News Page
By Heather Murtagh 6/13/06
For some high school is about making friends.
For others it’s about getting good grades.
For 18-year-old South San Francisco High School senior Maria Takapu high school was about making a difference and challenging boundaries.
In the past three years, Takapu worked to get students involved in community service, helped be a peer leader and was one of four girls on the school’s wrestling team. Even with her numerous activities Takapu still made time for academics, as she will be graduating with honors and a 3.4 GPA.
When sophomore year rolled around, Takapu wanted to get more involved with school so she decided to join the wrestling team. She didn’t do it alone, three girlfriends joined as well.
“I wanted to break down the barriers and have more females participate. It’s not just a guys sport,” she said.
But the guys weren’t too open to girls coming in. There was a bet going amongst the guys that the girls would drop after the first week.
“It just motivated us more,” she said.
The first year was conditioning. During her junior year, Takapu wrestled for the junior varsity and moved up to varsity this year. All four girls stuck it out and made it to state this year. She took home eighth place in the state this year.
That wasn’t Takapu’s only dabble in high school sports. She played volleyball during her sophomore year and ran for the cross country team the past two years.
“She’s a smart, athletic, very friendly person. She’s generous and loving and always there for you when you need it,” said her cousin 17-year-old Chuck Takapu, also a senior at South San Francisco.
Wrestling for the team wasn’t enough for Takapu, last year she joined the student government and became the person in charge of community service. She organized the blood drive, toy drive and the canned food drive.
“I really just wanted to help others. I like helping others,” she said.
In her quest to help, Takapu became a peer leader last year. This gave her a chance to meet new students, tutor students and act as a peer counselor. It also gave her the opportunity to get to know more people and staff around campus.
This fall Takapu will be attending St. Mary’s College in Moraga to study architectural engineering in hopes of becoming an architect. She hopes her skills one day will allow her to build a home for her parents.
The Tongan female comes from a big family with five sisters and two brothers. She’s number six among the eight. The transition to college will be strange without such a large family around her. Takapu doesn’t plan on pursuing wrestling in college but thinks the women’s rugby team could be in her future sophomore year.
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Tough call on Sabres’ best
JOCK TALK
Jules S. Xavier
Monday June 12, 2006
Wetaskiwin Times Advertiser — With track and field finally put to bed following provincials, WCHS Sabres coaches have met to discuss who to award male and female athlete of the year honours to during an informal ceremony in the Sabres Den, June 16.
It won’t be an easy task, said senior girls’ basketball, cross-country and track coach Chuck Hebert.
There are a handful of guys and a few girls who are worthy of the honour based on a plethora of criteria the Sabres coach will use before casting a vote for the deserving male and female.
With three zone championships in cross-country, track and senior girls’ basketball and two provincial crowns for cross-country and girls’ wrestling, the Sabres have had an excellent year in sports.
The Sabres football team, too, excelled, just missing the league championship at Norm Brown field with a loss to Sylvan Lake.
Then Beaumont came in and the Bandits wrestled a berth at provincials away from the Sabres. Close, but if there was any consolation, Cochrane spanked Beaumont in the 3A finals.
Looking at the male athletes vying for the school’s athlete of the year honour, there’s Kurt Taylor, Chris Montgomery, Tayler Ostapowich, Charles Bouchard and Jaden Ostapowich.
Among the girls, there’s Melissa Christenson and Melanie Patterson.
Does the award go to the best athlete? The most all-round athlete? The team’s MVP?
How do you differentiate between an athlete doing an individual sport like wrestling versus being part of a team on the volleyball or basketball court?
Or do you consider if the team leader, often a senior, “leads” his team to a zone or provincial crown as a measuring stick for athletic greatness, thus deserving of an athlete of the year accolade?
But since I only cast one vote for my own picks, as I do each year once track and field provincials are done, I look at other intangibles.
Like leading by example. Or playing unselfishly under pressure. The adage “there’s no ‘I’ in team” comes to mind.
Taylor is an all-round Sabres athlete. Bouchard led his team in receptions on the gridiron and did damage playing for basketball coach Rob Cross.
Tayler Ostapowich helped the track and cross-country teams, played impressively for Cross after not having any JV experience and was the league’s top football pivot.
Tough choices, but I have to lean to choosing Tayler’s twin brother, Jaden, as my male athlete of the year. Why?
He’s a provincial champion three-time over as an intermediate athlete. He won gold in cross-country last fall, helping inspire his teammates with encouragement during training or on race day. While he enjoys individual success, Jaden is there to see the Sabres win another 3A provincial banner.
Then he was provincial champion during indoor track in the winter. And this spring, despite being under the weather, he won gold and silver at the provincial track and field championships.
Looking at the girls, it comes down to Christenson, Patterson and possibly wrestler Melissa Reynolds, a provincial champion on the grappling mat.
While the two senior girls’ basketball players each contributed to a winning season for coach Hebert, it was Patterson’s play in the paint quarterbacking the Sabres that earns my vote as female athlete of the year.
A leader who leads by example, Patterson is the consummate athlete in a team game. She’s never rattled in tilts where the Sabres struggled or needed points.
She’d pull up her socks and score, not unlike NBA MVP Steve Nash, or unselfishly feed the likes of Christenson at her post position.
Patterson had a calming effect on Hebert’s team. When he finally allowed her to rest on his short bench, you’d see the difference how the Sabres played with and without her on the court.
A point guard of Patterson’s ability, determination and skill does not come along often. And to think she made the senior squad coming out of the QE Royals program.
I know Hebert will miss her when he assembles his senior squad for the 2006-07 season.
While some might disagree with my choices following the Sabres’ 2005-06 athletic campaign, I think I’ve seen enough of both athletes from the sidelines to determine my winners based on what they bring to the Sabres’ Den or out on a trail or track.
A three-time provincial champion running the distance is worthy. A basketball quarterback who plays bigger than her size is more than worthy of this sports scribes kudos.
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USGWA names The Double as its official competition uniform
6/10/06
Keeping with its tradition of advancing the sport of
female wrestling, the United States Girls Wrestling Association (USGWA)
announced that The Double, the original two-piece wrestling uniform
created by DoubleSport, will be its official competition uniform.
The USGWA’s decision follows the suit of Federation Internationale
Luttes Associees (FILA), the world governing body of international
wrestling, which recently sanctioned The Double as a uniform option for
both men and women wrestlers.
Kent Bailo, the founder of the USGWA, said that he
believes The Double will help bring the sport further into the eye of the
mainstream. “The Double is a terrific uniform. Its design addresses the
specific needs of female wrestlers and is a tremendous improvement
upon the singlet,” said Bailo. “I hope that this change will allow
people to further see the technical aspect inherent in girl’s wrestling.
This is a contemporary uniform that should also ease any
reluctance people have felt about letting women compete in wrestling.”
Last year, the USGWA held over 40 events across the
country that hosted more than 3,000 girls competing against one another.
The recent championship tournament boasted a record of 647
participants from 40 states. The 2004 U.S. Olympic team was made up of
three former USGWA champions, Sara McMann at138lbs, Tocarra Montgomery
158lbs, and Tela O’Donnell 121lbs.
Started in 1998 by Bailo, a high school and college
referee, the USGWA has continued to grow. “Girls have really progressed
in the sport. Ultimately, I would like to see the National
Federation of State High School Associations make female wrestling a legitimate
varsity level sport across the board,” Bailo continued. “Today
there are no mothers sitting in the stands that have competed as wrestlers,
but in 20 years that won’t be the case. The Double will further allow
women to enjoy all of the good things wrestling has to offer.”
President and former NCAA Division 1 wrestler, Mario
Mercado founded DoubleSport. The Double, which is available for both
male and female wrestlers, debuted last year with a number of
top-level collegiate teams across the country. In addition, The Double was
recently sanctioned as the only two-piece wrestling uniform
approved by FILA, endorsed by the National High School Coaches
Association (NHSCA), and has been worn in a number of international
tournaments. “Our intention is to keep the athletes’ needs in mind when creating
the best and most durable training and competition gear,” said Mercado.
“Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in the
world and we are proud to support both it, and organizations like the
USGWA.”
For more information on either USGWA or DoubleSport,
visit their respective websites at www.usgwa.com and
www.doublesport.net
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UT wrestling calendar released
Express News Service 6/13/06
CHANDIGARH, JUNE 13: THE Chandigarh UT Wrestling Association (CWA) announced its annual calendar on Tuesday. According to the association general secretary Darshan Lal Sharma the activities will begin with the Chandigarh Sub-Junior Boys’ State Freestyle and Greco-Roman Wrestling Championship in the last week of June.
The Chandigarh probables will be selected during the state meet. The selected wrestlers will attend a 15-day coaching camp to prepare the state team for the Sub-Junior National Wrestling Championship to be held in July. The Chandigarh sub-junior, junior and senior women’s wrestling championships will be conducted in the last week of June and probables selected during this meet will attend a coaching camp for the forthcoming National Women’s Wrestling Championship to be held in August. The association will also organise the annual cash prize function on August 15.
CWA has also decided to send its wrestlers to compete in the rural competitions to be held on the occasion of Guga Madi festival in September and October. Also, the Chandigarh Senior National Wrestling Championship will be held in the first week of December.
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