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Puyallup wrestler could become first girl state champ
By Sandy Ringer
Seattle Times staff reporter 2/16/06
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PUYALLUP — Whitney Conder prefers to leave gender out of it.
The Puyallup High School senior would rather be thought of as simply a wrestler, not a female wrestler.
"That's the way I'd like it," Conder said.
Like it or not, the moniker goes with the territory. After all, Whitney Conder is a female wrestler, and a very fine one. She has a legitimate shot at becoming the first girl in Washington history to win a state high-school wrestling championship this weekend at Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome.
"I've thought about it," Conder acknowledged earlier this week. "You can't lie and say you haven't thought about it, because pretty much everyone out there wants to win a state title. It's pretty much everyone's goal in life in one sport or another to win a state title. You just have to go out there and try to make it happen. Pretty much anyone can do it."
Anyone who has endured countless hours on the mat and in the weight room and endless miles of roadwork as Conder has.
"She's a very hard worker," Puyallup coach Brian Bartelson said. "She has really strived toward her goal. ... She's a great wrestler, gender aside."
Conder is making a habit of making history. Last year, she had the highest finish by a girl at state, placing sixth at 103 pounds at the Class 4A tournament. Last Saturday, she was the first to win a regional title, earning the Region II title. She pinned sophomore teammate David Morrow in the championship match to improve her season record to 30-5.
Morrow, her daily training partner, credits Conder, a team captain, for helping him qualify for state.
"She taught me everything," he said. "Everything I'm doing right now came from her training."
Just as Conder learned everything from her father and two older brothers. Dustin and Nate both wrestled at Rogers High School in Puyallup. Father Monte wrestled in high school and college and is a wrestling official who still coaches her.
"My brothers used to wrestle me all the time," said Whitney, who also has two older sisters, neither of whom wrestled. "They used to love to do moves on me, just to make me tougher. I loved it. I thought it was really fun."
She joined a wrestling club at age 8, and two years later her father started the Puyallup Falcons.
Sharon Conder, Whitney's mother, wasn't thrilled at first, but figured her daughter would lose interest.
"I said yes, thinking she wouldn't stick with it," Sharon said. "I should have known better. It hasn't been easy, because the boys get stronger when they get older, but she has been willing to put forth a lot of hard work. It's given her a lot of focus and goals in life."
Hard work isn't all Whitney Conder has had to endure. Boys sometimes refused to wrestle her, and her mother sometimes overheard stinging comments from the crowd.
She still remembers what a father told his son before a match with Whitney.
"I'll give you $5 if you beat her, $10 if you pin her and $20 if you make her cry," he said.
Sharon didn't say a word.
"Whitney went out there and pinned him and the boy started crying," Sharon Conder said. "I turned to the man and said, 'I'll take that $20, because my daughter just made your son cry.' "
These days, it surprises no one when Whitney wins. Until last year, no girl had won more than one match at state. The same day that Whitney finished sixth, freshman Megan Martin of Willapa Valley placed eighth at 103 at the Class 1A/B tournament. Martin did not qualify for this year's tournament, failing to make weight at 103 at regionals.
Sophomore Camie Yeik from Olympic of Silverdale is the only other female in this year's Mat Classic. She also wrestles at 103 in the 4A tournament, but is in the opposite half of the bracket from Conder. They are believed to be two of 17 girls nationally who qualified for boys state wrestling tournaments this year and hope to follow the lead of Alaska's Michaela Hutchison, who recently became the first girl to win a state title.
Conder, 17, has aspirations of wrestling in the Olympics and hopes to be invited to live at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., this summer.
Away from the mats, Conder is like many other teenage girls. After winning her regional title last Saturday, she and a date attended a high-school dance. She is active in the Mormon church, and wears a dress to Sunday services. Come Monday, however, she often dons a sweatshirt for school.
But wrestling leaves little time for a social life.
"It's my passion," Conder said of the sport. "It's the love of my life, other than God and my family."
Like every other wrestler at Mat Classic, she would love to win a state title. Conder is the top-seeded 4A wrestler at 103 pounds, adding further pressure. She's hopeful but realistic.
"I'm just hoping to place better than I did last year," she said. "Things don't always go your way. You train hard and work hard for it, and it can happen. Anything can happen."
Whitney Conder already has proven that.
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Puyallup wrestler aims to be first girl to win state title
By MICHAEL MCLAUGHLIN
P-I REPORTER 1/16/06
Like most sophomores, David Marrow was nervous when he had his first date with senior Whitney Conder.
It wasn't a traditional date -- it was wrestling practice at Puyallup High School.
Marrow had heard plenty about Conder, one of the top 103-pound wrestlers in the state, who placed sixth at the 4A state tournament last season.
It didn't take long for him to realize she was the real deal.
"She outscored me with ease," Marrow said. "She could have pinned me at will, but it was the first of many lessons with Whitney. She's taught me more this season than I knew in all the time I wrestled before meeting her."
Other wrestlers are getting the message, too. Saturday, Conder became the first female wrestler in state history to win a district title, and Friday will begin her quest for a Class 4A state title at Mat Classic XVIII at the Tacoma Dome.
Condor is 33-5 this season and hasn't lost to an in-state 4A opponent. Preseason, she was ranked No. 2 in the nation at 105 by the United States Girls Wrestling Association.
Four wins without a loss this weekend and she becomes the state's first female wrestling champion.
She has a legitimate shot.
Brent Barnes, head coach at Lake Stevens and a member of USA Wrestling's national coaching pool, says Conder could make the U.S. junior world women's team he'll coach.
"Whitney is a real competitor," Barnes said. "She's not a sideshow, she's an athlete. She's just as motivated to succeed as anyone. We're seeing more and more girls come out to wrestle, and having it as an Olympic sport can only help."
Wrestling is in Conder's genes. She has two brothers who wrestled at Rogers High School. Her father wrestled in college and has been a constant source of knowledge.
At age 8, she resisted her mother's pleas and began competing in the sport.
It seemed to come naturally.
"I loved it right away," Conder said. "It was great to finally wrestle kids my own size and age after getting pounded by my brothers."
Puyallup coach Bryan Bartelson refers to her as a one-person public relations firm for Puyallup wrestling. She represents the team when she travels to out-of-state meets and is a varsity co-captain.
"Whitney is very knowledgeable and a great mat technician," Bartelson said. "She is very outgoing and goes out of her way to help anybody on the team. She's a great role model. In fact, my daughters are always saying they want to be like Whitney."
Conder's dream expands beyond high school competition.
"My sights are on Colorado Springs," she said, referring to the U.S. Olympic Training Center. "I want to be part of USA Wrestling. The Olympics ... I'd like that."
She's already qualified for OTC consideration, and has a full scholarship offer from Northern Michigan University.
Condor's voice trails off when talking about the Olympics. She does the same when asked if she'll win the 4A 103-pound title.
She refuses to take anything for granted.
"There's a lot of tough kids out there," she said. "This sport can be so mental and anything can happen at state. Every year you see guys predicted to place, then they go out, lose, and can't recover from that negative frame of mind. My goal is to stay focused on each match and improve from last year's sixth-place finish."
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Wrestler proves herself
She gains acceptance - and state berth
BY RYAN ERNST | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER 2/16/06
 The Enquirer/patrick ReddyPriscilla Brownfield has posted a 39-15 record this season while wrestling on the Campbell County varsity team at 103 pounds.
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There was a time when Loretta Cammack picked her daughter up from wrestling practice every day. And every day the 14-year-old would plop into the car and burst into tears.
Maybe one of the older boys had purposely slammed her into the wall. Maybe they had come up with a new nickname with which to mock her. Maybe they had just told her, in no uncertain terms, that she just wasn't welcome.
"That was bad. That was really bad. Every day," said Cammack. "The first thing you want to tell her is quit. But you can't tell her to quit. I told her that if she quit, they'd win. She had to fight harder and get tougher, and that's what she did."
Cammack's daughter, Campbell County senior wrestler Priscilla Brownfield, didn't quit. And today she'll become the first female to wrestle in the Kentucky state tournament's 43-year history.
Brownfield qualified for state over the weekend by finishing third in the 103-pound weight class of the Sixth Region tournament.
"This has always been my dream since I started," said Brownfield.
She got started in the sport in the seventh grade, after years of watching younger brother Thomas wrestle. She had tried basketball; but at 4 feet 9, she didn't have much of a future in the sport. She tried cheerleading - it wasn't physical enough. She tried softball - it was too slow. She tried soccer - it was too boring.
"Wrestling was just fun," she said.
It was fun, in middle school. Campbell County coach Mike Bankemper said although there are usually one or two girls in the Camels' youth program, very few make the transition to high school wrestling.
"There's a big difference between wrestling a middle school boy and a high school kid," Bankemper said. "... I think a lot of people thought she was just going to make it through that year and that'd be it."
Brownfield was the first girl wrestler in Campbell County history to make it past her freshman year, but it wasn't easy.
As a freshman, she dealt with being a social outcast in the Camels' wrestling room. As a sophomore, she tore a ligament in her elbow, which gave her a respite from the abuse at practice but got her no closer to her goal.
"That's when I realized I had to stick with it," Brownfield said. "That's what I wanted to do. I was prepared to cry all through high school, if that's what it took."
As a junior, Brownfield wrestled half a varsity season. She split time at 103 with middle-schooler Korey Shotwell. The two held wrestle-offs all season, each winning and losing the 103-pound spot. But by the time regionals rolled around, Shotwell had secured the right to represent Campbell County.
Shotwell moved up in weight this year season, leaving the 103-pound spot for Brownfield. She has battled through another elbow injury to post a 39-15 record.
And for Brownfield, wrestling is fun again - no more tears.
"The kids just finally accepted her as another wrestler, and I think this year they began to realize that she could help the team out," Bankemper said. "That made it easier for them to accept her."
Said senior 160-pounder Jacob Hildreth: "She's been wrestling with a lot of us since the seventh grade. The seniors, when she came up, gave her a hard time.
"We still give her a hard time now, but it's different. We've come to respect her because she's a part of the team, and she's a valuable part of the team."
Brownfield's current teammates consider her to be no different than any boy on the team. They cut her no slack on or off the mat.
"Actually, I'm a little upset with her," 152-pounder Thomas Brownfield said after his sister took third at the regional tournament to qualify for state. " She gave away one match on a late takedown. I know she can do better than that."
Brownfield said she plans to do better at state. She said she likes her draw for the tournament. Bankemper said she could place in the top eight.
But Brownfield, who undoubtedly will be one of the most watched wrestlers in Frankfort today, has only one place in mind.
"I don't want anyone to make a big deal about me just being a girl in wrestling," she said. "I felt like I wanted to earn any kind of recognition. I don't even think I've really earned it yet. I got third in the region. So what? That's not that good. Until I get first in the state, I won't feel like I've earned it."
The state tournament begins at noon today at the Frankfort Convention Center. Brownfield will wrestle in the tournament's seventh match, with all eyes on her.
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Camel first female wrestler at state
BY JAMES WEBER | COMMUNITY RECORDER SPORTS EDITOR 2/16/06
AMES WEBER/COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF Campbell County senior Priscilla Brownfield wrestles Steve Supe of Scott to earn a berth in this week's state meet."It's a very overwhelming feeling. The coaches push me every day. My teammates push me real hard."
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INDEPENDENCE -- It was a typical regional wrestling meet for Campbell County High School in many ways. Eleven state qualifiers, two regional champions, and contending for the team title down the stretch.
But it was anything but typical for one of their wrestlers during the Region 6 meet Saturday at Simon Kenton.
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On the floor of a school whose team is nicknamed the Pioneers, the Camels had a pioneer of their own, as senior Priscilla Brownfield became the first female to qualify for the Kentucky state wrestling meet.
Brownfield finished in third place in the 103-pound bracket to qualify for the state meet, which begins Thursday in Frankfort.
"It's a very overwhelming feeling," she said. "The coaches push me every day. My teammates push me real hard."
It's far from a victory by default, as she goes into the state meet with a 39-15 record.
"She's a little bit more mature physically this year," said Campbell County head coach Mike Bankemper. "She has that senior mindset, she's not as hesitant as she was last year. Technically, she's very sound."
Brownfield, who stands 4-foot-9 and was seeded fourth going in, beat Brandon Wren of Holmes by pin in the first round, then lost 2-0 to Casey Chitwood of Ryle in the semifinals.
Facing Steve Supe of Scott in the consolation bracket to determine who would go to state, Brownfield won, 3-2. Then, she knocked off Robbie Vaughn of Simon Kenton in the third-place match, 5-3.
Brownfield will face D.C. Evans of Whitley County, the Region 8 runner-up and the 11th-ranked wrestler in the state, in the first round Thursday. Winning the third-place match helped her a lot, as otherwise she would be facing the state's top-ranked wrestler in the opening match.
"I think I can place, and my coach believes so," she said. "We definitely believe I can place. A lot of my losses have been in this region."
Brownfield started wrestling in seventh grade. She was brought into wrestling by her younger brother, Thomas, who also qualified for state Saturday. Thomas was already wrestling for several years when his sister joined in.
"I'd tried every other sport and they didn't work out," she said. "He said 'You should come out and try it.' I won first place in an AAU tournament and said 'This is cool. I should stay in it.'"
Brownfield has overcome torn ligaments in both elbows during her high school career. The first one took away her sophomore season, and she wrestled part-time varsity as a junior. She injured her right elbow earlier this season and has had it taped up this season.
The injury didn't stop her from having a successful full varsity season, and it's not in her way as she pursues a collegiate for the women's wrestling team at Kentucky's University of the Cumberlands.
While she knows she'll get attention in Frankfort for her uniqueness, Brownfield just focuses on wrestling.
"I don't want all the eyes on me. I'd rather be in the corner wrestling," she said. "I don't do it just for publicity. I've always been doing it, this is what I do. When I got to high school, people were telling me I should quit. But I realized this was my dream, and I still love it."
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Sauer no longer a novelty wrestler
By Neil H. Devlin 2/16/06
Denver Post Staff Writer
Golden - Daddy's little girl?
Of course, Golden High School's Brooke Sauer is all that and more.
The senior has a 3.27 grade-point average, is student body president and is a mentor in a program that addresses violence at school. She captained the volleyball team in the fall. And, if you must know, it's less likely she will offer something such as "Ooh, ick!" than, say, "Stick him!"
Why? Sauer is the first female wrestler to qualify for the Colorado wrestling tournament that begins today at the Pepsi Center.
No need to preface wrestler with the words girl or female when addressing her. It's cool she's the one, she said, but it won't help her tonight at 7:15, when she takes the mat like any other previous Colorado competitor in 71 years. Yet she will be the most different, novel and scrutinized - and it will grow if she progresses through the bracketing.
"It was my goal last year, too," said Sauer, a senior. "It was to be a wrestler who got to state. I'm just like any other wrestler (who qualified). Being a girl was just a bonus."
And what a bonus it is for the daughter of Dave Sauer, the school's wrestling coach, who was a state qualifier for the Demons from 1975-77. The younger Sauer, who is simply doing what she chooses and loves, has managed to cause quite a stir at the largest annual gathering on the prep calendar, one exclusively dominated by tough guys who now have to make way and move over for the charter member of the female qualifiers club.
A 5-foot-2, 103-pounder, Sauer advanced through consolation rounds in the past weekend's regional rounds in Grand Junction and, yes, it was as sweet as you can imagine.
"I would have been happy if any girl had made it," Dave Sauer said. "As long as they were in it for the right reasons, I would have been happy. But because it's (Brooke), it's special."
Consider some of the annual emotions, antics and sights of the tournament. Victory. Defeat. Pins. Technical falls. Superior decisions. Overtime. Referee's decision. Shaking hands. Injury. Blood on the mat. Having your arm raised after winning. Ending the season on a positive or negative note. Competing. Making weight. Marching in with the parade of champions. Being introduced. Jubilation. Dejection. Joining five others on the podium as placers. Performing in front of family, fans and maybe more than 17,000 people on finals night.
Brooke Sauer not only has the opportunity to join the fun, but has modified it already with the possibility of it getting better.
For instance, having been one of the few in-state schoolgirls to win a wrestling match against a schoolboy, is there a move to freeze out Sauer? Or is she being treated like the NFL's Green Bay Packers in the first Super Bowl, as in don't lose to Kansas City of the old AFL or all is lost? She can't win a state match, too, can she?
There's the fragile male ego thing. What young man, previously worried about losing to a girl in the first place, wants to say he was eliminated from the tournament by a - gulp! - girl?
Sauer, who said she struggles to make weight just as boys do, is well-versed and experienced in "the gender thing," according to her father.
There have been minor incidents, subtle ones, too, such as grudgingly acknowledging her accomplishments, but nothing that has made her blink.
She has furthered the notion that wrestling is for everybody who wants to pay the price. Sauer is well beyond sideshow, with the numbers to back it up. She was 4-20 as a sophomore, 19-21 as a junior. This season, Sauer is 26-12. Never mind she's a lightweight who owns more victories than only four others in her 16-person bracket.
Most qualifiers for the wrestling tournament don't get there by luck.
"It has been at every end of the spectrum, everything from being respected to the exact opposite; they could care less or say that I don't belong out there," Sauer said. "For the most part, the guys, win or lose, it doesn't matter. I've earned their respect as a wrestler, not someone trying to make a statement."
Sauer, who accompanied her father to countless practices as a youth, picked it up in middle school and stayed with it, is guaranteed two matches. She'll open against Pueblo South's Jeremy Aguero in a field devoid of placers from 2005.
As is the usual case for 103, there are five freshmen and four sophomores. She is the only senior.
A victory tonight would put her in Friday afternoon's quarterfinals; a loss sends her to the consolation rounds. In her wildest dreams, she would make the semifinals Friday night, then march in with 111 other finalists Saturday night.
Stranger things have happened.
"It's another tournament," Sauer said. "Before, I would have been happy to make it to state, but it's not really enough anymore. I don't want to go two and out. I want to prove I earned my spot."
An aspiring health sciences student who also wrestles competitively in the offseason and can bench press her body weight, Sauer wouldn't mind joining Michaela Hutchison of Alaska, who earlier this month became the nation's only girls wrestling state champion in a sport dominated by boys.
Sauer has applied to Colorado State, but doesn't know if wrestling will remain in her long-term future.
Remember: Her being here isn't a victory for females everywhere. She's doing something she loves.
"I'll definitely do the offseason freestyle this summer," she said. "But I really don't know ... I've been playing with the idea of going to the Olympic Training Center. I'm kind of open right now.
"I'd be able to live without it."
The Enquirer/patrick Reddy