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Parents taking issue with forfeits when boys don't join girls on mat
By Linda Shaw 5/7/05
Seattle Times staff reporter
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Girls who wrestled for several Puget Sound-area middle schools this year easily won their matches against boys from two private schools.
The girls stepped onto the mat. Their opponents from Tacoma Baptist and Cascade Christian stayed in their seats. The referee then raised the girls' hands to signal they'd won by forfeit.
But the easy victories didn't sit well with the girls, including Meaghan Connors, a seventh-grader at McMurray Middle School on Vashon Island. Her father, Jerry, is prepared to go to court over what he considers a clear case of sex discrimination.
For years, schools in the Rainier Valley League, including McMurray, have honored the ability of the two private schools to forfeit matches rather than have a boy wrestle one of the handful of girls on the public-school teams.
League President Dan Petersen said it was the same as honoring desires of other religious schools not to compete on certain days.
He noted that wrestling rules allow a forfeit for any reason.
"I don't care if it's a religious school or not," he said. "If a person chooses not to wrestle, they don't have to wrestle."
Tacoma Baptist's superintendent did not return phone calls about the policy and the reasons for it. At Cascade Christian in Puyallup, Superintendent Don Johnson said the school "does not want to put our young men in a situation where they would be inappropriately touching a young lady."
Connors, however, believes the forfeit rule shouldn't be used to discriminate against girls, including his daughter, one of a half-dozen girls on teams in the league, drawn from schools in King, Pierce and Mason counties.
Connors, a former Episcopal president and one-time pastoral assistant for social justice at St. James Cathedral in Seattle, believes religion should play a role in public life. "But there's a limit," he said.
"If my religion says that once a year on a full moon, I had to get into a hit-and-run accident, I think the cops would take exception to that," he said. "That's an extreme example, but if you come into the public domain, you can't develop a policy that discriminates against people."
He's filed a complaint alleging the Vashon Island School District is violating Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in schools, by allowing the policies to exist. If the policies aren't changed, he says, he'll make a complaint to the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education and, if necessary, file a lawsuit.
The principal at McMurray Middle School, Greg Allison, said the school values its female wrestlers and plans to attempt to get the policies changed, too.
"We can't necessarily change a private school district's policy," he said. "But we can certainly try to influence it as best we can."
Common conflicts
Conflict isn't new to girls in wrestling. It has been a co-ed sport in large part because too few girls participate to have their own leagues. Critics say the sport's too dangerous for girls, especially when they wrestle against boys. And some are uncomfortable with a co-ed sport with so much physical contact.
When girls started wrestling in Washington state decades ago, they often faced forfeits from boys at public schools, said Darcy Lees, program supervisor for equity coordination at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. But that's died down, she said, because boys don't want to give up points that could help them advance to the state wrestling championship.
Still, girls don't always get a warm welcome. Meaghan Connors and teammate Sylvie Shiosaki, 13, said they sometimes get taunted at matches, as do the boys who wrestle against them.
Nevertheless, girls' participation in wrestling is growing. In Washington, 69 schools had at least one girl on their wresting team in the 2003-04 school year, and there were more this year although the figures aren't yet compiled, said Mike Colbrese, executive director of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). The WIAA administers school sports leagues across the state. One hundred girls participated in this year's all-girls tournament, Colbrese said.
Meaghan Connors and Sylvie Shiosaki find the sport challenging, fun and not at all sexual.
"When you walk on the mat, you're not a girl, you're not a guy anymore. You're just there to wrestle," Shiosaki said.
Girls have the right to join wrestling teams at public middle and high schools, and to compete at wrestling tournaments.
Nearly 20 years ago, in a case that involved the state Human Rights Commission, Marysville High School had to pay a $500 fine and apologize to a girl on Vashon High School's wrestling team after it barred her from a tournament.
What's happening now in the Rainier Valley League, however, is not as clear cut, Lees said. Wrestling rules allow for forfeits. Girls get the points for the win. Private schools don't have to adhere to Title IX.
"I'm struggling with whether we would have any kind of authority," she said.
Considering the message
But Nancy Hogshead-Makar, legal adviser for the Women's Sports Foundation and a gold medalist in swimming at the 1984 Olympics, said the question is whether the WIAA, an organization that includes public and private schools, is a public entity. In a recent court case in Michigan, a similar organization was ruled to be a "public actor." And that means it can't allow policies that discriminate against girls, she said.
Girls are harmed when they win by forfeit, she added, because they lose out on the experience gained in competition, which is at the heart of what sports is about.
And it sends the message, she said, that there's something wrong with them.
"What if, for religious reasons, people said they were not going to wrestle African Americans, or wrestle people of different religions?" she asked. "When you put it in those terms, you can see how the person who is not able to compete is being harmed."
The Christian schools say little about the issue.
Johnson, Cascade Christian's superintendent, said it was difficult to say whether the school's policy is religiously based because the school approaches everything from a Christian perspective. He said he probably would have no response to Jerry Connors' concerns about sexual discrimination.
"Our approach is a concern for a young man and a young lady both," he said.
Tacoma Baptist's policy was passed by its school board, Athletic Director Keith Patefield said. But he said he knew little about it because he is new to the district this year. He referred questions to the school's superintendent, who did not return phone calls, and to the wrestling coach, who is out of the country.
Meaghan Connors didn't have to endure any forfeits herself this year. As a seventh-grader, she wasn't McMurray's best wrestler in her weight class, so she wasn't on the varsity squad, the only one that officially competes at the middle-school level. Still, she came home upset when Shiosaki got forfeits. She told her father she felt degraded, like an "object of lust."
Shiosaki said three of her 11 matches this year were forfeits from boys at the two schools, significantly shortening her season. That's what concerns her mother, Lonnie, who's supporting Jerry Connors' efforts. The lack of experience handicaps the girls when they go to state tournaments or even the state's all-girls exhibition tournament, she said.
Some of the boys on McMurray's team dislike the policies, too.
"It's pretty disrespectful," said Jesse Mish, 14, who's won several state wrestling awards.
Petersen, the Rainier Valley League president, said that as far as he's concerned, the issue has been long decided.
"It's something we've dealt with and the other schools have been fine with it," he said.
Some coaches wonder what can be done short of Cascade Christian and Tacoma Baptist withdrawing from the league.
"You can't force a kid to do something his parents say he can't do," said Craig Johnson, wrestling coach at Hawkins Middle School in the North Mason School District. Still, he said, he'd like the two girls on his team to have more opportunities to compete.
The WIAA has not been asked for its guidance, and for now, it's a league matter, Colbrese said. Still, he said, he's looking into it. To him, there are conflicts among the freedom of religion, the freedom from discrimination and the wrestling rule that allows forfeits.
"I'm not sure where you come out with all those things mixed in," he said.
Jerry Connors, however, maintains private schools should adhere by public rules when they're competing against public schools in public facilities.
"My daughter's rights," he said, "are not going to be bargained away for any reason."
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Hannan takes over prep wrestling duties
By JUDI BOWERS 5/5/05
Shaun Hannan dove right in when he accepted a job at his alma mater. Besides teaching English, he is an assistant football coach and recently accepted the position of head wrestling coach at Big Bear High School.
Hannan is the youngest of four brothers and followed in their footsteps on the gridiron. But he wanted to make a name for himself, as well. So he chose wrestling and excelled.
As a four-year heavyweight wrestler, Hannan was De Anza League champion all four years and advanced to the CIF masters tournament as a junior and senior.
Now he wants to help young wrestlers eager to make a name for themselves. After spending a year as assistant to longtime head coach Martin Bumstead, Hannan moves into the lead role. Bumstead will stick around as Hannan's assistant to make the transition smooth, Hannan said. Hannan will take on the varsity team with Bumstead focusing on the junior varsity squad.
For Hannan, moving to head coach means not only teaching his charges how to wrestle well, but also teaching them life lessons. "I'm teaching them responsibility, hard work and discipline," Hannan said. "Things that will help them later on in life."
Hannan said his life was molded by playing sports in high school and college and learning those lessons and he wants to pass that along.
Wrestling is on the upswing as far as participation. Hannan is encouraged by how many freshmen and sophomores were on the team this past season. He said he is hoping more will follow.
The fan base is also growing. "I think people don't know how fun wrestling can be," Hannan said. He said fans packed the gym last season when the Bears had a home dual match against Desert Hot Springs, and this next year there will be many more of those. With nine teams in the league next season, up from a low of five not so long ago, dual meets are needed. When not many schools field a team, the league meets can be done in one day. Hannan said he is excited about the individual meets at home giving the fans a chance to see the Bears in action.
Those meets also help to build the program, he said. And for the first time, wrestling will hold spring practices. Hannan said this gives athletes who might be interested in the program a chance to get involved and see what wrestling is all about.
The number of female wrestlers are also increasing, something Hannan is pleased about. His goal is to see the female contingent grow and become its own team. Hannan said there is a lot of controversy circulating about girls wrestling boys and while he doesn't have a problem with it, he says separate teams would be more beneficial for the girls and boys programs.
State CIF is voting on a weight management proposal Friday, May 6, dealing with wrestling. Hannan is in favor of weight management and monitoring. He has his wrestlers weigh in and out for every practice and activity. Hannan said he doesn't allow a wrestler to drop more than two weight classes unless done in a healthy manner.
Hannan said some coaches will get wrestlers to drop one or two classes because the team and wrestler will be stronger in the lower class. But for Hannan, it's not about winning. Dropping weight quickly jeopardizes the athletes, Hannan said.
Spring wrestling practices are scheduled to begin the week of May 16. Anyone interested in wrestling, or participating in any sport next year, must have a physical. Physicals are being offered by the school May 11.
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Lady Vikings get four medals at Senior Nationals
Thursday, May 5, 2005
By Chris Allen/Sports Editor
Eighth-ranked freshman Rachel Billerbeck (top) of Plugerville, Texas, pulled off a couple of upsets to take fifth at the U.S. Senior Nationals. [Click to enlarge] |
LAS VEGAS -- The Missouri Valley College women's wrestling team had four athletes placed in the top eight during the U.S. Senior Nationals, held Friday and Saturday at Las Vegas.
The Lady Vikings had fifth-place performances from junior Brooke Bogren and freshman Rachel Billerbeck, a seventh place for sophomore Maika Watanabe and an eighth by sophomore Clarissa Calibuso. Valley had the misfortune, too, of seeing junior Kelly Branham -- ranked fifth in the 67-kilogram class -- suffer a first-round injury and having nine other wrestlers eliminated from the field with losses in their opening matches.
Bogren (59 kilograms) won four of her six bouts, losing a quarterfinal heartbreaker to third-rated Suekoilya Shelly of the New York Athletic Club by the slim margin of 2-1, 0-3, 1-0. After two more wins, top-ranked Brandy Rosenbrock of the U.S. Olympic Education Center pinned her, but otherwise Bogren was tough throughout -- beating Deanna Rix of SMT with a fall in the trophy round.
Billerbeck (63 Kg) began the meet in impressive fashion with a second-period pin of No. 6 Cumberland (Ky.) junior Othella Lucas, an MVC Showcase champion. Former Lady Viking Kaci Lyle, now ranked third with the powerful Sunkist Kids club, stopped Billerbeck by fall on her way to the finals.
However, Billerbeck responded by winning two of the next three matches, including a pin of fourth-ranked N'Tasha Umemoto of the Sunkist Kids in the fifth-place contest.
Watanabe (51 Kg) split her four matches, winning the opener before running into two highly-rated foes -- No. 3 Jenny Wong of the Sunkist Kids and No. 4 Debbie Sakai, a former MVC teammate now with the New York Athletic Club -- the next two rounds. Watanabe did salvage a medal by nipping fifth-ranked Cheryl Wong of the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club, 1-0, 1-0.
After beating another Valley ex, Sandy Do of the USOEC, Calibuso (55 Kg) ran into eventual finalist Marcie Van Dusen of the Sunkist Kids to be sent to the back side. Winning one of her two matches there put a medal on Calibuso.
The Lady Vikings' only other win came from freshman Amanda Velasquez (59 Kg) with an 8-0, 7-0 first-round decision over Andrea Whitney of MacMurray (Ill.).
Valley's two ranked 48-kilogram entries both sustained close first-round hits to solid opponents and found themselves out of the loop. Freshman Sadie Kaneda was upset by the USOEC's ninth-rated Liz Short, 1-0, 2-0, and junior Tabithia Ramsey was edged by No. 8 Jessica Medina of Cumberland, 2-4, 4-1, 1-1.
The final event of the season for the Lady Vikings will take place closer to home, with the U.S. World Team Trials being held in Ames, Iowa, June 17-19.
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Vyborny beats the boys on the mat
She won California's inaugural middle school tournament at 185 pounds.
By Quwan Spears -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, April 28, 2005
Angie Vyborny, top, an eighth-grader at Sylvan Middle School, practices |
The girl who is putting a scare into middle school boys is a softy.
Angie Vyborny, 13, is an honor student at Sylvan Middle School in
Citrus Heights. She is fun to be around and has a warm personality.
But put her on a wrestling mat, and her persona changes. The
kind-hearted girl becomes a tough and intimidating opponent who pinned many a boy
this season.
And since then, Vyborny has unleashed her power and strength on fellow
females.
She won the 185-pound division of the inaugural California Middle
School Girls Wrestling Championships in Vallejo on April 16.
"She is just a great story," said Bob Pfau, Vyborny's coach.
The reasons are plentiful. She has achieved top-notch success in her
first year of wrestling and has been named Sylvan's Student of the Year with
a a 4.0 grade-point average and near-perfect attendance.
Pfau discovered Vyborny during a tryout.
"She came into the gym and told me she wanted to be on the team," Pfau
said. "So I paired her with two of our best wrestlers, and she held her own."
From there, Vyborny kept improving. She finished fourth in the
eight-man bracket at the High School Open championships in March. She
participated in the high school division because there were no competitors in the
middle school class.
Her season record was 14-16, with several victories against boys.
"I like beating the boys because when they first get on the mat they
look at me, laugh and think that it's going to be a easy match,"
Vyborny said. "But a lot times it's the other way around."
Vyborny possesses exceptional strength. She is built like a swimmer but
also has the athleticism of a volleyball or basketball player.
Whether she earns victories over boys or girls, Pfau said Vyborny is
earning respect.
"She's proving that no matter what gender you are, if you're good
enough, you will have success," Pfau said.
Evans commits to Saint Mary's - Continuing a local trend, Del Campo
High's Aleyse Evans became the latest underclass basketball player to verbally
commit to college.
Coach Jen Krill confirmed that Evans, who finished her junior season in
March, will attend Saint Mary's in Moraga.
Verbal commitments aren't binding for the player or the college.
The 6-foot Evans joins several Sacramento-area players who committed
before theirsenior seasons.
Last month, Franklin junior C.J. Morgan verbally committed to Pacific.
In 2003, former Del Campo star Krista Foster committed to Cal as a junior.
And in 2002, DeMarcus Nelson committed to Duke as a sophomore at Vallejo
High. Nelson played his senior season at Sheldon.
Krill said Evans committed early to relieve some of the recruiting
pressure.
"I think she wanted to avoid the hassle so she could concentrate on her
senior year," Krill said.
When Foster graduated after the 2003-04 season, Evans assumed the role
of leader and adjusted nicely, averaging 17.2 points and 12.0 rebounds as
the Cougars finished 7-17 overall and 4-10 in the Capital Athletic League.
Evans was named to the All-CAL team.
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07:16 PM CDT on Sunday, May 1, 2005
Selected by Staff Writer Todd Wills based on state-meet performances
At the beginning of the school year, Katie Klammer decided this would
be her time to win a state wrestling championship. Then she went out and did
it.
The Lake Highlands senior won all four of her matches in Austin,
beating three regional champions. She wrapped up the state title by pinning
Cedar Park Vista Ridge's Carrie Clark. Then it was time to appreciate what
she had done.
High Schools
SportsDay's 2004-05 Winter All-Area Teams
More High Schools
"It was so amazing to know I actually succeeded in my goal and got what
I really wanted," Klammer said.
Klammer started in the sport as a freshman as a sparring partner. She
said she started peaking by her junior season. But she was disappointed last
year when she took third place at 185 pounds at state.
She decided this would be the year she won gold. She wanted it badly
because her older brother, Karl, who got her interested in wrestling, was with
the Marines in Iraq.
Karl was still overseas when she won the state title, but he returned
shortly after the state meet and celebrated the win with his sister.
GIRLS WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
Katie Klammer, Lake Highlands, Sr., 185 pounds
Notable: Won first UIL state title; 16-0
Why I wrestle: "It's fun to begin with, and it turns out I got into it
because my coach [Pete Grieder] needed another girl to wrestle with
another girl on the team. And it turned out that I absolutely loved it. My
parents backed me up and I enjoyed competing."
Who influenced me: "My mom [Elizabeth] kept telling me I could do it.
She kept believing in me. She influenced me to do my best, whereas not
everyone accepts girls as wrestlers."
What you don't know: "I really enjoy painting and water colors, the
artistic side of me. I also enjoy writing poems about whatever comes to me."
Recent honorees
2000: Brenda Malott, Arlington Sam Houston
2001: Brandy Killingsworth, Arlington Sam Houston
2002: Suekoilya Shelley, Hurst L.D. Bell
2003: Suekoilya Shelley, Hurst L.D. Bell
2004: Deseree Cazares, South Grand Prairie
GIRLS WRESTLING NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Jordan West, Southlake Carroll, Fr., 95 pounds
Notable: Second at Region II meet; 13-8
Why I wrestle: "I got into the sport because my brother Perry wrestles,
and it just looked like fun watching him wrestle."
Who influenced me: "My dad [Paul], because whenever he enters into
something he really goes for it and tries hard at it, and that's a cool way to
approach something."
What you don't know: "I ride horses. I like jumping because it's
exciting and you get to go fast. I like the competition."
GIRLS WRESTLING COACH OF THE YEAR
Mike Eaton, Frisco CentennialNotable: Led Centennial to first regional title in wrestling.
Why I coach: "I started coaching when I was young, when I moved up from
sixth grade, coached the kindergarteners. I've always coached."
Who influenced me: "It's a little bit my coaches and my parents, but I
would say some of my previous coaches I've had. Old wrestling coaches and
football coaches, they all impacted me in a big way."
What you don't know: "My freshman year in high school I had a serious
neck injury. Several doctors told me not to play football or wrestle again,
but I still wrestle today. And I played football for four years and wrestled
in college."
GIRLS WRESTLING FIRST TEAM
Crystal Molinar, South Grand Prairie, Sr., 110 pounds
Notable: Third at UIL state meet; 24-3
Why I wrestle: "The wrestling coach [Mike Eaton] saw me at physicals my
freshman year and told me I should go out for wrestling. Every single
day I would see him and he would bug me. And I finally I went out, and I
loved it."
Who influenced me: "Daisy Callado, who is wrestling at Cumberland
College. She was always a good role model as far as in wrestling just pushing
yourself and in school focusing on keeping up with your grades."
What you don't know: "I love photography and country music."
Tashia Lewis, Arlington Sam Houston, Sr., 110 pounds
Notable: Second at UIL state meet; 35-6
Why I wrestle: "It's something new. There are not many girls who do it.
I like contact sports, and they won't let me play football. So I tried
wrestling."
Who influenced me: "Tommy Bonds. He was our first coach we had when I
was a sophomore. At the beginning I wanted to quit because it was hard. He
didn't ever tell me it would get easier, but he told me to keep going because
it would get more fun."
What you don't know: "That I eat cheese on everything. I eat it on rice
and cereal. And I'm allergic to milk."
Vanessa Epps, Frisco, So., 138 pounds
Notable: Second at UIL state meet; 40-3
Why I wrestle: "It helps me take out a lot of anger. I got into the
sport because I was too rough for basketball and got cut from the team."
Who influenced me: "My friend Jasmin [Flores]. She graduated last year.
She went to state last year at 95 pounds. She is such a strong person."
What you don't know: "I love to listen to people's opinions, especially
down here in Texas where people are more narrow-minded than from where I'm
from in Californi, where people are so open-minded."
GIRLS WRESTLING SECOND TEAM
Name School Cl. Notable
Lene Wood Frisco Centennial So. Finished third in the 95-pound class
at UIL state meet, 27-5
Kacey Wimpy Arlington Martin Jr. Finished third in 138-pound class
at UIL state meet, 33-6
Jessica Williams Arlington Bowie Sr. Finished fourth in 215-pound
class at UIL state meet, 14-7
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Will wrestling bill pin local girl?
By Joel Stottrup 12/28/02
An 88-pound girl in the fifth grade at Princeton’s North Elementary is at the center of something some Minnesota legislators, including Rep. Sondra Erickson, R-Princeton, are wrestling with.
Legislators in the House are mentally wrestling with a bill Erickson has authored that would ban girls wrestling with boys as a sport in grades 7-12.
The bill was debated in the House education policy committee and was headed for the House floor, when the Union-Eagle spoke with Erickson by phone at the start of this week.
The Princeton fifth grader referred to earlier is Morgan Holland, who has been pinning enough boys to the mat in nearly three years that she has gained notoriety in wrestling circles.
She wrestles in a local club called Princeton Youth Wrestling in which Morgan is the only girl.
Her accomplishments for her weight class include:
• Champion for three years in a row in the state Jaycees Wrestling Tournament, competing against boys
• USA freestyle state champion last year (just girl wrestlers)
• National champion for two years in a row in the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association (USGWA)
• Champion last year in the five-state regional USGWA tournament.
Her father Jerry Holland predicts she will be national champion this year in the USGWA, noting that she has placed second two years in a row.
Last weekend when the local club competed at an open wrestling tournament in Sartell, Morgan won in her weight class and all of her opponents were boys.
“She’s looking good,” Jerry added. “She’s a seeded wrestler.”
The stance of Morgan and her parents, and what sounds to be at least the majority, if not all the girl wrestlers in the state judging from Erickson’s comments, is that they are against Erickson’s bill.
While the bill in the House caused a stir starting last week, Erickson actually drafted the bill last fall. She explained her reasons last week.
A few weeks after the state (high school) wrestling tournament last year some wrestlers and parents came to the Legislature to discuss the issue of male wrestlers not knowing how to respond to female wrestlers on their team, she said.
“The boys felt confused,” Erickson continued. She brought up the case of one boy who didn’t advance in competition because he didn’t wrestle one female wrestler and therefore forfeited his match.
Erickson said she didn’t think there would be any problem if the coed wrestling was between girls that have not reached adolescence and thus do not have the physical changes of an adolescent.
But the big issue, said Erickson, is that coed wrestling brings about conflicting messages – on one hand coed wrestling says “it is OK to slam a girl to the mat, to take them down or to force their body on them,” but it’s not OK outside the wrestling ring.
“They were raising, I thought, some good questions,” said Erickson, about the male wrestlers who came to the Legislature.
Erickson called the allowance of girls to wrestle against boys a “double standard” and says she has the support of at least some of the state’s varsity men’s wrestlers.
“I really think pitting girls against boys or boys against girls in a contact sport is an error in judgment,” she said.
She added that the kind of moves required for wrestling are “certainly objectionable for [boys and girls] in society, and becomes the basis of harassment suits and domestic abuse.”
Erickson explained her comment on the double standard by saying that society says it’s OK for girls to be in a boys sport but not vice versa. Some coaches have had to “make deals” with parents, she said, to set up parameters for what could be done in some coed wrestling meets.
Some history
Erickson, a retired English teacher at PHS, gave this short history of coed wrestling in Minnesota’s public schools: In 1972 the state allowed girls to compete in each boys sport except wrestling. Then 20 years later the state passed a law to drop the exception.
“Only in the last 10 years has it become an issue,” she said.
But now that the bill began taking on life in the Minnesota House, the estimated nearly 30 girl wrestlers in public schools across the state have been bucking Erickson’s bill, as have some adults.
One of the strongest opponents of Erickson’s proposed legislation is Morgan, who said she isn’t “scared” about the bill, “just mad.”
On the day after the bill had a strong audience of supporters in the House committee, Morgan made 40 phone calls to fight the bill, her father Jerry said last Thursday, during a Princeton Youth Wrestling practice.
Jerry and his wife Laura’s statements were their personal ones, he and other club members pointed out, because the club’s bylaws prohibit the club from taking political sides.
Laura said last week that wrestling was not a sport that she would have picked for her daughter, but since it is one that Morgan loves, she is supporting her efforts.
“Morgan picked it on her own,” she said Thursday. “It’s not like, ‘We’ve got a son in wrestling, let’s have a daughter that wrestles.’ ”
Laura noted that Morgan had 215 wrestling matches the last two years and there was only one time that a boy refused to wrestle her and that was the one where the boy’s father said no.
Jerry added that he has a problem with some people inserting that there is a sexual thing about coed wrestling.
“There’s nothing sexual about it whether it’s two boys wrestling or a boy and a girl,” he said. “In the wrestling moves we taught, you don’t even think about what part of the body you’re touching.”
Jerry also noted that Princeton Youth Wrestling head coach Phil Meinert is supportive of Morgan being in the club.
Meinert, while speaking to the Union-Eagle Monday, agreed with that assessment.
“She’s treated as if she were a boy,” he said about the treatment she gets in the club in which she is the only girl. “We don’t even notice that there’s a girl in here.”
Morgan has set her sights on the 2008 Olympics since female wrestling has just been added to the Olympics. For that reason, her father said, she needs to compete against high school boys in order to stay in shape and work toward that goal.
Debate may move elsewhere
Erickson noted that there may be an amendment coming to the bill that will put the question in the hands of the Minnesota State High School League and said she doesn’t foresee the bill becoming a law this session.
Erickson admitted she has received a lot of criticism for authoring the bill, noting that she must have heard from every girl wrestler in the state. But she also said she accepted the challenge.
“I want to be fair about this but if the boys have concerns . . . I want to hear the concerns,” she said. “I am willing to take the heat, the criticism, for offering the legislation.”
Estimating there could be as many as 6,000 boy wrestlers in the state versus 24 girl wrestlers, the Legislature “needs to hear what the young men have to say,” she said.