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When Lauren Lamb signed up for wrestling in the first grade, she had no idea where it would lead.
Along the way, it led to some controversy in high school. And in the end, it took her on some intriguing journeys to Russia, Poland, Greece, France, Bulgaria, Sweden and Puerto Rico, as well as trips all over the United States.
Lamb, whose maiden name was Wolfe, wrestled for Okemos High School from 1991-95 and won U.S. championships in competition with girls in 1991, 1995, 1997 and 1998 and a Pan American title in 1997.
"I fell in love with the 1-on-1 aspect and the physicalness of it. There was no other sport like it, as I got into it more in middle school,'' said Lamb, 31, a 2000 graduate of Cornell University who now lives near Rochester, N.Y.
"I had older brothers who wrestled and when I signed up, it was like signing up for soccer, basketball or any other sport. It never fazed me that I shouldn't do it because I was a girl.''
Lamb was one of only a few girls to wrestle in high school. Some schools would forfeit at her weight class because they didn't want their wrestlers competing against a girl.
"A lot of the controversy went over my head. I was just a kid doing what I knew how to do,'' said Lamb, the first female wrestler to join the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame. "I heard some of it. Some schools forfeited and that kind of upset me.
"But most of it was positive. I grew up in the area and the coaches and other wrestlers knew me. It was a lot bigger deal for the parents and those that didn't know.''
Still, she had to prove herself and by developing her skills and becoming a top wrestler, she won the respect of teammates and opponents.
"My teammates were great. They told me later that they were trying to hurt me to get me to quit but that I kept coming back. I just thought that was wrestling,'' she said.
When she graduated from high school, Lamb competed against women and was No. 1 in the nation in 1996 and 2000 but women's wrestling wasn't an Olympic sport until 2004.
She worked hard to try to qualify in the 2004 Olympic trials but didn't make it, and that ended her competitive career.
Today, she follows the sport and helps coach a high school team and works with wrestlers of all ages, including adults.
"I got to wrestle all over the world, and meet a lot of cool people and saw a lot of cool places,'' Lamb said. "I made great friends. When you're in Bulgaria for two weeks with a group of 10 people, you make friends fast.
"I have great memories and still keep in touch with my wrestling friends.''
6/23/08
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