jayme gonzales represented B.C. at the 2006 North American Indigenous Games in Colorado and is looking forward to the 2008 Games in Cowichan. PHOTO submitted
News Page
Krasnoyarsk Lorisa Oorzhak wins European Freestyle Wrestling Championship
4/19/2007 4:43:46 PM
Lorisa Oorzhak won one more golden medal for Russia's team in European Freestyle, Greco-Roman and Female Wrestling Championship in Bulgaria's capital of Sofia.
Krasnoyarsk 48 kg wrestler became European champion on April 18. It took her two periods only to beat Italy's Francine De Paola. The result of the meeting was 6-2 (3-1 in technical score). Sweden's Sofia Mattson and Brigitte Wagner of Germany were third.
The Russians won medals in all the weight categories. Natalia Golts won in 55 kg category, Alyona Kartashova won the silver in up to 63 kg category, Guzel Manyurova became the bronze prize-winner in 72 kg category. So the women's national team of Russia took the first place in the overall standings.
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Time to ramp up local wrestling
Apr 18 2007
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jayme gonzales represented B.C. at the 2006 North American Indigenous Games in Colorado and is looking forward to the 2008 Games in Cowichan. PHOTO submitted |
Jayme Gonzales is ready to go to the mat to raise the profile of amateur wrestling in the Comox Valley. And there’s probably not a better person for the job.
Just back from Las Vegas – where she was the only female of 10 hand-picked B.C. wrestling coaches to attend the U.S. national championships and a coaches’ clinic – Gonzales has been volunteer coaching in the Valley for the past six years and says she is ready to take the sport here to the next level.
“There is remarkable potential in the Valley,” said Gonzales, who also coached at the 2006 North American Indigenous Games in Denver, Colorado this past summer. She said local high school up-and-comers such as 2007 provincial silver medalist Harry Campbell, 2007 provincial bronze medalist Hilary Greening and Laura Wilson, B.C.’s 2006-07 Most Outstanding wrestler, have bright futures.
“I hope to join forces with Vanier coach Ken Lees and have the support of Courtenay Middle School’s teacher-sponsor Warren Biegler and Mark Isfeld’s sponsor Mark Glenwright,” she said, adding that she wants to form a club to replace the school-sponsored system. “The program in the Valley has not had continual dedication, and I hope to raise the standards.”
Gonzales praised the efforts of the high school coaches and sponsors, and noted Courtenay Middle School principal Dave Bawtinheimer paved the way for much of the success today’s competitors are enjoying. Gonzales coached at Courtenay Middle for the past six seasons prior to joining Mark Isfeld this year.
“Wrestling was the glue that held my teenage years together and I hope to pass on my knowledge and give back to all those who dedicated their time to my provincial and national success,” Gonzales said. “I believe sports are very important in a young adult’s life, teaching them discipline, teamwork and dedication. Wrestling is a highly physical, controlled sport that can be a positive outlet for highly active kids,” Gonzales stated.
“I have witnessed several cases of success in troubled teens and with times changing, teens are faced with many un-moral distractions, and I think we all need to be aware of the benefits that sports activity holds.”
At the same time, she is aware it will take a whole lot of community, parent, and financial support to get the sport back to what it once was. “I hope so see higher female participant numbers and awareness of the sport’s importance in teens’ lives.”
With the 2008 North American Indigenous Games being held in Cowichan, and female wrestling joining the Olympics’ lineup, Gonzales said the time is right to start getting many more participants and volunteers involved in the sport.
Her ambitious plans include fundraising events. “We are in desperate need of sports equipment, including singlets, team uniforms, mat tape, boots, knee pads and head gear – which all lead to success and safety of the athlete. The future looks bright for the Valley wrestling program, we just need to keep the torchlight lit.”
Those interested in helping Gonzales out can call her at 898-8805 during the day. The wrestling season runs October through February, but Gonzales stresses that today, not tomorrow, is the time to get the ball rolling.
Gonzales enjoyed much success during her high school wrestling career, which began in Grade 7 at Lake Trail when Christoph Abele suggested she give the sport a try. Her passion and hard work translated into several years of prep success, leading up to three consecutive Island championships (1998-2000) and culminating in 2000 with provincial gold and national silver. Gonzales credits Courtenay Junior coach Richard Swanson and Vanier teacher-sponsor Sandi Malcolm with helpeng her reach the top of the high school wrestling ranks.
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Thursday, April 19, 2007
Media Culpa's PR Flop of the Day Award goes to FILA, the international wrestling federation, for naming Swedish female wrestler and bronze medalist Sofia Mattsson the most good-looking wrestler during the Europan Championship 2007 in Sofia (!), Bulgaria. We thought they were just wrestlers, not participants in beauty pageants. Kudos to Sofia and Patrik Jansson, the Swedish national team manager, who refused to accept the "Miss Europe" award.
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'Prettiest wrestler' takes bronze in Bulgaria
Published: 19th April 2007 14:46 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/7048/
Swedish wrestler Sofia Mattsson fought hard for a bronze medal at the European Wrestling Championships in Bulgaria on Wednesday.
Mattsson, already a junior world Greco-Roman wrestling champion, was understandably jubilant after a third-place finish in the 48 kilo division in her first ever championship at senior level.
"This is the biggest thing to happen in my career so far," she told Aftonbladet.
But the 17-year-old from Gällivare in the far north of Sweden refused to accept another prize - the organizers awarded her with the title Miss Europe, a prize reserved for the prettiest wrestler at the European Championships.
"This is not part of the sport. We are here to excel and win at wrestling. There are some people who compete in that other thing too but we don't do that here," said Mattsson.
Team captain Patrik Jansson was furious about the unwanted accolade.
"It's a load of rubbish! There are old codgers sitting there deciding who is the prettiest. It's terrible," he told Aftonbladet.
According to Jansson, beauty competitions are commonplace at Eastern European wrestling events.
"In Poland last year one of our girls was named Miss Warsaw Open and we just told them straight out: 'forget it!'," said Jansson.
The captain was also less than pleased with the judging in Mattsson's quarter final, which Mattsson lost to Larisa Oorzak from Russia.
"She would have taken the gold if the judging hadn't been so strange there," said Jansson.
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Beauty tag upsets Swede wrestler
SOFIA, Bulgaria April 19 (UPI) --
Sweden's Sofia Mattsson, a happy bronze medalist in the European Wrestling Championships, was an unhappy winner in another category: a beauty contest.
Mattsson, the 17-year-old junior world Greco-Roman wrestling champion, took third in the 105-pound division in her first senior level bid at the world event at Sofia, Bulgaria.
Russian Larisa Oordzahak, who beat Mattsson in the quarterfinals, won the weight-class title on the mat but Mattsson won the battle for the judges' hearts. Not that she was happy about it.
Judges named her Miss Europe, a prize reserved for the prettiest wrestler at the European Championships, The Local reported.
"This is not part of the sport," she said. "We don't do that here."
Sweden team captain Patrik Jansson told Aftonbladet: "It's a load of rubbish! There are old codgers sitting there deciding who is the prettiest. It's terrible."
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Tuvan Wrestler Lorisa Oorjak Europe's Champion!
April 18, 2007
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Tuvan female wrestler Lorisa Oorjak, 21, performing in the lightest weight category - 48 kg, brought the third gold medal to Russian national team at the European Championships in Sofia. Russian women team totalling 65 points - 4 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals - won the first place in the team competition. Second is the team of Ukraine with 50 points, third – Germany with 39.
Fresh after the last combat Lorisa Oorjak said: 'I am very exited and it was hard for me to give a meaning to what I have done. I was prepared for a gold medal despite the knee injure I had before the competition.
Due to that, I was rather cautious, but had the feeling of being superior over all my opponents here. Honestly it was rather easy for me here, but at the Worlds I am expecting much more tough combats vs. the colleagues from China and USA'.
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Zlateva takes first gold for Bulgaria at European wrestling championships
4/19/07
Bulgarian world and European wrestling 72-kg champion Stanka Zlateva pocketed the first gold medal for her motherland and her second European title on Wednesday at the European Greco-Roman, Freestyle and Women Wrestling Championships, reported BTA news agency.
In the ongoing championships in Sofia on April 17-22, Zlateva took only 47 seconds to touch down her Ukrainian opponent Svitlana Sayenko in the final of her category.
Zlateva, born on March 1, 1983, won her first world title in Guangzhou, China in 2006. Her first European gold came in Moscow in 2006, after a bronze in Varna, Bulgaria, in 2005.
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4/20/2007 2:21:00 PM
European wrestling champion Anna Polovneva of Krasnoyarsk is not going to turn to another weight category of 67 kg. She announced it at the press conference in Krasnoyarsk on April 20. According to her, participation in 67 kg weight category in European Wrestling Championship was set by the necessity for coaches to see other wrestlers in 63 kg.
Polovneva said the main reason she could not turn to another weight category so far was that it is not presented in the Olympic programme.
As Newslab reported earlier, Anna Polovneva won the gold in European Greco-Roman, Female and Freestyle Wrestling Championship in Bulgaria's capital Sofia. Krasnoyarsk female wrestler gained the victory in 67 kg, which was a non-typical weight category for her. Polovneva had competed in 63 kg.
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Wrestling with success Oak Hill senior places third at U.S. girls' nationals
By Kevin Mills , Staff Writer
Friday, April 20, 2007
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Frankie Curtis was simply looking for the lesser of two choices.
When a classmate suggested she give up football her freshman year to try wrestling, Curtis pondered the idea.
"I was thinking it couldn't be as bad as football practice," said Curtis, who had played football as a seventh- and eighth-grader. "I was like, 'Football practice is a lot harder than this.' Other than that, I probably would have gone to basketball."
It proved to be a pretty savvy career move for the Oak Hill senior. Earlier this month, Curtis placed third in her weight class at the United States Girls' Wrestling Association Nationals and was named an USGWA/Wrestling USA Magazine All-American.
"I would never have thought that going into it my freshman year," said Curtis. "There was no way I thought that was possible."
As unlikely as it seemed that a freshman rookie wrestler could become an All-American by her sennior year, it proved a reality for the determined athlete from Sabattus.
After winning the 165-pound weight class in the New Englands in late March, she and teammate Hanna Severy went to Livonia, Mich., for the nationals March 31 and April 1. The two had already reached their pinnacle, as far as they were concerned. Both were ranked nationally in the preseason and went to nationals hoping to match those rankings. Curtis was ranked eighth and Severy was 10th.
"When we first found out we were going to be in the USA Wrestling Magazine because we were ranked in the preseason, we were so ecstatic," said Curtis. "We could not believe that happened to us. Then we were like, 'We have to go to nationals now because we're ranked, and we might as well just show them.' Then to get what we got, we could not believe it. Two little girls from a small town in Maine go and get nationally ranked."
Curtis pinned her first opponent in Michigan. Her second match featured the top-seeded wrestler in her class. It was her only loss but a hard-fought battle.
"I thought I did fairly well against her," said Curtis. "I only lost by one point. I felt that I did the best I could do against that girl. She was so muscular. There was no way I was beating her."
It put Curtis in the loser's bracket, but she kept winning. Her mother, Linda, had accompanied her, and when the wins kept coming, Frankie made it clear she didn't plan on losing.
"I looked at my mom and told her there was no way I was going home and not getting third," she said. "I'm getting third, and I'm showing (Oak Hill athletic director) Mr. Fairchild that I can do it."
Curtis reached the consolation final. She was losing to Adele Kurt of Texas until the 3:39 mark. Kurt was the Texas state champion with a 33-0 record and 28 pins this year.
"I was losing pretty much the whole match, then I turned it around in the third period," said Curtis. "Within about 30 seconds of the third period, I pinned her. That's basically how all my matches go."
The victory was so swift and sudden, Curtis didn't even believe it herself.
Curtis was unaware that finishing in the top eight in her class would earn All-American honors. She'll be recognized in the May 30th issue of Wrestling USA Magazine.
Severy finished 11th in the 152-pound class.
Curtis had never considered the sport until she was urged to join by former Oak Hill wrestler Nikole Lemay, who was the first female to qualify for the Maine Class B state meet.
"I'd never even seen a wrestling match before," Curtis said.
Severy soon joined the fold and became Curtis' partner for four years.
"It was extremely tough," said Curtis. "I could not believe people actually did this. It was incredibly hard. People were so muscular, and I was just a little fat kid on the team."
Curtis said her goal was just to survive and not get herself killed that first year. No matter how hard it was, she never contemplated quitting. Instead, she got better. She steadily improved after winning one match her first year. This past season, Curtis won six competing mostly against boys. She had just one match against a female in Maine.
"If you get a girl that's fairly flexible, she's harder to pin," said Curtis. "Guys are a lot easier to pin because they're less flexible. They're less likely to get out of a move."
Most of the time her only matches with girls came at open tournaments in other states or at the New England meet. Curtis and Severy competed in 10 open tournaments during their career.
It was her first trip to the national championships. There were eight girls from Maine, and they finished 11th as a team out of 38 states.
"The other girls tournaments we'd gone to were kind of little, but there were 701 girls, I believe," said Curtis, who will join the Army after graduation in June. "We'd never seen that many girls at one place at one time. We didn't know where we were going to be seeded or what was going on."
Despite the distracting atmosphere, they were all business on the wrestling mat.
"It was kind of hard to focus, but once the wrestling started, we both were in the mindset that this was our one chance. We have to prove what we can do."
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Wrestlers show mettle in medals
Fri, April 20, 2007
By SUN MEDIA STAFF
Led by Brianne Barry's gold, the London-Western Wrestling Club finished with three medals at the Canadian cadet and juvenile wrestling championships in Whitby.
Competing in the cadet division (those born in 1991 or 1992), Barry won at 56 kilograms. In cadet boys' London-western's Steven Takahashi and Richard Belfour won silver at 46 and 54 kilograms, respectively.
Ramona Balfour was London-Western's other top-six finisher in cadet, finishing fifth in the girls' 46-kilogram division.
In juvenile, for those born in 1989 or 1990, Anne Van Den Nieuwelaar of London-Western was fourth at 65 kilograms while teammate Heather Wray was fifth at 56. As well, Sarnia Blue Water wrestlers Sarah Thwaites and Larissa Scimmi were fourth in girls' 43 and 52 kg, respectively.
The FILA cadet trials were also held in Whitby for wrestlers born from 1990-92. The winners made the Canadian team heading to the Pan-Am cadets in Panama in mid-August.
Thwaites, VanDenNieuwelaar and Takahashi were all second at their respective weights while Darby Huckle of Sarnia was second at girls' 40 kilograms.
Tomorrow, London-Western will have eight competitors at the provincial novice (8-9), kids (10-11) and bantam (12-13) championships in Sarnia.
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