News

Webster "a strong chance" for Olympics

Tuesday, 1 November 2005

Young wrestler Rosela Webster has a good chance of representing Australia at the Beijing Olympics.
However, the road to success has been paved with difficulties for the 16-year-old, who has already overcome great odds.

Her coach and father Russell Webster passed away from lung cancer in February, however, despite this she has continued to excel in the sport he inspired her to follow.

She is now looking for sponsorship from local businesses to continue striving for her dream.

South Australian Amateur Wrestling Association secretary Martin Schumacher said Rosela had a "strong chance to compete in the Beijing Olympics."

While Rosela has benefited from Australian Institute of Sport scholarships, she relies on the South Australian Amateur Wrestling Association for financial support.

However, the association is stretched to cover costs.

"Wrestling is not as popular as some other sports and so it doesn't get the funding," Rosela said.

Rosela will depend on sponsorship by local businesses to continue competing in overseas competitions.

Travelling five hours by bus Rosela trains in Adelaide during school holidays and long weekends.

She has brought away gold medals from every competition she has entered this year, wiping the mat with her competition.

She won her first senior national championships held in Melbourne in February against a 20-year-old opponent.

This was her seventh win since competing as a junior at her first national championships in 1999.

In what has been a golden year for Rosela she swept the board in her first overseas competition, the New Zealand Championships, winning both senior and junior divisions.

Umpiring a competition involving American junior wrestlers in Queensland followed a training camp in January.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics is the ultimate goal in a series of competitions for Rosela.

"I knew I'd be wrestling for a long time," she said.

She has competed with the best in the country and will be looking for more competitions overseas to improve her chances to attend the Olympics.

In August, the year 11 Edward John Eyre High School student returned to her birth place, New Zealand for the championships.

Both she and her father were born in the land of the long white cloud.

"He would have loved to go back and visit," Rosela said.

"He hadn't been there for a long time."

Russell came to Whyalla in 1988, the same year that Rosela was born.

"I've lived here pretty much all my life," she said.

Rosela took up wrestling aged about eight-years-old, following in the footsteps of her father and older brother Russell junior.

Wrestling talent runs in the family with her father a New Zealand South Island champion.

Russell gave up competitive wrestling when he moved to Whyalla to work as a fitter and turner at BHP.

Rosela has built a good rapport with the national junior wrestling coach Lubo Hofr, who she has trained with for two years.

She names Lubo as one of her supports, staying with his family for two weeks of training before the New Zealand Championships.

Rosela's aggressive style of training was honed with the help of all male sparring partners.

This style of training helped her to win against females in competition, as male wrestlers were "more full on".

She was considering a move to Adelaide next year to create a better balance between training and studying year 12.

Having previously benefited from Australian Institute of Sport scholarships she is exploring the option of attending the institute next year.

Her life as a normal 16-year-old and a competitive wrestler has not always been an easy relationship.

While in Whyalla time is spent keeping up fitness levels running five to seven laps around the school oval and working out at the gym.

When not studying for high school grades Rosela enjoys "normal stuff" such as hanging out with her friends.

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CIF gives OK to girls wrestling

, STAFF REPORT 10/29/05

OAKLAND — As expected, the CIF Federated Council voted Friday to go ahead with high school girls regional open wrestling tournaments beginning in January.
The two-day, double-elimination events — one held in the north and the other in the south — will take place Jan 20-21 but will not be considered state championships.

The two-year pilot program will feature 32 brackets in 14 weight classes. CIF estimates 1,200 girls will participate.

In other business, the Federated Council read through a proposal to continue boys and girls state golf championships. The three-year trial for golf ends in 2006.

The proposal will be addressed again in February and voted on in May.

The council

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