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A Sport Opens Its Mats to Women in U.S.

The New York Times

BRANDON LILLY,6/27/2001

Toccara Montgomery was a sophomore at East Technical High School in
Cleveland three years ago when she checked out a practice for the newly
formed wrestling squad. A rough-and-tumble sort who was always a something
of a tomboy, she took Coach Kip Flanik at his word when he assured her that
wrestling was a sport in which a woman could not only compete, but also
thrive.

Today, she is a national champion.

Montgomery, 18, upset the two-time national champion Kristie Marano on
Sunday in Cincinnati and will represent the United States in the 62-kilogram
(137 pounds) weight class at the world wrestling championships Sept. 26-29
at Madison Square Garden. More than 600 male and female competitors are
expected. It will be the first time that women will participate in a world
championship in this country and that both women's and men's events will be
at the same site.

"I think that it is important that the women and the men are going to be
competing at the same place because it shows the kind of equality we in the
sport are striving for," Montgomery said yesterday at a news conference in
Manhattan. "It will be great to be showcased as part of the same event as
the men."

Women's wrestling is under consideration for the 2004 Olympics in Athens but
has a better chance for inclusion in the 2008 Games. And although it has
been a popular sport abroad for years, it is just now beginning to catch on
in the United States. According to USA Wrestling, 5,000 female wrestlers are
competing today, and seven elite clubs support the sport.

"It's really growing now, and personally I'm surprised that it has taken
this long to catch on in this country," said Kerry McCoy, a former Olympian
and current national champion in the men's heavyweight division. "When I was
coming up, there would always be three or four 9-year-old girls at wrestling
camps, usually because their brothers wrestled. Today, there were like 200
girls at the national championships and even more younger girls taking up
the sport."

After the world championships, Montgomery, who wrestled against boys for the
first couple of years, will enroll at Cumberland College in Kentucky, home
to one of a handful of collegiate women's programs.

But for now, Montgomery said, "I'm trying to spread the word about women's
wrestling, promote it as best as I can and show girls that this is a sport
where you can be competitive."

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World Team Members McCoy, Montgomery Take Over New York

by John Fuller 6/29/2001

My Kind Of Town
Former two-time NCAA Champion, and current Lehigh assistant Kerry McCoy and 18-year old Toccara Montgomery were in New York on Tuesday afternoon celebrating their recent births to the 2001 U.S. World Team and promoting the 2001 World Championships of Wrestling, which will be held September 26-29 in New York's Madison Square Garden. McCoy (Freestyle 130 kg) and Montgomery (Women 68 kg) will be among over 600 wrestlers from around the world competing in this historic event. Logon to InterMat for more World Championship updates
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2001 U.S. World Team members Kerry McCoy (Freestyle 130 kg) and Toccara Montgomery (Women 68 kg) were in New York City on Tuesday afternoon promoting the upcoming 2001 World Championships of Wrestling, which will be held at New York’s Madison Square Garden September 26-29.

Both competitors stressed how excited they were about competing at Madison Square Garden, one of the most famous arenas in the nation.

“I am really excited that they are going to be on American soil and more specifically in New York City in Madison Square Garden. I think that they (the world championships) will be a good opportunity to showcase to the world, the sport of wrestling and the talent on the US World Team,” said McCoy, who also qualified for the 2000 Olympic team that competed in Sydney, Australia last summer.

“It is a great place for an International sporting event to be held. It is the center of attention and will help to focus attention on the sport of wrestling,” Montgomery added.

McCoy and Montgomery met the media for photo and interview opportunities in front of the historic United Nations Building at 11:00 am, before traveling to the ESPN Zone, which is becoming increasingly one of the top sport’s bar chains in the nation. The pair were to hold a media luncheon at the ESPN Zone at noon.

Montgomery is only 18 years old, making her the youngest member of the women’s team. This also marks the first year that women’s wrestling will be included with the World Championships festivities.

“It’s overwhelming just thinking about it, but I cannot let it get to me. I just have to go out there and wrestle for the gold medal,” Montgomery said.

“It is a huge leap for the sport of women’s wrestling. It is a giant step in leveling the playing field for all. With the World Championships held in New York City, people will be able to learn about women’s wrestling.”

More than 600 competitors from 600 countries will take the mat at the World Championships, which will showcase classic Greco-Roman style, Freestyle and Women's wrestling for the first time in the U.S. under one roof.

For McCoy, who currently holds an assistant coaching position at Lehigh University, wrestling for the United States team in New York City is a dream come true.

“I was in New York in 1998 for the Goodwill Games and I got a taste of it then. It’s nice to be in the position to wrestle in front of a hometown-crowd,” he said. “I’m going to come in here intending to win a gold medal.”

McCoy now hopes that the sport of wrestling will be able to benefit from being showcased in the media capital of the world.

“I hope that the media will continue to give strong support to the sport of Wrestling. During the Olympics, there was good coverage from the media, I hope it will be the same for the World Championships,” McCoy said.

“Being in New York City, the World Championships are a great opportunity to target the younger audience since many of the competitors are so young. I would love for MTV to get involved with this event.”

Philadelphia may not have liked having superstar musicians performing at halftime of the NBA Finals, but odds are that wrestling fans wouldn’t mind one bit.


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Helping others excel high on her list

Calgary Herald 6/9/2001

Wendy Malejko

- AGE: 18

- SCHOOL: Crescent Heights

- CAREER GOAL: To become a physiotherapist

- - -

Wendy Malejko knows how to get the most out of school.

A member of the school's wrestling team, cross-country running team and the
girls' rugby team, she is also the school's student council president.

"The best part about school is walking through the hallways and being able
to know half the people's names," said Malejko, who is in Grade 12.

On top of her athletic and social commitments, Malejko also offers informal
tutoring for her classmates.

"I have fun helping out my peers in class. It makes me feel smart and I
think it's a good way to make friends."

And while she hopes her future holds a career in science, English is her
favourite subject because "you get to be creative."

She plans to attend the University of Calgary to take courses in
kinesiology.

"I'm exploring the ultimate goal of being a physiotherapist or something in
that area and if I feel energetic enough, after I get my kinesiology degree,
I may explore medicine."

Outside of school, Malejko volunteers in her free time and donates blood.

"I always feel really busy, but adding one more thing manages to get in
there all the time."

Kim Holmes, student activities curriculum leader, said Malejko is an
"excellent" role model.

"She's a really positive, warm, helpful and friendly student and she works
very hard. She's one of those perfect kids."