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By Paul Gaeta 7/31/03
North Adams Transcript

Nicole Darrow continues to make quite a name for herself in wrestling circles across the country.

This past weekend, the sophomore-to-be at Mount Greylock finished third in the 110-pound weight class at the USA High School Freestyle National Championships on the campus of North Dakota State in Fargo.

Darrow, who was competing for Team New York, earned All-American status with her showing, another feather in the cap of the 14 year old from Lanesboro.

"It was a great feeling," Darrow said of winning her third-place match. "My team was in the stands, and they made signs for me with paper towels and paint. They all were screaming my name when I won."

Darrow qualified for the event by taking first in a Northeast regional championship in Pennsylvania this past May. She traveled to Fargo with seven other teammates from Team New York, as well as her mother.

The format for the tournament was different than that seen in high school wrestling competitions like Western Mass. or States.

Darrow was one of 16 competing at 110 pounds, which was divided into two pools of eight. Wrestlers competed against every person in their pool, but if someone suffered two losses along the way, their run in the tournament ended.

Results were based on a points system: One point for scoring in a match, three points for a win and four for a pin or technical fall. After pool wrestling was completed, the top two point getters faced off in the finals, with the next two going at it for a bronze.

Darrow wrestled four times Friday, winning three times and losing once.

One of the victories came via pin against Californian Maika Watanabe, who beat Darrow by decision in the United States Girls Wrestling Association's National High School Folkstyle Championships in Michigan earlier this summer. The two others came against girls from Texas and Michigan.

Darrow accumulated 16 points in those four matches, which wasn't enough to place her in the 110-pound finals but was good enough for the third-place match Saturday against Michigan's Madison Bangert.

The two were scoreless after one period before Darrow recorded a pin in the second.

"If there's no score after one period, you go into a 'clinch' where both wrestlers are attached by an underhook and overhook," Darrow said. "You can't unlock your hands unless you make the other person go down. I did a throw, and she ended up on her back. I had to wait a bit to get her shoulder down, but I was able to get the pin."

The 110-pound winner was Colorado's Claire Dupont. Darrow didn't wrestle her over the weekend but did lose to her at the Folkstyle Championships in Michigan.

Darrow was the second youngest competitor on Team New York, and she had the second highest finish among the group. The squad stayed in dorms with the other wrestlers from throughout the country, a highlight in Darrow's eyes.

She will join several Greylock teammates this weekend when the Wicked West Wrestling Club competes in the Thousand Island Duals, a high-school tournament, at Clayton Arena in Adams, N.Y.

Wicked West is made up mostly of wrestlers from Berkshire County. Other Mounties who will compete will be Jon Girard, Jeff Brodeur, Jon Lacasse, Dan Onorato, Tony Quagliano and Shane Miro.

"Basically, we're going down there for experience," said Ray Miro, who helps coach Wicked West. "It's a good tournament. There will be 32 teams there. We're guaranteed at least five matches."

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Pan American Games Photos

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Canadians thwarted on mat, left plotting revenge
City's Yanik among group of disappointed silver medallists

Canadian Press 8/6/03

Viola Yanik (blue), of Saskatoon, grapples with Sara McMann of the U.S. during the final of women's 63-kg wrestling event Tuesday

Viola Yanik poses with her new silver medal Tuesday

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (CP) -- Advantage U.S.A.

Four times Canadian women stepped on the mat Tuesday night. And four times they were forced to listen to the Star Spangled Banner as the Americans swept the gold medals in women's freestyle wrestling at the Pan American Games.

Lindsay Belisle of Burnaby, B.C., Tonya Verbeek of Beamsville, Ont., Viola Yanik of Saskatoon and Ohenewa Akuffo of Brampton, Ont., all won silver. But finishing second in a two-horse race can leave you feeling like you were bucked off instead of placing.

"The ball is back in our court," said national coach Leigh Vierling of Calgary.

"They did beat us today, but we're dedicated to making this better. We're going to."

Does this mean women's wrestling should be added to the list of Canada-U.S. rivalries along with men's and women's hockey?

"We've beat two of these same opponents in the Pan American qualifier in March," said Vierling.

"Three of these (American) athletes have been in the world final. They are quality opponents. That being said, we want to be the best wrestling country in the world."

Akuffo, who was pinned by Toccara Montgomery in the 72-kilogram class, is already looking forward to getting a little revenge at next month's world championships in New York.

"I'm going to go and become a better wrestler than I was today," said the 24-year-old who was on the national wrestling team at the same time she was a member of the junior judo team.

"It would be nice to beat her in her own house."

At the Pan Am Games the Canadians and Americans were definitely the women's wrestling powerhouses. It showed with the two countries advancing to the four finals.

"We knew it was going to be us against them for the big rivalry," said Yanik, 21, who was soundly whipped 8-0 by Sara McMann in the 63-kilogram class.

"I was expecting a much closer match but sometimes things don't go your way. It's a learning experience and it will help me prepare for the world championships."

This is the first time women's wrestling has been included in the Pan Am Games, and the sport makes its Olympic debut next summer in Athens.

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A long way home
Canada's mat dreams for gold dashed by U.S.

By CP 8/6/03

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Alice Falaiye made her debut on the international stage a hit, collecting a gold medal for Canada.

Falaiye, of Mississauga, Ont., a little-known player on the international track scene, won the women's long jump with a leap of 6.43 metres.

"This is my first international one, and I'm very, very happy about it," said Falaiye, who won Canada's first gold at the Estadio Olympico track here.

"This is a great start for the team. Alice was a very big surprise in a positive way," said the team's head coach Les Gramantik.

Falaiye's goal coming into Pan Ams was to reach the standard for the world track and field championships later this month in Paris. She fell shy of that, but was still all smiles after standing atop the podium.

"Here I just wanted to come here and make the standard or end the year with a great mark or a great win, and I did that," said Falaiye, who trains in Houston at Rice University.

Falaiye received her gold medal at the end of the night, in front of a near-empty stadium. But it didn't matter.

"It was great seeing the Canadian flag go up, I wanted to have that experience," grinned Falaiye. "I've seen people do it in the past, and I wanted to be there and have that experience."

Meanwhile, at the wrestling venue, the story line was Advantage U.S.A.

Four times Canadian women stepped on the mat last night. And four times they were forced to listen to the Star-Spangled Banner as the Americans swept the gold medals in women's freestyle wrestling at the Pan-American Games.

"The ball is back in our court," said national coach Leigh Vierling of Calgary. "They did beat us today, but we're dedicated to making this better. We're going to."