News Page

Wrestling With the Big Boys

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

By Leann Shea

Morgan Hillÿ- One of the premier female wrestlers in California, Moriah Fernandez is not your average 15-year-old high school student. The Live Oak sophomore has been making a name for herself and earning respect in wrestling circles for the past seven years and plans to continue doing so for the foreseeable future.

In 2000, Moriah placed first at the Nor-Cal State Freestyle Championship at the age of 9. Last year as a freshman at Live Oak, Moriah wrestled on the varsity squad, placed first at the Central Section Invitational to qualify for state, was seeded No. 1 for the girls state tournament although she did not wrestle due to a medical issue, placed fourth at the North Coast Classic and was given the most inspirational award. Just to name a few of her incredible accomplishments so far.

Moriah, the only female wrestler on the Acorns wrestling squad, was introduced to wrestling along with her younger brother by their father Robert Fernandez, who coaches the Live Oak wrestling team, when she was 8 and she has been pinning opponents ever since.

"It was awkward at first because I didn't know what to do," said Moriah. "When I first wrestled all I wrestled was boys. It didn't make me uncomfortable at all, but guys don't want to wrestle girls."

"The competition's good, it's really hard," said Moriah when asked what she liked most about wrestling. "It seems like there's more competition than other sports."

Moriah, who participated in field hockey and runs cross country, prefers freestyle wrestling to greco-roman and is good at leg attacks, which are usually her strongest move. Her favorite move is the hammer-lock.

She spends most of her time thinking, planning, training and conditioning for her wrestling match, which doesn't leave much time for anything else.

When asked about any of her other hobbies, Moriah reluctantly admitted, after Robert pointed it out, that she played the violin for about three years. She chose the violin because she liked way the instrument sounds.

"She was getting good," chimed in Robert.

"I'd rather wrestle," Moriah explained.

"I like going to the movies or the mall and hanging out with my friends," said Moriah, "But even during my free time I think about wrestling. I would like to wrestle in college and go as far as I can. I'd love to make it to the Olympics."

She would like to stay in California to attend college and said she would probably attend a school that has a women's wrestling team.

During the summer, Moriah got the opportunity to train at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista after being invited by the US Women's coach, Terry Steiner.

"It was really exciting," said Moriah. "It was a lot of fun, I spoke to some of the athletes there. They train constantly. They're really nice people, I wasn't expecting to talk to them. I didn't think I would have a chance like that."

In addition to training in Chula Vista over the summer, Moriah placed second at the California State Freestyle Championships, attended camps at Menlo College, Iowa State, Stanford and the Arizona Camp of Champions.

"I've been training at Stanford for about three or four months," said Moriah. "It a lot of fun. I get to train with more advanced kids and the coaching is real good."

This season Moriah has only been beaten by two of female wreslting's heavy hitters in the No. 1 ranked girl in the nation Lauren Knight and the No. 6 ranked female Ivy Bier. She has already faced Bier several times this season and feels she has learned from the experience.

"She (Ivy) goes out and gives it her all, doing everything she can," explained Moriah. "She is non-stop motion. But then once she is off the mat, she is like the nicest person. She's laughing and joking, she's a really nice girl. We still talk after."

In fact, according to Moriah, a lot of the female wrestlers across the state and nation are part of a close knit community because they are all going through the same thing.

To keep in shape and prepare herself to achieve her goals, Moriah follows a healthy diet all the time, lifts free weights three times per week and runs year-round.

"I enjoy the training," said Moriah. "I take it all as a part of the deal."

This season as a member of the Live Oak squad, Moriah has finished second at the Peninsula Invitational, placed first at the North Coast Women's Classic as well as the Outstanding Wrestler award and placed second at the Castro Valley Girls Classic.

When asked what she makes of all her accomplishments so far, Moriah said she's not sure what to make of it.

"I'm still kind of like, 'I can't believe I did it.' I hadn't thought about what it meant," said Moriah.

On Friday, Moriah participated in the Lady Lancer Wrestling Tournament in Manteca and came away with a second place finish, losing only to Knight. She finished 4-1 in the tournament with all her victories coming by pin. She even almost got the best of Knight, who is several years her senior.

At just 15 Moriah is already knocking on the door to becoming one of the top ten female wrestlers in the nation, it is all a matter of time before she takes over.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Dayton's Mercier finds success on the mat

By KATE ROWLAND
Of the News-Register Published: January 3, 2006

DAYTON — Growing up with five older brothers, Summer Mercier is no stranger to wrestling with the boys. So as an eight-year-old, Mercier made the decision to officially join the Dayton boys wrestling team.

"We had just moved to Dayton and the wrestling coach was on my brother, wanting him to wrestle, but he didn't want to," Mercier said. "I looked at my parents and I'm like, ‘I want to do it.' They were totally against it for a while but then they decided, ‘Why not? She wants to do it, let her do it.' And I've been wrestling ever since."

Mercier encourages other girls to join up with the wrestling team.

"It's challenging," she said. "If you want a challenge, it's the best sport to go into because it's one on one. You don't have a whole team backing you up. It's just you against the person out there on the mat.

"I was in football when I was younger. I want to compete with the boys. It's what I've always done. A lot of the times the girls are rude and try to hurt you on purpose. I get along better with guys."

Mercier still wrestles her brothers but has learned not to expect a victory over them anymore.

"We wrestled all the time when I was growing up," she said. "We still wrestle but I don't beat them now because they're humongous."

———

Dayton is accustomed to having girls on its wrestling team and coach Larry Finnicum didn't blink an eye when Mercier showed up for the team.

"We've had women wrestlers at Dayton for many, many years," he said. "So having Summer come in was really natural for us. We've had a lot of females on the team. She came up through the kids program so we knew she was coming. Coming up through the Mac Club, you see quite a few girls wrestling. A lot of them stay with it."

Finnicum said the boys on the team accept Mercier and treat her just like any other wrestler.

"Most of the boys have been around her for five or six years and they don't think, ‘She's just a girl'," he said. "They just look at her as one of the boys. She's part of the team. They don't treat her any differently."

But not all of her teammates have always looked at her as an equal member of the team, said Jon Teeter, Dayton wrestler.

"At first I thought she wouldn't really try hard and she wouldn't do very well," Teeter said. "Then once I started wrestling with her and when I saw her wrestling, I saw she could do really well. She has a lot of potential."

Finnicum added, "She fits right in with everybody else."

Mercier said her male teammates accepted her right away.

"They were fine with me trying out for the team," she said. "I've never had bad reactions from my teammates."

Her opponents sometimes react negatively to the idea of wrestling a female, however.

"Once in a great while you'll come across a male who says, ‘I will not wrestle a female'," Finnicum said. "They'll forfeit the match before they'll wrestle a girl. But that doesn't happen very often with her. We respect that. We'll say, ‘OK'."

"They try to get it over with if they're wrestling a girl," Teeter said. "But she usually beats all the boys. It's kind of humiliating to lose to a girl. She deals with it. I figure some girls have been wrestling longer than me, I'll take them on and do my best."

Zach Wegner, Dayton wrestler, added, "They just don't like idea of wrestling with a girl. It's probably what their parents taught them. Not to mess with girls."

———

The boys who choose to forfeit their matches with Mercier don't upset her too much, she said.

"It kind of makes me mad because they don't want to wrestle me because I'm a girl," she said. "It's not fair but I just ignore it. If that's what they want to do then that's their choice. I don't come across it very often."

In practice, Mercier wrestles teammates Teeter and Wegner. It's not easy finding partners for the Dayton senior because she wrestles at 103 pounds.

"It's hard to find wrestling partners for her on the team because of her weight," Finnicum said. "We don't have a lot of light-weight kids."

Mercier has learned that it isn't always easy maintaining the same weight.

"Last year I didn't weigh very much so I didn't have to take stuff out of my diet and I'd put stuff in my diet," she said. "But this year I had to take a lot of stuff out."

Mercier has set some lofty goals for herself and is working hard to achieve them. Last year she went to the state tournament and didn't win a match. This year, she wants to become the only female wrestler to win a match at state.

"I want to get at least second at districts and I want to place at state," she said. "I'll be the first girl to place at state. Or even win a match at state."

"She's doing well with her goals," Finnicum said. "She wants to go to Pacific University next year in Forest Grove and wrestle on its all-female wrestling team. She works hard. She's working hard so she can keep her goals. She's definitely improved over the years."

———

One thing Mercier's teammates and coaches agree on is that Mercier lightens the mood on the team.

"I've enjoyed being around her," Finnicum said. "She's fun to be around. We have a good time around her. She jokes around with the coaches and everyone on the team. We just have a good time."

Teeter added, "She's fun to be around. She's fun to hang out with and talk to."

Mercier said she takes things as they come and tries to lighten the mood.

"I let everything go," she said. "I don't take anything seriously. I make everything into a joke."

"She's got a boyfriend finally and we tease her about that," Finnicum added. "She's just fun to be around. The whole team travels a lot and we have a good time."

Mercier's boyfriend supports her all the way, she said.

"My boyfriend likes my wrestling," she said. "He's totally for it and wants to see me succeed."

Her parents are also big fans, she said.

"They come to the matches they can make it to," she said. "They want me to get a scholarship and go to college."

Whether she ends up wrestling in college or not, Mercier is a wrestling success story.

----------------------------------------------------

Finding Myself on the Mat

by Caitlin K., Albrightsville, PA 1/06

“Why would you want to wrestle? Weren’t you scared?” These are two of the many questions I’m asked when people find out I am the only female on my high-school wrestling team. Many comment that they would never have the guts to be a wrestler, let alone be the only girl. The fact is that once my mind is set on something, I am determined. I knew there would be those who would frown on a girl participating in “a man’s sport,” but I did not worry because I know I had made a good decision.

The idea of wrestling never occurred to me until seventh grade when I was faced with the choice of creating a dance routine or wrestling. Dancing in gym class was a little more girly than I could handle, so I chose wrestling and immediately fell in love. As it turns out, joining the wrestling team has been one of the best decisions of my life. This sport has taught me so much and given me a different perspective on many things. Participating in a male-dominated sport has actually opened doors for me.

Qualities of discipline, patience and, believe it or not, grace have resulted because of wrestling. During each season, a wrestler must deal with the pain of defeat, the frustration of overcoming injury, the challenge of maintaining weight, and the constant struggle to keep up with schoolwork while getting enough sleep. You have to keep your head on straight and priorities in order when you need to get up at 5 a.m. to run with the team, go to school, lift weights, have wrestling practice for three hours, go home to do hours of homework, sleep for (at the most) five hours, and then start all over again. One of my coaches always says, “You only get out what you put in.” This theory has been proven true in every part of my life. To excel, you need to put forth an effort worthy of those results.

A lot of my most genuine friends are teammates. Before I spent every day in a wrestling room with boys, I never realized, or appreciated, just how different the opposite sex is. I have found that boys lack the qualities that annoy me about girls. While they may not always be sensitive to feelings, they aren’t easily offended. I used to have difficulty talking to people and being comfortable with myself but watching how the guys interact helped me overcome some of my social anxiety.

Once the guys realized I wasn’t going anywhere, they accepted me as one of them. They joke and tease, but always in good fun. I am forced to have a good time, which has taught me not to be so serious and critical. They taught me that it’s okay to be myself; the worst that could happen is I will get razzed a bit. I now know when to let my guard down to have fun and when to get serious.

If I had not joined the wrestling team, I never would have gotten into weightlifting, which is mandatory for wrestlers. At first, I was skeptical, but once I got used to the equipment and saw how strong I was getting, I was addicted. Now, I lift all year round and compete as a power lifter. Weightlifting is a lifelong sport that keeps me in shape and provides me with an outlet for stress. I have made even more friends in the weight room.

I really owe a lot to wrestling. It has led me to a new group of amazing friends and helped mold me into a better, more well-rounded person. Things won’t always be easy and there will be obstacles, but if you want something, and what you know is right, you need to go for it. You’ll never get anywhere if you constantly worry about the “what ifs.” Wrestling has taught me to roll with the punches life throws you.

------------------------------------------------

Espana Dominates on Mat

By The Record, Stockton, Calif., The Record, Stockton, Calif. 12/31/05

Dec. 31--Lincoln High's Emily Espana won the 132-pound division and earned the Lady Lancer Girls Wrestling Tournament's most outstanding wrestler award by pinning all five of her opponents and improving her overall record to 19-1 at East Union High School in Manteca. Bear Creek's Kristin Campbell won the 108-pound division, finishing with a 5-0 record and four pins. Three Edison wrestlers earned medals - Romesha Bridges, third place at 138 pounds, Jahaira Carranza, fourth place at 138 pounds, and Crystal Williams, third place at 189 pounds. Earlier in the week, Espana won the Lady Viking Wrestling Invitational 132-pound division on Wednesday with a 4-0 record, pinning all four of her opponents and earning the tournament's outstanding wrestling award. Campbell won the 108-pound division with three pins and a decision.

-----------------------------------------------------

Gavit’s Garza enjoys the challenge of wrestling

By Michael Osipoff / Post-Tribune staff writer Jan. 4, 2006

HAMMOND — The people for whom she was modeling were none too pleased when she arrived at a photo shoot sporting a nasty case of mat burn underneath her eye, suffered the night before during her wrestling match.

“They were freaking out and stuff,” Dezarae Garza said. “They had to put all kinds of makeup on me.”

Yes, the Gavit freshman is a rare female in the male-dominated sport, who also models as one of the many other activities in which she participates.

Welcome to the world of Garza, part self-described tomboy, part self-described girlie girl — and all action and moxie.

Be careful to extend a challenge to her, unless you fully expect her to accept it enthusiastically.

Just ask Garza’s Gavit teammate Aaron Martinez. He and Garza were involved in some friendly trash-talking — Garza says he was daring her, Martinez counters she was bragging “she could do as much as I do.”

Either way, the result was Garza, as an eighth-grader last year, wound up on the middle school football team as a center and fullback.

“She was as good or better than a lot of the guys,” said Martinez, also a sophomore 125-pounder on the wrestling team.

The “bet” carried over into the winter, as Garza joined the wrestling team.

Though she didn’t play football this past fall, she continued wrestling, and emerged as the Gladiators’ 140-pounder

“She’s serious about the sport — she’s die-hard,” Gavit wrestling coach D.J. Silvas said.

“She’s brutal, she’s rough. She doesn’t get dainty about anything. She smacks them around like they smack her around. We’ve had some other girls in the program, but they’re not as mean.”

With her ability and attitude, her teammates have more than accepted her. Garza admits she initially was met with doubt and there was a transition period, but she quickly won them over.

“She’s a lot tougher than I thought,” said Martinez, one of her practice partners.

“We all support her. We’re never negative because she’s a hard worker.”

Silvas said Garza has the potential to be a standout in the not-too-distance future if she continues to progress and gain experience. After posting around a .500 record for the middle school team last season, she had gone 0-3 in her first three varsity matches this season, before injuring her ankle in practice the day after Thanksgiving.

“She still comes up (to practice) even though she’s hurt,” junior 215-pounder Dan Galos said.

“It’s pretty much like she’s one of the guys. We don’t treat her any differently. I have a lot of respect for her. I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do when she’s healthy.”

She had no qualms about competing against boys.

“I really don’t notice it,” said Garza, who turns 15 on Jan. 6. “I just have to get in there and do what I have to do to win and make my record better.

“I think it’s harder for a boy to wrestle me than it is for me to wrestle a boy. If I win, they don’t wanna lose to a girl in front of all their friends.”

Her mother, Anita Garza, has been very supportive. The first day Dezarae told Anita she was going to wrestle, the mother took the daughter to the store to buy the necessary gear — just as she had for football, including purchasing special shoulder pads designed for females. Anita simply made Dezarae promise that if she got hurt, she’d go to the doctor no matter what.

“I tell her to go kick their butts, have no mercy on them,” Anita Garza said. “The matches are exhilarating, they get me hyped up. Look at my child, look at my baby. I like that she’s not intimidated by males.

“My baby’s very strong and courageous. There’s nothing she can’t do.”

Anita Garza said her parents took a “go to school and come home” approach with her, which influenced the way she interacts with her three daughters, instilling in them an inquisitiveness and passion at an early age.

“If you prevent your child from trying something that they want to try within reason, they’ll resent you,” said Anita Garza, who also has 13-year-old Sabrina and 8-year-old Delilah — both are involved in several activities, but Dezarae doubted either would wrestle. “If they don’t like it, they’ll never have to do it again — you just can’t quit, you have to finish the season, because your team is relying on you. You can’t be scared. I totally encourage my kids — the only way you learn is if you try.

“Try and persevere — that’s our motto at home. Do it hard, do it strong and don’t give up.”

Dezarae’s father wasn’t as thrilled about the idea of her wrestling, but has come to terms with it.

“He doesn’t like them touching me,” said Dezarae, whose parents are divorced and whose father lives in Houston.

Anita Garza actually is less enamored of Dezarae modeling than wrestling, somewhat skeptical of that scene.

Dezarae took classes at Barbizon for a year, and has done a handful of shows in Chicago and the suburbs, including one for Guess clothing.

“It’s kinda scary,” Dezarae Garza said. “You don’t know if they (other girls) look better, or they’re doing something better.

“It’s fun right now.”

She has gotten a couple of callbacks based on the shows, and hopes to land additional jobs. But modeling is not something she necessarily wants to do long-term. She has been saving the money she has earned for college, and eventually wants to become a neurosurgeon.

“I was watching TV one night, and they were operating on a brain, and that caught my eye,” said Garza, an honor roll student.

Garza’s other interests are diverse, keeping her busy.

She is active in her church, and performs community service. She plays the flute, has taken dance classes, studied martial arts for four years and enjoys hunting, bagging her first deer — a four-point, 140-pounder — before Thanksgiving.

“I hope she encourages other girls who might be scared to put their foot out there,” Anita Garza said. “You never know who’s watching you, so that’s why you do everything the best you possibly can. You never know what kind of effect you have on people.”

Indeed, Dezarae Garza has become something of a role model for Gavit assistant coach Cesar Hernandez’s son Mario, a fourth-grader.

“He looks up to her,” said Hernandez, whose brother Vincent is a junior on the team. “She’s got a lot of heart.”

Said Anita Garza: “I think she’s awesome, she’s amazing. She’s very well-rounded, and willing to try anything and be successful. I couldn’t ask for a better daughter — three daughters, really. I’m blessed.

“We’re girls, but we’re not limited. She gets to do it all.”

--------------------------------------------------