as the Coach of the first ever Girl's Dream Team Classic USA All-Star Team. Bailo started the United States Girls Wrestling Association in 1998, a year after organizing his first girls tournament, a Michigan Girls Wrestling State Champion-ship that he organized in 1997. That first girls meet in Michigan had 116 entries. Now, the USGWA National Championships has grown to 604 girl wrestlers in 2004, and Kent likes to tell everyone that it is "The Biggest Girls Wrestling Tournament in the WORLD". Kent started coaching in 1973, serving a two year stint as a Graduate Assistant at Eastern Michigan University. Prior to Kent coming on board, EMU was 0-9. They forged a 5-11-1 record in 1974, and jumped to 12-9 in his second year. Kent took over as head coach at Alpena High School (MI) in 1975, a school with 2,600 students in grades 10-11-12. The Wildcats were 13-5 and 23-7 during Bailo's two year stint. Moving to Rochester Adams, Bailo inherited an 0-11 team that was last in their league. In the first season, his Highlanders finished 24-3, 5-0 in the league and were league tournament champs. The next five seasons were 27-4, 33-5-1, 20-1, 32-2, 29-3 (30-0 in the league). Kent stepped away from coaching for a few years to devote more time to family, school, and his job at General Motors. He's had three one year stints in the past twenty years; Burton Bentley (27-7-1) and rated as high as #4 in the state, the year before they were 3-17; Pontiac Catholic (16-6) after 1-17 the year before, and, most recently, Ortonville Brandon High School. All that woven around 11 refereeing assignments at the Michigan High School state finals, and 7 trips as a referee at the NCAA finals. Kent started wrestling in 9th grade on a challenge from his older brother, Mike, who told Kent he wasn't tough enough. That was in November of 1964, and Bailo has been at it ever since, as a competitor (admittedly not very good), a referee, a coach, and a promoter/organizer. Kent is one of 10 children of Sam and Doris Bailo. All six boys wrestled at South Lyon (MI) High School and two of Kent's brothers, Clark and Sam Jr. were state tournament qualifiers. Kent's son, Brent, also referees. Brent has refereed two Michigan high school state finals, some Big Ten collegiate duals and several collegiate tournaments often working with dad. Kent's hope for wrestling: that every high school in the country that has a boys wrestling team will have a girls wrestling team within 10 years. And, that every college that has a mens wrestling team will have a women's wrestling team within 10 years. Then we can say wrestling is truly back to its heyday. USA Dream Team (Girls) 95 Vanity Vasquez (Kissimmee Osceloa, Fl) Kissimmee Osceola High School Kissimmee, Florida Senior Year Record: 14-0 I joined the wrestling team my sophomore year of high school. It was always something I thought would be a lot of fun to do. At first I thought wrestling was al-lowed for boys only. This is what I was told in middle school. In high school I found out about a few girls being on the high school team. So I joined. When I started wrestling I began to love the sport right away. But one thing was wrong. I was a terrible wrestler. I couldn't learn the moves for anything. Some people even told me that I should quit wrestling and try out another sport. But even though I was bad, I really loved the sport. Wrestling is so much different from all the other sports. So I stuck with it, working hard and trying to get better. By the end of my first season I started to improve. I was able to wrestle in state my first year and hoped to place at least fourth, so I could stand at the podium. Without ever placing higher than third at any of the tournaments, I ended up winning the 2003 state championships at 103 pounds. I peaked just at the right time. Winning state only made me want to work harder and wrestle more. I ended up wining state again my junior year. So far this year I wrestled fourteen matches against girls who weigh as much as me up to 120 pounds, winning all my matches by pin, except one. Now with state coming up for my third year I hope to become a three time state champion. 102 Joleen Oshiro ( Ioianni, HI) Iolani High School Ewa Beach, Hawaii GPA: 4.0109 Senior Year Record: 22-0 Career Record: 83-15 College Plans: Stanford or Duke Joleen Oshiro, a senior at Iolani School in Honolulu, Hawaii, is the reigning Hawaii High School Athletic Association's (HHSAA) Girl's Varsity Wrestling Champion (103 lbs) and is currently ranked 4th by the USGWA (100 lbs). Joleen, who began wrestling only two years ago, has an overall Hawaii career record of 83 wins and 15 losses. During her junior year, Joleen compiled a 34-0 Hawaii record, with a 98% pinning rate. Her senior year Hawaii record thus far is 22-0, with a 99% pinning rate. Joleen was named an All- American Honorable Mention and the Interscholastic League of Honolulu's Co-Wrestler of the Year in 2004. Joleen is also a member of her school's varsity cross country (state team champions 2003, 2002, 2001) and track and field (state team champions 2003, 2002) teams. She placed fifth in both the HHSAA's 2004 cross country and 2003 track and field (1500 meters) championships and fourth in the 2003 track and field (3000 meters) championships. Joleen also served as the team captain of the Iolani Japan Wizard Bowl team that won first place in 2004 and an all-expense paid trip to Japan. Joleen has a cumulative GPA of 4.0109 and is on the Headmaster's List. She is seeking admission to Stanford University, Duke University, and a number of other colleges and universities. She plans on majoring in Biology or Chemistry and hopes to enter the field of Pharmaceuticals, Medicine, or Pediatrics. 110 Amnorina Porter (Sterling, MI) Standish-Sterling Central High School, Sterling, Michigan My name is Amnorina Jannelina Porter; I'm the daughter of Mike and Andrea Porter. We live in Michigan in the small village of Sterling. I have four brothers and one sister, Mike being the oldest then Mitch, Angelina, myself, Machylle, and last of all Manhael, the youngest. I am currently seventeen years of age and attending Standish-Sterling Central High School. My wrestling career started way back when I was in seventh grade. My two older brothers only tried one sport, which was wrestling, and they were always telling me how much they enjoyed the sport. So as the years passed, I decided to try something new and that new thing was wrestling thanks to my brothers. I joined the team in tenth grade, I don't think that I have been so scared in my whole entire life to do something different. As the first season went on, I won half my matches, this was very surprising since I had never done anything like this before. My junior year was the season which I enjoyed the most. During that wrestling season our school held a weightlifting contest for boys and girls, I won first in lifting and first in a physique contest. That season I placed eighth in my district, which was pretty good for me. After the season was over, my coach, Jim Herrgot, was sent invitations for the women wrestlers of Standish-Sterling Central High School to go to the Girls State Wrestling Tournament at Onaway Lake. My coach took Amanda Vargo and myself up to the tournament. I placed first in my weight group and Amanda placed fourth in her weight group. Since we did so well, we were invited to go to Nationals, in which I placed second in my weight class. After only two years of wrestling, going that far was such an amazing event for me. My senior year has started out the best for me so far because I was voted to be the Homecoming Queen of Standish-Sterling Central High School. I'm proud that I have older brothers who talked me into doing such a sport 119 Lily Colby (CA) 128 Krisha Childres (Goddard, ME) Goddard High School Goddard, Maine GPA: 3.8 College Plans: Cumberland Univ. Krisha Childres is currently a senior at Goddard High School in Goddard, Kansas. She wrestles for the Goddard wrestling team. She has a 3.8 GPA and is also taking classes at Wichita State University. She has been wrestling for ten years now and took fourth place at the USGWA women's nationals in 2003 and 2004. She hopes to attend Cumber-land University and go into nursing. 138 Shelby Brown (Seaside, CA) Monterey High School Seaside, California I started wrestling when I was in eighth grade and I decided to join the boys wrestling team. My parents didn't agree with me wrestling but they said that I could wrestle anyway. It was in Fairbanks, Alaska and normally there were girls on every team but I was the first girl that ever joined the team. I then moved to North Pole, Alaska, and then I began my high school season. My freshman year I didn't really wrestle at all. My sophomore year I was the team's varsity 135 pounder. Right after school had ended I moved to Monterey Bay, California and began to wrestle for Monterey High School. During my junior and my senior year I went to a couple of guys tournaments and did pretty well but the main competitions I have participated in were the girls tournaments. 148 Elena Pirozhkov (Greenfield, MA) Greenfield High School Greenfield, Massachusetts GPA: 3.0 Senior Year Record: 8-4 My name is Elena Pirozhkov. I was born in Novokuznetzk, Russia. I moved to America in 1990, and have lived in Massachusetts most of my life. I am the third oldest out of nine kids in my family. My older brother, Viktor, who is currently serving in Iraq, joined the wrestling team when I was in the seventh grade. He suggested that I should join too. I did, and I have been wrestling ever since. My current coach, Dernik Vartanyan, is a returning high school wrestler. He has been very supportive, along with other coaches I've had in the past, saving me all the drama girl wrestlers go through with their coaches. My younger brother Alex and I are captains of our team, and I am wrestling with a record of 8-4, so far. I'm not sure what my overall high school record is, though. The greatest accomplishments in my wrestling career are taking third at Folkstyle Nationals (twice) and taking fourth at Freestyle Nationals (twice) . My current overall grade point average is 3.0. Although I haven't yet chosen a college to go to, I do plan on going and wrestling at the college level. I'd like to tell you what I want as a college major, but I haven't decided that myself. Lastly, I'd like to thank all of my high school coaches, my family, Dan, and everybody else who has helped me, because without you I would have never gotten this far. 165 Jennifer Glover (Kissimmee, FL) Kissimmee High School Kissimmee, Florida I have been around the sport of wrestling since I was six years old. My brothers participated with USA wrestling and I, of course, had to go and watch their practices and tournaments. My mom used to joke and say, "Jenny, I'll make you a pink singlet with lace around the legs if you want to wrestle." It wasn't until middle school that I actually started wrestling. Between my dad, and my brothers joking about how good I could be, I decided to give it a try. I went undefeated in middle school. Once I got to high school, I wanted to wrestle and play basketball, but the basketball coach told me to make a decision, wrestling or basketball. I chose wrestling. My freshmen year I placed third at the Florida State Tournament. We only had three girls. My sophomore year I talked a couple more girls into wrestling and we took the team title. I finished second at state, losing 7-6. It was truly a turning point for me. I decided this was going to be my sport. I began working out more and recruited some more girls. My junior year I took first at Florida State, second in the Kentucky State, and first at the USGWA Tournament in South Carolina. Several members of my team and I traveled to Michigan to compete in the USGWA High School National Tournament. I placed fourth, the highest ranking for any of Florida female wrestler. I also attended the USA Freestyle Nationals where I finished seventh. 185 Vanessa Gutierrez (Gilroy, CA) Gilroy High School Gilroy, California Senior Year Record: 18-0 My name is Vanessa Gutierrez. I'm a senior at Gilroy High School in Gilroy, California. I've been wrestling for four years. My first year wrestling at the high school level was difficult. Being the only girl on the team, I was not taken seriously. I have always had to prove myself to everyone that I do belong on the team. My first three years, I placed either first or second at the girls tournaments, but this year, I stepped it up a bit. I am currently undefeated and my current record is 18-0 with eighteen pins. Last year I took first in California Girls State beating the undefeated number one ranked girl. I placed second in the 2002 and 2003 California Girls State, and I am currently ranked first in state and sixth in the USGWA Nationals. I also wrestle at the boys junior varsity level. Last year I went undefeated and placed first in the Tri-County league. My current record for this year is 5-1. I think that if I had been taken more seriously, I would have accomplished much more in my wrestling career. I want to give a special thanks to my dad, Gabriel Gutierrez for coaching me at all the girls tournaments I have attended. Without him I would not have been able to be where I am now. And not to forget my little brother Gabriel Jr. who has also been there for me. Also, a big thanks to all my coaches at GHS. 215 Lizz Sanders (Newton, IA) Newton High School Newton, Iowa Lizz Sanders entered this season as the number one ranked high school girl wrestler in the country in the over 165 pound weight class. Lizz finished third at nationals her freshman year, took second as a sophomore, and second again as a junior. Lizz was a USGWA National Champion as an eighth grader in the middle school age division at the over 152 pound weight class. Those three losses at nationals are her only losses to female high schoolers during her career. She has registered over 100 wins. Sanders also owns two USGWA belts that she won traveling to tournaments all over the Midwest and east and accumulating the highest point total of girls in her division. Plans after high school are not yet determined. |
Texas Dream Team Coach
Texas Girls Dream Team Coach Shawn Hoover, South Grand Prairie HS (Grand Prairie, Texas) Texas Girls Dream Team Coach Charles Rose, Amarillo HS (Amarillo,Texas) 95 - Maria Salas (Houston Lee, Texas) 2005 4th at State, 2004 All American 102 - Crystal Molinar (Grand Prairie, Texas ) 2004 State Champ, 3rd at State 2005 & 2003, All-American & 1st Texas female with more than 100 victories 110 - Lillian Marques (Coppell, Texas) 2004 State Runner-Up 119 - LAURIE ASHBY (Katy Taylor, Texas) 2004 State Runner-Up at 110lbs 128 - Karen Howe (The Woodlands, Texas) 2005 State Placer & 2004 State Qualifer 138 - Hannah Skinner (Amarillo, Texas) 2005 State Champion 148 - Candy Guevara (Arlington, Texas) 2004 State Placer 165 - Clarissa Dalke (Amarillo, Texas) 2004 State Runner-Up, 2003 All American 185 - Katy Klammer (Lake Highlands, Texas) 2005 State Champion, 2004 State Placer & All American 215 - Emerald Solomon State Champion 2004 & 2005
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