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Female Wrestler Brings Focused Work Ethic to Mat
By Staff Sgt. Dan Neely Feb. 11, 2002
325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AETCNS) -- Wrestling may be a brutal sport, but Jennifer Sokol doesn't seem to grapple with any concerns about getting hurt.
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During practice, Jennifer Sokol shoots for a take-down against an opponent. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Dan Neely) 
Jennifer Sokol's coaches credit her focus and drive as keys to her early wrestling success. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Dan Neely) |
As Bay County's only female high school wrestler on a boys' varsity squad, the Rutherford High School junior isn't bringing any agendas to the mat.
She says she does it because she likes it and it's a great way to stay in shape for her other sport, weightlifting. She holds the Lady Rams' school record in her weight class with a 135-pound bench press and cruised undefeated to a county championship this season.
But contrary to Jennifer's mat and weight room prowess, her physique is athletically slender -- far from muscle-bound -- and her manner is precise, calm and almost soft-spoken.
The 16-year-old daughter of Rose and Col. Joseph Sokol, 325th Support Group commander, knew of her dad's high school wrestling experiences and took a liking to the sport's competitive intensity.
"Wrestling sounded like a challenge, both mentally and physically, and I wanted to continue being active after weightlifting," Jennifer said. "I like the challenge of a new sport and going out and trying my hardest. I hate losing."
Even though Jennifer had already excelled as a weightlifter, her parents were uneasy when she originally broke the news about her wrestling plans.
"My mom, of course, was hesitant about me wrestling because she was worried I'd get injured, but warmed up to it after she realized I was really going to do it," said Jennifer.
"I was not thrilled," said Mrs. Sokol of her daughter's announcement, especially when she learned her daughter wasn't talking about wrestling other girls.
"At first, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea, because I know how hard wrestling is," said Colonel Sokol. "I guess I was kind of noncommittal in the beginning. I didn't try to discourage her, but I did try to point out all the aspects of the sport. Once I saw how motivated she was -- running at 5:30 in the morning before the season started -- I knew she wanted it, then I started to encourage her."
The Sokols said their unease quickly faded after Jennifer's coaches took time to personally and thoroughly explain the pros and cons of their daughter's participation in the sport.
"Later on, I knew it ultimately had to be her decision," admitted Mrs. Sokol. "Coach Burns and Coach Griffin were very supportive. They made it clear they wouldn't let her join without talking to us first."
From her first match, the Sokols have backed their daughter to the fullest.
"My parents have been very supportive throughout it all," said Jennifer. Both her parents said they've attended all of her matches and love to cheer her on as much as any parents of student athletes.
Head coach Aaron Griffin and volunteer assistant coach Steven Burns of the 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron both described Jennifer's wrestling ability as impressive and surprising for a first-season wrestler.
"She's really impressive in the way she knows the moves and how she's advancing every week," said Burns. "They (opponents) can't believe how strong she is."
While Jennifer has yet to win against a male varsity wrestler in a regular meet, she has defeated Rutherford boys to win her varsity spot and most recently wrestled to a regulation tie against a Crestview High School opponent before being outpointed 8-6 in sudden death.
She's already placed third in a regional tournament for girls' teams and soon will travel to the Florida Girls Wrestling State Tournament in Orlando.
Jennifer's focused work ethic should make her well prepared for that event, said her coaches.
Observed during a grueling two-hour practice, Jennifer rarely chatted with teammates. Instead she focused complete attention on her coaches as they repeatedly drilled the athletes on takedowns and pinning techniques. Several times she had to lift and perform takedowns on boys well above her 135-pound weight division.
None of the boys appeared to ease up on her in gentlemanly fashion. A few held back nothing, causing her to wince in pain, as they treated her like one of the guys during pinning drills.
Coach Griffin said he was well aware of girls attempting to wrestle at other schools, but none anywhere close to Jennifer's success.
"Jen stuck it out," he said. "She pushes just as hard as the guys and she's always eager to learn more."
She's come a long way, according to her father.
"She's motivated and works hard, and that's showing every match," Colonel Sokol said. "We're proud of her."
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..WRESTLING USA Magazine 6/4/02 2002 USGWA National - Oregon Freshman Na'Tasha Umemoto (white headgear) of Portland, takes a hard fought 8-7 semifinal decision over Shiela Lerit of Vasllejo, California. In the previous round, Lerit upset 3-time finalist Mary Kelly of Illinois, 12-6. Umemoto finished second, Lerit was fourth in the tough 110 pound weight class. National Wrestling Action Photo Contest
Madeleine Briones (red) of San Leandro, California, picks up Wendy Casey, Binghamton, New York, with a deep single-leg. Casey claimed her second USGWA National Championships with a fall at 3:32 in this 130 pounds final. Send your best wrestling photos for publishing in issues of WRESTLING USA Magazine to: 109 APPLE HOUSE LANE |
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Lerit and Landaker have outlasted their mat doubters
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VALLEJO - There is no doubt that Vallejo High wrestlers Sheila Lerit and Lenci Landaker's performance defied their biggest detractor, Apaches coach Mike Minahen.
The only conflicting viewpoint is how long it took Minahen to become convinced that Lerit and Landaker could succeed in a sport dominated by males. Lerit and Landaker are two affable youngsters away from the mat but relentless once they start competing.
"I was scared," Lerit recalled about her first match. "I didn't even think I would last. I ended up staying because of the hard work I put into it. Some guys were saying how little I was and it wouldn't be good for me to do it. Even my coach doubted Lenci and I. They gave us two weeks. They thought we were going to give up."
Landaker agreed.
"Minahen thought we were going to quit the next day," She joked. "We just kept coming back and coming back. My freshman year, I wasn't all that strong. Then, my sophomore year everything came together."
Both individuals have helped pave the way for more females to try wrestling. The Apaches also have Tiffany and Tara Thomas competing in the sport. Hogan has 17 female wrestlers, Bethel has a handful and Benicia has one as well. Lerit and Landaker are two of several female wrestlers participating in Saturday's California State Championships, an all-girls event, at Bottari Gym.
"I go to tournaments now and there's more and more girls that come out," Landaker said.
That success level was far from Minahen's mind when Lerit and Landaker decided to try wrestling. He is not, however, surprised now.
"They are two great girls," Minahen said. "I've known Lenci since she was in seventh grade and Sheila since she was a freshman. When they first came out, I didn't give them two days. I said, 'They'll be out of here in two days.' They were laughing and giggling. After about a month or so, I was very impressed with their work ethic and ability to pick up techniques. They have done an outstanding job from the first moment they were on the mat."
In hindsight, however, Minahen began seeing signs that this dynamic pair could succeed at wrestling.
"Just about a week into it, I said, 'You know what, these girls have some ability.'," Minahen said. "They weren't backing down. They kept pushing."
While Vallejo has several females that wrestle, Landaker and Lerit have helped epitomize the sport of female wrestling in the Vallejo area. Both won the championship in their weight class last season, Landaker at 99-pounds and Lerit at 109. They both took won the championship in their weight class at the Napa Valley Girls Classic at Vintage (Napa) High on January 19th.
"I'm kind of excited since it's my senior year," Lerit said of Saturday's opportunity. "I think the competition, for me, will be a little harder than it was last year."
Lerit and Landaker have aspirations to continue their wrestling career but are both undecided. Landaker's interest in the sport happened somewhat haphazardly.
"I used to go to the gym after school to watch the guys because I didn't have a ride home," Landaker said. "Minahen told us to join the wrestling team."
While female wrestling is still in the growing stages, Lerit and Landaker's presence on the mat has not turned into something for shock value.
"Almost every single day they are picking up something," Minahen said. "Both have improved dramatically and it's been fun to watch them get better. They are really two of our team's leaders. They do all the stuff the guys do."
Lerit, Landaker and Minahen have also developed a relationship that goes beyond the athletic arena.
"They are like daughters to me," Minahen said. "Sheila babysits for our kids. Lenci called me up to wish me a Happy Father's Day. That's the type of relationship we have. I am really proud of both."
Minahen may have been a nay sayer then but it didn't take long for him to become a believer.
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ATHLETE OF THE YEAR NOMINEE: Sheila Lerit
By Vince D'Adamo
VallejoNews.com 6/6/02
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Sheila Lerit is one the most affable young ladies you will meet -- except if you wrestle in the 118-pound weight class.
While girls wrestling has made a stronger mark recently on the local front in a sport traditionally dominated by males, Vallejo High's Lerit along with teammate Lenci Landaker have helped pave the way for more females to try the sport.
Lerit defended her title on two fronts. She won the Napa Valley Girls Classic Wrestling championships for the second year in a row. Lerit won her finals match by pin over San Leandro's Alexis Gonzales. The tournament, which is directed by Vintage coach Carl Murphree, was established in 1999 with the hope of one day having all-girls wrestling teams as opposed to the current situation of girls wrestling against boys. Lerit finished the season with a 33-5 overall record and was 15-3 against male wrestlers.
Lerit also won the California Girls Wrestling Championship for the second season in a row. She went 4-0 to defend her title and won her championship match by second-round pin over Sierra Vista's Ivy Lopez.
Lerit also made history by winning the Monticello Empire League JV championship. She became the first female to win the title at any level. Lerit's most recent achievement on the mat was taking fourth at the USWGA high school national championships in Lake Orion, Mich.
She capped her outstanding senior season by going undefeated in doubles competition along with teammate Judy Nguyen. This duo breezed through the MEL season as Lerit did as the Apaches No. 1 singles player and helped Vallejo win a share of the MEL title with cross-town foe Hogan.
Lerit and Nguyen went 5-0 to win the MEL title, capping their run by defeating Bethel's Stacy Cabales and Madel Manalo. Lerit and Nguyen did not lose until the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section meet but they still helped Vallejo win a share of the Section title.
The athletic school year did not start auspiciously for Lerit's team on the volleyball court, where Vallejo went 4-10 in the MEL. Lerit, however, was a crucial part of the team as a setter, co-MVP ans co-captain. Two of her better moments came in a 1-15, 5-15, 15-12, 13-15 loss to Napa and in a 16-14, 15-11, 15-4 season-ending win over Hogan.
Lerit's ace in Game 3 against Napa, who is an annual SJS playoff participant, helped the Apaches go on a game-ending 6-0 run to force Game 4. Lerit tallied two aces that ultimately proved to be a big difference in beating Hogan in Game 1.
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Shiela Lerit
By James Wiseman, Times-Herald sports writer 6/22/02
Shiela Lerit wishes people would just stop it, already.
O.K., she's small. Granted, she's soft-spoken. But Lerit is sick and tired of people being shocked by her athletic prowess. As a two-time state wrestling champion and defending Times-Herald Athlete of the Year, she doesn't see why her diminutive size and somewhat shy nature automatically precludes athletic success.
"It's not that surprising," Lerit says about her illustrious career at Vallejo High School, in which she excelled in wrestling, badminton and volleyball. "I've worked hard for everything I've done. I practiced hard, and did a lot of extra stuff."
As a senior in 2001-2002, Lerit brought home another state title in wrestling, before placing fourth in the 110-pound class at nationals. In badminton, Lerit combined with teammate Judy Nguyen to take second place in the section in doubles. On top of that, she was co-captain of the Apaches volleyball team. For these accomplishments, Lerit has once again been nominated for the Times-Herald Female Athlete of the Year Award. The 24th-annual Times-Herald awards banquet will take place on Friday night, June 28, at City Lights Cafe.
"Of course it's a big honor - It has to be," says Lerit, who beat out such formidable competition as Hogan's Katie Layne and Benicia's Jamie Hadenfeldt to win last year's award.
Though Lerit has come to resent her shy reputation, she admits that it was not completely unearned. In her first two years at Vallejo, she says she was very quiet, and even a bit apprehensive about playing varsity sports.
"When I was young, as a sophomore and maybe into my junior year, I was (soft spoken)," Lerit says. "Now, (sports) is just another thing I do."
Lerit joined the wrestling team four years ago under a skeptical coach Mike Minahen, who didn't think the underbearing freshman would last a day in a tough program that boasts such alumni as Mark Munoz and Julie Gonzalez. Her work ethic and accelerated learning curve changed Minahen's mind right away, and Lerit has been convincing the rest of Vallejo, one-by-one, ever since.
"The thing with Shiela is that she doesn't have to be loud," says teammate Lenci Landaker, who also garnered a state wrestling title in 2002. "People look at her, see how hard she works. She doesn't have to say much."
Lerit compiled a near-perfect season in Monticello Empire League wrestling last fall, winning the 110-pound championship with little resistance. At the state meet, she plowed through overmatched opponents with almost equal ease.
After pinning her state semifinal foe in less than 40 seconds, Lerit went on to defeat vaunted Sierra Vista star Ivy Lopez in 3:18 in the final. Besides clinching the state title and a berth at nationals, that success gave Lerit a high-profile victory that aided her confidence entering nationals. Lerit ultimately settled for fourth in the nation, after losing by a single point in the semifinals.
"I've always been a fourth-placer," says Lerit, glossing modestly over her tremendous accomplishment. "I was happy, since I did good, but losing by one point (was tough)."
Lerit is yet undecided as to how she will spend life after high school. While she expects to continue her education at the four-year or junior college level, she doubts that sports will be a significant part of her future.
"I want to focus on my education. I don't want to get forced into anything," says the recent VHS graduate, who holds bittersweet feelings about the end of her athletic career. "A lot of tears came down a couple of days ago."
The Vallejo High School athletic program will soon be in a similar state of mourning, when it is forced to move on without its top wrestler, badminton player and volleyballer. But thanks to her leadership and mentoring over the years, there are plenty of young Shiela Lerits in those three sports, just waiting to take the MEL by storm.
"There's a lot of potential," Landaker says about the future of Vallejo wrestling. "Remember, we were once at that same level."
James Wiseman can be reached at 553-6838 or by e-mail at JamesW@thnewsnet.com.
To purchase tickets for the 24th-annual Times-Herald Athlete of the Year banquet, contact Ken Hart or Rochelle Thurber at 553-6809.
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Up to the challenge
By Mark Gomez
Mercury News 6/19/02
Sometimes just fitting in can be a challenge.
But when Amantha Hordagoda decided to compete in wrestling -- a male-dominated sport -- it proved to be a greater struggle.
``It was really difficult because no one talked to me that much,'' said Hordagoda, a Fremont High graduate and one of a handful of female wrestlers in the Central Coast Section competing against males. ``I was by myself a lot and I'd be watching them, and I wasn't really having fun.''
Despite constant ribbing, and what she felt was a lack of respect, Hordagoda steadied the course. She capped her four-year career by qualifying for the CCS championships at 105 pounds.
Hordagoda is one of several local athletes who have overcome emotional, physical or economic challenges to succeed in academics and athletics. Ten of these Santa Clara County athletes were recognized for their perseverance, receiving either a Reach Youth Scholarship from the San Jose Sports Authority or a Charlie Wedemeyer Family Outreach Scholarship.
Here are three of their stories:
Amantha Hordagoda, Fremont
Whenever Hordagoda arrived for a tournament her freshman year, she pretty much got the same look: She didn't belong on the mat with the guys.
``When I'd walk in, they'd already expect me to fail,'' she said.
It took a while but Hordagoda finally recorded a victory her first year. Then another. The turning point came at a junior varsity invitational at Los Gatos, where she placed sixth.
``That was pretty special,'' Hordagoda said. ``It got better from there.''
Before long, she was accepted by her peers; sometimes an opposing coach would come over to express admiration. She also was one of Wrestling USA Magazine's All-Americans.
``A lot of the guys supported me a lot, and I felt much more accepted,'' Hordagoda said.
Hordagoda also endured difficult times at home, which included overcoming an eating disorder.
She was awarded both the Reach Youth Scholarship and the Charlie Wedemeyer Family Outreach Scholarship, named after the former Los Gatos football coach who has lived with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) since 1976.
``I'm very honored,'' said Hordagoda, who will attend Cal State-Bakersfield next year. ``Especially watching the slide show of Charlie's life. I felt really grateful just because my problems almost seem insignificant compared to what other people have to face.''
