News Page
5/1/07
All Tucson girls are welcome at coach Rich Ortiz's summer wrestling camp at Sabino High School, 5000 N. Bowes Road. There are three different camp sessions: June 6-8, July 7-9 and July 9-11. Arizona State University coach Thom Ortiz will be at the second camp. Information: 465-6894
Performance Training: Murray Hicks, former University of Arizona athlete, teacher and coach, is accepting athletes ages 8 through professional levels for speed, strength, flexibility, conditioning and explosive power training at The Desert Speed School. Information: 731-0276
Registration announcements are published each Tuesday. They must be received a week in advance. Include dates, times, sites and fees. Include the date to stop running the announcement. Send to Citizen Sports Department, P.O. Box 26767, Tucson, AZ 85726; fax 573-4569 or e-mail sports@tucsoncitizen.com
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Nigeria: NAWF Boss Commends Egwu
Daily Champion (Lagos)
May 2, 2007
Posted to the web May 2, 2007
Nigeria Amateur Wrestling Federation (NAWF) president Dr. Austin Edeze has commended the Ebonyi State Governor, Dr. Sam Egwu for his support towards the development of the sport in the country.
Dr. Edeze who spoke in Abakaliki on Monday at the opening ceremony of the ongoing 3rd edition of Sam Egwu National Open Championship foe male and female said that the coming of the championship three years ago has succeeded in uplifting the standard of amateur wrestling in Nigeria.
According to him, the competition has contributed immensely to the discovery of hidden talents at the grassroots.
"I'm happy to say that standard of amateur wrestling in Nigeria has improved in the past three years. I feel part of the credit must go to his Excellency, governor Sam Egwu who has continued to support the growth of the sport with the yearly sponsorship of this national championship.
Also apart from the sponsorship he supported the federation with the donation of a 32 seater Haiace bus to ensure the effective and better administration of the federation. i must say that we appreciate his gesture to the wrestling federation," he said.
While confirming that, the governor and the first chairman of the NAWF chief Bolaji Oni will be bestowed with the honour of the Grand Patron of NAWF for their positive contribution to the development of the sport in Nigeria.
Meanwhile NAWF secretary Yemi Usikaye has called on corporate organizations and sports philanthropists in the country to borrow a leaf from the Ebonyi state governor towards making Nigeria amateur wrestling pride in the world.
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Local girls wrestle in national tourney
By Seth McCauley
May 2, 2007
When it comes to sports and the Kansas Krusaders, wrestling knows no gender. However, when it is time for the Bodybar Nationals in Colorado Springs, Colo., it’s all about girl power.
For the second year in a row, the Lawrence Coyotes, also known as the Kansas Krusaders, took six girls to the Bodybar Nationals. Amanda Morris, Kayla Gore, Kelli Bruner, Shelby and Jessica Bowman, and Taylor Young all competed in the tournament, which ranges from girls in the third grade all the way to ladies at the collegiate level, and is known for having the toughest competition nationwide.
“Girls wrestling is becoming the fastest growing sport in the country,” said Jeff Morris, assistant coach for the Kansas Krusaders. “The Olympics just recognized it for global competition, and our girls can’t seem to get enough of it.”
While the trip’s main goal was for the girls to compete, there were opportunities that allowed them to go beyond and learn new things as well as be a part of the tournament. The girls took a tour of the Olympic Wrestling Training Center, located in Colorado Springs, and witnessed the day-to-day training of Olympians
“Most of the time, the girls hate doing drills,” Morris said. “But when they saw Olympic class wrestlers doing the exact same drills we do back home, I think they changed their tune.”
For the most part nationwide, girls wrestling is still in the minority stage of national recognition, but more and more girls are showing up in the schools and in the leagues with the desire to be a part of the sport. Girls like Amanda Morris play for the love of the game, despite the gender of their opponent.
“There’s really no big deal between guys and girls,” Amanda Morris, 10, said. “I like wrestling no matter who I’m up against.”
When they’re not competing on the mats, the girls can spend their time making friends nationwide. Instead of the creation of rivalry, ties are created and the girls find friends to keep in contact with when they travel back home. There is even a blog system for the girls to keep in contact and share their success with the friends they meet in the tournaments.
Most of the girls at the Kansas Krusaders are young; some of the oldest will be starting junior high next fall. These girls who are already so involved, have to better themselves as well as take their skills to higher levels. Amanda plans to compete in the boys and girls Greco-Roman championships in June.
“I’m excited,” Amanda said. “My goal this year is just to do better than I did last time.”
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Older article
Woman wrestling - Girls can be good wreslters too - wrestling news
date: 2005-07-24 21:16:21
by: Fresh Voices
Susie Levitt vs Clair Dupone; All American Games 2003
Susie Levitt, 18, of Danbury, Conn., was ranked No. 4 by the United States Girls Wrestling Association for the 2004 season. As women's wrestling gains momentum (it became an Olympic event last summer), Levitt explains why she hopes more girls will give the sport a chance..
My older brother was an All-American wrestler, and my dad became a wrestling zealot and started an elementary league. My sister and I were the only girls on the team. When I was 7, I beat every boy in the league in my weight class.
I didn't get to wrestle again until high school—I was the only girl on a team full of state champions. By then, the boys were all stronger. I have a lot of muscle, but the boys are naturally faster. In practice, I'd have to push myself as hard as I could just to keep up.
During practice my sophomore year, the team captain said to me—in front of everyone, “Why do you wrestle? You suck.” I went to the bathroom and cried. He didn't understand that I'm really good against girls, but I'm practicing with all guys and can't compete fairly. Still, a lot of guys have refused to wrestle me because they're afraid of losing. (And a few have cried when they did lose.) That's why I'm hoping more girls will come out for wrestling, so we don't have to be matched with guys. It's actually a lot harder to wrestle other girls, because we're flexible and can do lots of moves guys can't.
At first, everyone thought I was out there just to be with the boys. But I proved I was serious. I love wrestling because I'm competitive. It's a team sport, but you compete individually. And it's a great workout. People are shocked when I tell them I wrestle, because I'm so girly: I wear makeup, have long hair and curves. It shows that you don't have to be a tomboy or weird. You can just be a regular girl who wants to wrestle.
—As told to "Fresh Voices" contributor Marisa Kula
Bonus Article:
In this week's "Fresh Voices," Susie Levitt, 18, discusses why she loves wrestling and encourages other girls to give the sport a try. Below are a few facts about girls' wrestling and some online resources to learn more about this growing phenomenon:
• About 4000 girls wrestle at the high school level in the U.S. (compared to 239,000 boys), according to the USA Wrestling Association.
• High school girls' wrestling has only been sanctioned in two states: Hawaii and Texas (both since 1999).
• Until girls' wrestling teams are numerous enough to get state sanctioning, girls have to compete at informal divisions or meets instead of state tournaments—or compete against boys. In 2005, there were 17 girls who qualified for boys' high school state tournaments around the country, and six of those girls placed.
United States Girl's Wrestling Association (USGWA)
Visit the USGWA's Web site to find tournaments, see rankings and join a discussion forum.
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High School star Clodgo improves while training with the big girls at Northern Michigan
Michelle Thilges USA Wrestling
05/02/2007
Erin Clodgo was sent to the principal’s office in seventh grade after she decked a boy who threw a ball at her. The principal’s suggestion was to participate in a sport to release her excess energy.
“He was suggesting sports like basketball, soccer and field hockey. The wrestling program had just started and I decided to go to open mat,” Clodgo said.
Taking up wrestling proved to be a good choice for this Vermont native.
Clodgo now practices with the United States Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University. Unlike most of her teammates there who are college students, Clodgo is a junior in high school.
Clodgo’s grueling schedule has her waking up every morning at 5 a.m. to pack for the day and go to practice, which lasts until 7:30 a.m. From there it is a walk to Marquette High School, where she attends high school classes until 1:30 p.m.
After returning to campus, Clodgo attends her second practice of the day until 3:30. She usually goes to sports medicine after practice until 5 p.m. Yet, her day still isn’t over. She will do a cardio workout on her own after therapy. After that workout, it’s time for her homework.
“I am a gym junkie,” said Clodgo. “I love to train and workout. I would do it all day if I could. It’s not fun to wake up at 5, but I like to train. That is the fun part.”
USOEC head coach Shannyn Gillespie said it is beneficial for the 16-year-old Clodgo to be training at Northern Michigan as part of the USOEC program.
“Her strength is her physical prowess to compete and train at and above her skill level,” said Gillespie. “She is strong against her opponents who are 21 and 22-years-old and national champions. I had the opportunity to train with her at the USOEC and in Fargo. She does well competing in practice and indicated she was ready for our program.”
Clodgo agreed training with the older women is very beneficial to her career.
“The biggest advantage at being at Northern Michigan is to be 16 and training with college girls who are 20 and up. I am younger and still have room to grow,” she said.
Clodgo has also had experience training with the men’s team in middle and high school. In eighth grade, she started working out twice a day, once in the morning with the high school team, and then in the afternoon with the middle school team.
“Some of the boys on the high school team were crazy. They had some anger management issues. But there were four or five state champions. They were good wrestlers. They all picked on me and said I wouldn’t make it. That only made me stronger,” she said.
Clodgo has seen herself improve over the past year. This past weekend, she won the Body Bar FILA Cadet National Championship and the Body Bar FILA Junior National Championship in Colorado Springs. Clodgo qualified to attend the FILA Junior World Championships in Beijing, China, August 20-25.
“Besides going to Canada to compete, I have never been outside the U.S. This is big for me,” said Clodgo. “There is something new each year that I never expect that I could do.”
Clodgo won the ASICS Junior National title in 2006 and captured a silver medal at the Nordhagen Classic in Alberta, Canada last year.
Clodgo said she plans to finish her senior year of high school just as she has done her junior year at Marquette High School. Her goal is to then attend Northern Michigan as an undergraduate student and keep training. She plans to major in culinary arts, as cooking is one of her favorite activities outside of wrestling.
Missing out on two years of high school with her friends from Vermont has been hard for Clodgo, but she is making it work.
“I can’t get hung up on being homesick. I just have to let it slide. This is an opportunity of a lifetime to be training here. I do miss my friends at home, but I have improved a lot here. More than what I would have at home,” she said.
Clodgo has her eyes set on making the U.S. team for the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and then some.
“I have been talking with my coaches about after 2012. I will be 21-years-old. I will still be young,” she said.