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STUCK on mainland

It was a scene repeated at Mainland airports where ATA flies, most of them on the West Coast.

Two parents flying with five members of the Kahuku High School girls' wrestling team had to come up with $3,500 for new tickets home on Hawaiian Airlines when the girls found themselves stuck in Las Vegas yesterday on their way back from a tournament in Minneapolis.

The team would have made it home Wednesday as scheduled, but their ATA plane broke down, forcing them to stay overnight.

They awoke to the news that ATA had shut down.

"They're finally on their way back on Hawaiian Airlines," wrestling coach Reggie Torres said yesterday. "It'll cost them a little over $500 apiece. The dads came up with the extra money and a parent back home is trying to get donations to get them reimbursed."

The good news is that each of the girls will return with a wrestling medal, Torres said.

But three boys from Kahuku and one from Kailua are in the same situation in Reno, along with Torres and another parent.

They will have to pay another $280 per person to fly home on Delta Airlines when their wrestling tournament concludes Sunday.

"If we can't get reimbursed from ATA or the travel agent, we're going to have to pay an extra $280 each," Torres said.

Kimberlie Gamino, who ran Camp Taylor Inc. for children with serious heart problems in Mokule'ia this summer, paid more than $9,000 for now-worthless ATA tickets for 26 mentors and medical staff to fly from Oakland to Honolulu in June.

The good news is that Camp Taylor had yet to make its final installment payment for the ATA tickets. The bad news is that Gamino estimates tickets for alternative flights will cost another $17,000 — money the group doesn't have.

And the price of tickets is certain to rise as summer approaches and airline prices jump.

"I can't contact ATA, nobody can," Gamino said. "You just get their recorded message, same as everybody else. Maybe in three years we'll get a penny on the dollar for the value of the tickets."

Canada

New York

Dix Hills girl, 9, goes to the mat for wrestling title

Kayla Brown, 9, poses next to her first place wrestling plaque in her home in Dix Hills (Newsday / Ana P. Gutierrez)

BY BARBARA BARKER |barbara.barker@newsday.com

8:38 AM EDT, April 4, 2008

Kayla, according to Fiorvanti, was one of only two girls competing in the youth state championship that featured approximately 700 children and was sanctioned by USA Wrestling. No formal records are kept, so it is not known how many girls have won New York State titles.

Since women's wrestling became an Olympic sport in 2004, more and more girls have become interested in the sport. According to the National Federation of High School Associations, 5,048 girls competed on high school teams last season -- up from only 217 participants just 10 years ago.

Though there are some all-girls high school wrestling teams -- almost all are in Texas and Hawaii, with a few in California -- on the pre-high school level, girls' teams are virtually nonexistent. That means girls like Kayla who are interested in the sport must practice and compete with boys.

Since the whole point of wrestling is physical contact, it can be disconcerting for spectators to see boys and girls trying to flip, pin and straddle each other. And the process of breaking into a team that has no other girls can be intimidating.

"At first, I was against the whole idea," says Tara Ryan, Kayla's mother. "I kept saying what about dance? What about cheerleading? I seriously didn't even think they'd let her sign up."

Kayla told her parents she wanted to join the Commack team three years ago when her brother, Nicholas, 10, brought home a flier from school. Nicholas wrestled one year and then quit. Kayla stuck with the program and finished this year's season, her third, with a 15-2 record.

"Wrestling is fun, and I get to be with my friends," she said with a shrug when asked what in particular about the sport appealed to her.

Kayla's stepfather, Brendan Ryan, had competed in wrestling at Kings Park High School and has become her biggest fan. He said the key to Kayla's success is that her teammates and coaches have accepted and encouraged her from the start.

At 4-foot-7, 116 pounds, Kayla is a big girl -- she competes in the 120-pound division -- so in dual meets she often finds herself matched against boys who are two and three years older because she outweighs most of the boys in her age group. While her teammates have been supportive and respectful, the same cannot be said of some of her opponents.

Often, says her mother, boys from other teams will roll their eyes and snicker when they first see they have drawn "the girl." That quickly changes once the match begins.

"She's very strong and very aggressive, and she likes to go for the headlock," Fiorvanti said. "When you have someone beating on your head, it's pretty intimidating. She intimidates the boys, which is pretty unique."

So is the reaction she gets from some of her opponents' parents.

"Some of the mothers get very upset," Tara Ryan said. "After Kayla beat one boy, his mother actually came up and started yelling 'What kind of mother are you?' '"

Tara Ryan believes she is the kind of mother who has learned you need to let children follow their own dreams even though you may not initially understand them.

Said Brendan Ryan: "Wrestling has helped Kayla in school. It's taught her about discipline and goals and confidence. We tried to talk her out of it, but now we see it's the best thing that could have happened to her... . she's happy."

Michigan

Girl wrestlers win national titles

Goodrich's C.C. Weber and Kristi Garr both captured titles at Saturday's United States Girls Wrestling Association National Tournament at Livonia Churchill High School.

Weber, a junior and two-time state qualifier, edged Tiffany Sluik of Mason City, Iowa, 2-1 in the 108-pound championship match. Weber owns a 104-29 high school record.

Garr, a sophomore and regional qualifier, knocked off Paige Nemec of Mantua, Ohio, 3-1 in the 98-pound final. Garr was 23-19 last season. Nemec was 26-8 for Crestwood High School. 

Maine

It was a really amazing experience. Seeing girls wrestle at such a different level was great. When I first got there I was pretty nervous. I wasn't sure of what to expect.

Logan Rich

My first match was a disappointment for me. I wrestled Jackie Citriglia from Ohio. I was doing really well, beating the girl 6-0 and she rolled me in the second period and pinned me.

Luckily, I won my next match by pin against Amber Green from Michigan, which moved me on to the second day of wrestling. I got to wrestle the girl from Ohio (Citriglia) once again, and this time I pinned her in the beginning of the second period.

Throughout the day things just seemed to get better. I wrestled Kelly Cosgrove from North Carolina and pinned her at the end of the third period.

My next match was to make it to third and fourth place. I wrestled Brazel Marquez from California and beat her 6-2. My final match I competed for third and fourth place against Angie Mayes. I was dominating her, and the ref called a pin, but they complained that time was out. I wasn't worried, but she did a Peterson roll from the bottom and pinned me.

Kentucky

She made history wrestling against boys, and now she's continuing to add to the successful post-graduation history of the Campbell County wrestling program.

Priscilla Brownfield, a 2006 graduate, finished fourth in the 97-pound weight class at the Women's College Wrestling Association Freestyle National Championships last month in Oklahoma.

Brownfield, a sophomore at the University of the Cumberlands, helped her school to the team championship, winning by a point over host Oklahoma City University. Cumberlands is an NAIA school, and the tourney featured several schools from the NCAA, including Division I Arizona State.

She is the latest of several Camels to succeed at the college level, but doing this well, this soon was a surprise to her. Brownfield was second string in her weight class this season and participated in several meets, but she didn't think she would be one of the wrestlers going to nationals. So when her coach invited her to compete, she was shocked.

"It's pretty amazing," she said. "I didn't think I would have the opportunity to go to nationals. I didn't think I would be ready for it."

Brownfield earned All-American status and will be at two national meets later this month, the University Nationals and Senior Nationals. Either could be the first of several steps in qualifying for this summer's Olympics if she does well enough. Women's wrestling will be a sport in Beijing, and Brownfield wants to get there.

"I just want to go out there and be the best I can be," she said. "I want everybody to know who I am and what I can do."

Brownfield has been known since 2006, when she became the first female to qualify for the KHSAA state wrestling meet. She won three matches at the 103-pound weight class but fell one match short of earning a top-eight medal. She had a 42-17 record that year.

She said she's still disappointed she didn't get the medal but is proud her name is part of history. She has been to the state meet the past two years to root on the current Camels, including her younger brother Thomas, who medalled this year.

"I like the competition and being aggressive, giving it my all," she said. "It's just me and the other person on the mat. I enjoy winning and helping us win team medals."

Brownfield, a special education major, said there is are noticeable differences in competing with females versus males.

"The competition is much different," she said. "With guys, it's more competitive. The way the women wrestle is much different than guys. We do more lower body and they do upper body."

USA

Washington

Miller Retires As Men's & Women's Wrestling Coach

Summary:

The sixth-year Pacific head coach will retire and enter private business after a 17-year career that includes stops at the Division I and Division III levels

FOREST GROVE - After six years leading the Pacific men's and women's wrestling programs, Head Coach Scott Miller has announced that he is retiring from coaching.

Miller said that he plans to leave the mat after 17 years as a head coach at the Division I and Division III levels to enter private business in Spokane, Wash. Miller and his wife, Patti, are both natives of the Inland Empire region.

Miller said that the rigors of coaching two programs at one time has limited the time that he would like to spend with his family, which was a contributing factor to his decision. "I'm worn out," Miller said. "We have two programs and they have taken all of my time. It's really two years jammed into one.

"I still like coaching," Miller added. "I could very easily coach again next year, but I think if I leave now it gives a new coach some good people to work with."

Pacific Director of Athletics Ken Schumann praised Miller for his work with both the men's and women's programs over the last six years. "Scott has been a great member of our team for the past six years and, in addition to being a valued colleague, has done a tremendous job with our student-athletes in our wrestling programs."

Pacific was Miller's first Division III coaching position after 12 years coaching Division I programs. In six seasons, Miller coached the Boxers' men to a 33-37 record, capped by a 9-9 mark in 2004-05 and a 5-5 record this year. Miller mentored a number of wrestlers with 100 or more wins in their career, including Mick Davis, Garret Miyake and Kevin Spangler. This season, Miller coached 184-pounder Nick Locke to a 31-15 record.

On the women's side, Miller continued the process of growing the Pacific program into a larger and more formidable program. Miller led Pacific to a national tournament runner-up finish in 2004-05 and has coached 34 All-Americans.

This year, Miller made a bold move in becoming one of the first collegiate women's wrestling programs to join the National Collegiate Wrestling Association's (NCWA) women's division. The Boxers made a splash in the NCWA's first national tournament, finishing in second place while changing from freestyle to collegiate style wrestling.

Miller said he is satisfied with where he is leaving the Pacific programs. "I would have liked to have won the women's nationals, but we gave it a good run, and I liked how our men seemed to have turned it around this year," Miller said. "I think the pieces are there and, with a little development, we will be on top. I think good things are happening here and I think it just needs someone with a little more energy."

Prior to arriving at Pacific, Miller spent three years as head coach at Syracuse University, where he mentored the Orange in the final years of the school's varsity program. He also spent eight seasons as head coach at Campbell University in North Carolina and one year as the interim head coach at his alma mater, Eastern Washington.

Miller said he will continue to be involved in wrestling. He plans to work with NCWA in an advisory role, helping to start more women's programs in the northwest.

A search committee has been formed to find a new head coach for the Pacific men's and women's wrestling programs. Interested individuals should forward their resume to Ken Schumann, Director of Athletics, Pacific University, UC Box A-154, 2043 College Way, Forest Grove, OR 97116.

INDIANA

India

Naga wrestling championship culminates

Arizona

On March 21-23, Parker resident Reni Gallan placed first among girls in her class at the Rocky Mountain National Wrestling Tournament in Denver, Colo. This tournament draws hundreds of the best youth wrestlers in the nation. This year the tournament had 35 states represented.

Gallan competed in two divisions; the 69-pound girls' division, and the 11-12 year-old 66-pound open division. In Reni's open division, it was all boys except for her. In the girls division, Gallan dominated easily, winning the first place trophy. In the 66-pound open division, she battled her way to the semifinals before losing a tough decision.

Gallan's coach and father, Scott Gallan, said; "Wrestling back in the consolation semifinals, Gallan learned a lesson of never relaxing in a national tournament. While dominating her match she made one mistake and found herself pinned. She ended up settling for 6th place which was below the goal she set for herself. Nonetheless, she wrestled very well in placing in such a tough tournament."

This marks Gallan's fifth national title against girls, and her fifth national placement against boys. Next up for Gallan will be the BodyBar Womens National Championships at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Gallan's would like to thank the Little Brown Jug/Blimpies for putting up her entry fee for this tournament, as well as other tournaments in the past.

Colorado

Rifle wrestling family welcomes latest champion: Keaton Long takes Colorado state girls wrestling title

Citizen Telegram STaff Report 4/3/08

Keaton Long knows all about wrestling.

Having six siblings who have grappled for Rifle High School kind of teaches you a few moves.

Long, a junior this year, might have taken things a step further, though, when she won the 147-lb. weight class title this month at the Colorado Girls Wrestling State Championship at Strasburg High School.

And Long did it in dominant fashion, pinning Angie Beazer from Westminster in five minutes in her semifinal match and taking down Alexandria Davis from Thornton bytechnical fall (16-1) in the final to win her fifth state title in six years.

It’s no surprise Long developed an affinity for wrestling growing up considering it’s pretty much a household thing.

“It felt pretty normal since I have three older brothers who wrestled and my dad was a coach,” she said. “ I’ve just done it all my life. It’s what I do.”

Six of Wayne Long’s seven children, boys and girls alike, currently wrestle or have wrestled at some time in the past.

Long’s older brother, Tim, won a state title for Rifle last year. Her other brother, Jesse, placed three times at the state tourney. Her dad was a state qualifier at Eagle Valley back in the day. Her older sister, Tayler, and older brother Nick wrestled, and her middle-school-aged sister, Matti, is a wrestler.

Along with open tournaments like the girls’ state meet, Long already has three years on the Bears team under her belt. Since female wrestlers in Colorado are still somewhat rare, most of her high school competition is against boys. That helps tremendously, come state tourney time, Long noted.

“I’m used to wrestling in a mostly real stacked weight,” she explained. “It’s not an easy weight when it comes to guys. When you’re wrestling mostly guys and you switch to wrestling girls, it’s like wrestling down. Girls are not usually as competitive as the guys.”

She hopes to see that change.

“Girls wrestling is a building process,” Long said. “It’s a lot bigger in California and Texas, places like that. You didn’t used to have girls wrestling in college. There used to be no girls wrestling in Colorado. It’s growing.”

Long hopes to wrestle on the collegiate level, once she graduates from high school. But there are only so many schools with girls wrestling programs.

“Most are toward the East,” she said, “like in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.”

Until then, Long is simply enjoying the sport she loves, the sport she’s been immersed in since she was four.

“Wrestling teaches you a lot more” than other sports, she said. “For guys, it teaches you how to be a man. For me, it teaches me to be a better person. You just get more out of it.”

Just don’t act surprised when Long beats a boy, which she’s done a number of times.

“Everyone’s all excited whenever I win or anything,” she said. “I don’t know. I just try to take it like I’m anyone else wrestling. I’m not anyone special.”