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ONE OF TWO DOZEN FEMALES WRESTLING THIS WINTER
Just one of the guys
Home News Tribune Online 12/14/06
By GREG TUFARO STAFF WRITER
gtufaro@thnt.com
AUGUSTO F. MENEZES/Staff photographer |
One of South Brunswick High School wrestling coach Joe Dougherty's freshmen comes to the program with an impressive resume.
The list of credentials includes:
A 2006 Middlesex County Championship as a Crossroads Middle School student.
An 86-8 record with 59 pins as a seventh- and eighth-grader.
A second-place finish in the 2005 War at the Shore Nationals.
A runner-up trophy in the 2005 South Jersey State Tournament.
The talented rookie who will start at 112 pounds for the Vikings this season is Sarah Dorsay, one of approximately two dozen girls who will wrestle varsity in the Garden State this winter, according to NJSIAA statistics.
"I have coached several girls but not a girl of this caliber," Dougherty said. "She is definitely legit.
"I don't want her to have the pressure of "I'm a girl wrestling.' I want her to have the pressure of "I'm a freshman wrestling.' I don't want the added component of gender involved. Her goals are to stay focused on what she is doing, and the girl part can't come into it."
Dorsay is rated third nationally in the 114-pound weight class by the United States Girls Wrestling Association.
She has won six straight USGWA national championships and was named the USGWA national tournament's most outstanding wrestler in 2005. Dorsay is a three-time New Jersey girls state champion and won the 2006 girls state high school title as an eighth grader.
The only other New Jerseyans to be ranked nationally by the USGWA are Lakeland High School junior Louise Marlow and Northern Burlington High School senior Brandy Price.
"I go to the (national) tournament every year," Dorsay said. "A bunch of girls there are in high school and some have wrestled varsity. I don't get to talk to them as much, but it's really cool to see that there are other girls out there that are doing this. It makes me feel good."
Dougherty said he wants Dorsay to know she is not alone.
"That's what I want her to understand," he said. "Right now, around here, there really aren't too many girls that wrestle, if any. I want her to understand that she's not alone in this country or in this world. There are plenty of other girls out there doing exactly the same thing. I think it's great."
The difference between Dorsay and those other girls, however, is her potential. Dougherty refuses to place expectations on Dorsay, nor does he want the freshman to put any on herself.
"I'm looking for Sarah to be comfortable in her role as a wrestler," he said, "for her to understand that whether she's a girl or not, that she's a wrestler and that, yes, she is competitive."
Introduced to the sport by her father, Chris, a former high school wrestler who taught Sarah everything he knows, Dorsay has been wrestling since the age of 7.
Dougherty said he can't imagine what must be going through Dorsay's mind as she comes closer to wrestling her first varsity match in Saturday's Brunswick Brawl, an eight-team tournament hosted by the Vikings.
"It's hard for me to fathom what she must be going through," he said. "She's been wrestling boys her whole life. What started out as a young person, it wasn't that big of a deal. But now it's a little different. She's in high school. So, I'm sure there's a lot of things going through her mind as to how well she can compete. Like anyone else, there's probably doubts climbing in there."
Dorsay said all of the South Brunswick coaches and wrestlers, who "have been great," helped ease her transition from junior high to varsity.
"(We) have embraced Sarah fully," Dougherty said. "She is one of us. She's a wrestler."
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Wrestlers learn to fight off holiday treats
By Brian Sullivan, Berkshire Eagle Staff
Article Launched: 12/24/2006 03:02:38 AM EST
Nicole, meanwhile, watched her brother train for years. It's no wonder she is one of three girls on the Mounties' team. The diminutive 103-pounder won her first match last week an was beaming as she spoke about it.
The commitment is to her sport, she said. With that in mind, she is also going to watch her weight closely. Nicole does not want to move up to the 112-pound class.
"The girls on the team talk about food and weight," she said. "You try to find ways to keep your mind off food. I think we all have our own strategy. But during the holidays it can be overwhelming. There's so much food around, no matter where you go."
Tony was waiting at the bus stop with his daughter recently when a truck went by that had a big chocolate doughnut painted on the side. He said Nicole rolled her eyes in frustration.
"It's hard," Tony said, "to get away from it."
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Female wrestling page ( In German but worth the look )
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WMS Christmas Wrestling Tournament video
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HHS girls take team wrestling title
By The Daily World staff
Saturday, December 23, 2006 12:58 AM PST
MOSES LAKE — Hoquiam’s girls wrestling team picked up three weight-class championships and one second-place finish as the Grizzlies won the team title for the second year in a row at the Moses Lake Hall of Fame 2006 Girls Wrestling Invitational on Friday.
Hoquiam fielded 20 wrestlers at the meet, the largest contingent there, and doubled up Mary Walker for the team title with 259 points. Mary Walker took second at 126 points.
Three champs
Tess Grannemann, at 103 pounds; Kelsey Klein, at 125; and Alex White, at 135; won individual championships, with Kylie Wilson taking second at heavyweight after dropping out of the title match with a knee injury.
Grannemann pinned Burlington-Edison’s Katie Ortiz at 5 minutes, 5 seconds for the title, while White also won by pin, at 3:30, over Chewelah’s Rebecca Johnstone. Klein, a first-year wrestler in only her second tournament, edged Ann Thomas, of Lake Roosevelt, 11-7, for the win.
“Overall, the tournament was well run; there were 65 girls here, the largest girls tournament we’ve been to this year and we won the team title again,” HHS coach Kirk Hartzell said.
“Alex White dominated everyone in her weight class. It wasn’t even close there. She was physically aggressive and didn’t allow anyone to get a chance on her. Tess wrestled very well and Kelsey Klein really showed a lot of improvement. In her first meet, she lost to (Thomas) and she came back here and got her.”
Hartzell also praised assistant coach Todd Hoiness, who took over head coaching duties for the girls at the tournament, for his work.
On Dec. 30, the Hoquiam boys will take to the mat at the Vashon Island Tournament.
Moses Lake Hall of Fame 2006 Girls Invitational
At Moses Lake High School
Team: Hoquiam 259, Mary Walker 126, Sedro-Wooley 115, Burlington-Edison 114, Kelso 86, Chewelah 60, Lake Roosevelt 33, Central Valley 25, Warden 18, Moses Lake 3.
103 — Pool: Tess Granneman, first; Diana Selvidge, second. Championship: Grannemann pinned Katie Ortiz, B-E, 5:05
112 — Pool: Kyra Butler, second; Kelsey Sund, third; Kelsea Williams, fourth.
119 — Pool: Juline Girts, second; Crystal Greer, third.
125 — Pool: Kelsey Klein, first; Marissa Aube, second. Championship: Klein dec. Ann Thomas, LR, 11-7, 1st.
130 — Pool: Alyssa Lee, second.
135 — Poole: Alex White, first. Championship: White def. Rebecca Johnstone, Chew, 3:30.
145 — Pool: Lexi Taylor, second.
160 — Pool: Whitney McCormick, third.
HWY — Pool: Kylie Wilson, second; Teri Norris, third; Leanne Boone, fourth.