Paradise High sophomore Amy Havens (right) receives a Proclamation from town Mayor Ray Dalton in recognition of her many accomplishments in the sport of wrestling.
Photo by Nick Baker/THE POST
News Page
By Jerry Lawson - Sports Editor
Make no mistake.1/24/04
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Paradise High sophomore Amy Havens (right) receives a Proclamation from town Mayor Ray Dalton in recognition of her many accomplishments in the sport of wrestling. |
If you're looking for the top female wrestler in the state of California at 154 pounds, then look no further than Paradise High sophomore Amy Havens.
Havens, who most recently received a Proclamation from Mayor Ray Dalton, in recognition of her achievements in the sport of wrestling, continues to pile up wins on the mat.
After a successful freshman campaign which included placing third at the California State Tournament, qualifying for the Junior Olympic National Championship Team, finishing sixth overall at the National Championship Tournament, and being recognized as a High School All-American wrestler, Havens has continued her success in her second season.
"She has great intensity and focus for being the best she can be," said Paradise High wrestling coach Mike Gulbransen, who added that he believes Havens is one of the wrestlers on the current Bobcat roster who has the best chance at securing a college scholarship.
So far this season, Havens has already won three events, starting with the Roger Briones Girls Invitational in San Leandro on Dec. 13, 2003, then at the Lady Viking Classic in Stockton, and most recently at the Asics Napa Valley Girls Classic in Napa.
More than 200 girls competed in the Napa Tournament which is one of the largest tournaments in the state other that the State Championships.
Three events — three, first-place finishes.
In addition, Havens has already qualified to compete in the USGWA National Championships for high school girls, where she will join the San Mateo team and represent Paradise High, the town of Paradise and the state of California at the national event on March 26 in Lake Orion, Mich.
In just one week, Havens will return to San Leandro for the Regional Championships before heading for Vallejo to compete in this year's California Girls State Championships on Feb. 6.
According to coach Gulbransen, Havens is currently ranked No. 1 overall in the 154-pound weight class in California.
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'One of the guys'
Lawrence leads Kansas in female wrestlers
By Chris Wristen, Journal-World
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
The stale aroma of gym socks singes your nostrils upon entering the Free State High wrestling room.
Twenty-three boys, most with chiseled chests and claw-like arms, scrap and tussle and twist each other like pretzels as they roll across the floor. They grab ears, legs, shoulders, feet -- anything to gain an edge and hopefully pin their opponent.
Mat burns and bruises are accentuated by slimy sweat that shimmers on their faces and arms after two hours of practice. Everything about it says, "Girls Keep Out."
But there's Sara Hilliard, right in the middle of it, unfazed by her surroundings that hardly fit the "girlie" stereotype.
The same scene can be found across town at Lawrence High, where South Junior High freshman Emma Mercer recently was called up to the LHS varsity squad. Two more girls wrestle at Southwest Junior High and another at Central. An additional 14 are members of the Lawrence Junior Wrestling Club.
Lawrence is Kansas' leader in producing female wrestlers, but the trend extends nationwide. Thousands of women are donning singlets, and the movement is sparking new opportunities to earn college scholarships and the chance to compete in the Olympics.
Groundbreaking movement
Rick Bowden of the Kansas State High School Activities Assn. considers Cheryl Meyer the pioneer for Kansas wrestling. In 1993, Meyer posted a 12-11 record for Sabetha High before moving on to international competition.
Thad Allender/Journal-World Photo Sara Hilliard, front, is the lone female wrestler on the Free State High wrestling team, but the Firebirds think of her as just another teammate. |
"Since then we've had about 50 to 70 who start out every year," Bowden said. "Maybe half of those will drop out and not participate, but the number of girls that come out and stay out is increasing."
Santa Fe Trail's Brooke Bogren became the first Kansas girl to qualify for the high school state tournament in 1999 and 2000. Cherri Volpert of Cherryvale followed in 2001. So did Marion's Chelsea Arnhold in 2002 and 2003.
Similar aspirations now are found in wrestling rooms in Lawrence. The city's five youth clubs are seeing an influx of girls. Hilliard uses the high school season to train for national competition with the United States Girls Wrestling Assn., where she boasts a No. 7 national ranking in her weight class. Mercer is following a similar path.
"It makes me feel really good to know that I'm not the only one," Hilliard said. "I like seeing how it's growing a lot. The first tournament I went to this year, there were five girls besides me at the tournament, and it was a seven or eight-team tournament. It was really cool to meet with the other girls and compare wrestling stories."
Problems can arise
The club scene has been relatively quick to embrace female wrestlers, primarily because it is has established divisions allowing girls to compete head-to-head. The transition isn't always so smooth at the high-school level, however.
Thad Allender/Journal-World Photo Free State High wrestler Sara Hilliard listens to instructions with her teammates during practice. The drills took place Thursday at the FSHS wrestling room. |
The KSHSAA does not have rules forcing girls to wrestle girls, making grappling males fair game. Therefore, problems often arise. Some schools have policies against allowing their males to wrestle females. Other times, the boy has a personal objection.
"I've had guys forfeit before because they don't want to wrestle me," Hilliard said. "The first time it happened I was kind of angry about it because I didn't understand why they didn't want to."
Now she understands.
"I started talking to the other guys on my team and I realized that this guy had just seen me beat another of his teammates and he didn't want to take a chance," Hilliard said. "I can understand that for guys it would be a huge blow to the ego because I get pretty angry when I lose to girls."
Gender-related problems usually are limited to the competition scene. Hilliard and Mercer have a comfort zone at practice. Teammates and coaches consider them "just one of the guys," having proved they can hold their own with their male counterparts.
"The guys up here will tell you, pound for pound Emma's one of the hardest workers up here," LHS coach Mark Dulgarian said.
Added Free State coach Darrell Andrew: "We don't view Sara as being a girl wrestler. We view her as being one of our teammates."
The support system for female wrestlers often extends into the home. Hilliard said her parents were skeptical of her wrestling at first, but since have backed her 100 percent.
Other parents, such as former Lawrence High wrestler David Housworth, say wrestling provides a positive setting for girls to make friends, exercise and improve their safety. Housworth has three daughters and a son who wrestle for the Lawrence Junior Wrestling Club.
"Wrestling's never thought of as a self-defense, but it really is something that can help you out if you get into trouble," Housworth said. "A dad's always more concerned about his girls, so having them know a couple of ways where they can escape gives me some peace of mind. Plus, it's something where they can go work out and have fun. It's a really good thing."
The Future
After a decade of being limited to local gymnasiums and a handful of national and international competitions, women's wrestling will take center stage in August in Athens, Greece, when it debuts as an Olympic sport.
The added exposure is expected to bring a mixture of heavy scrutiny and keen interest. Proponents of women's wrestling hope the Olympics provide the springboard the sport needs to boost national acceptance and to inspire additional opportunities for it to grow.
Thad Allender/Journal-World Photo After a wrestling match with Shawnee Mission Northwest, Free State wrestler Sara Hilliard chats with friends, from right, FSHS junior Brittany Rivera, senior Brittany Saylo and senior Natalie Puentes. The girls were on hand for Wednesday's match at FSHS. |
Seven United States colleges already have women's wrestling programs and offer scholarships. Minnesota-Morris is dropping its program after this season, however, joining about 400 men's collegiate wrestling programs on the defunct list. Other schools, including Nebraska, have discussed adding programs in the future. Additionally, 17 colleges in Canada offer women's wrestling.
"There are actually more scholarship opportunities out there for young ladies in the world of wrestling than there are for young men," Lawrence Junior Wrestling Club coach Brian Hayes said. "There are lots of opportunities for women out there, and when they're getting started at this young of an age, talk about an edge."
Olympics next?
Hilliard said she hopes women's wrestling with be a big hit at the Olympics and inspire more colleges to add programs so more local girls will have a chance to continue wrestling at the next level.
For now, Hilliard has her sights set on wrestling at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo., one of the seven schools with a female mat program.
"I'd love to wrestle in the Olympics," Hilliard said. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to get that far, but if I can that would be really, really rewarding. Right now I just want to sign with a college. When, I can start wrestling girls 100 percent of the time and not have to switch back and forth so much, that's going to help me a lot."
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Lawrence club at forefront of female movement
By Chris Wristen, Journal-World
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
While teaching a new move at a recent practice, Lawrence Junior Wrestling Club coach Brian Hayes noticed only a few wrestlers were paying attention.
Most of the boys and girls listened intently as Hayes explained how to execute a five-point move called "The Peterson," but a few were chatting and ignoring his words.
That is, until Hayes said something that made their ears perk up.
"I just taught 'em how to make boys cry," Hayes chuckled. "I've got everybody's attention now."
Sure enough, the girls wanted to learn this move, and the boys wanted to know how to avoid it.
A decade ago, Hayes would have had to find another way to command his squad's attention. Female participation in the male-dominated sport gradually is gaining acceptance nationally. LJWC has embraced the concept and become Kansas' leader in producing girl wrestlers.
Of the 195 youth mat clubs statewide, LJWC boasts the most female participants. Fourteen of the club's 40 members are girls.
"It's incredible how the program is growing," Hayes said. "Here locally, we have some of the most incredible talent. We have one of the greatest athletic pools you can dip from. For many of the girls, this is their second or third year with me, and they're turning into some incredible athletes."
Scott McClurg/Journal-World Photo Jessica Bowman, 12, does pushups before the Lawrence Youth Wrestling Club practice last week at Lawrence High. She is one of the 14 girls on the 40-member squad. |
There is no clear-cut reason why more and more girls are choosing to wrestle. Ten-year-old Deidre Housworth enjoys the challenge of competing against -- and sometimes beating -- boys.
"Wrestling is fun because boys are slow and are wimps," she said with a giggle.
Others simply love to compete. Such is the case with seven-year-old Amanda Morris, who Hayes said "will stomp boys as well as girls" on the mat.
"It doesn't matter who they are," Morris said. "There's no difference. I just like to wrestle."
Hayes, a former Lawrence High wrestler who has two daughters in the program, loves the fearless attitude he sees from the girls. He coaches them to work just as hard as the boys.
"If I treat the girls any different then they're going to wrestle different on the mat when it comes down to competition time," Hayes said. "I have the same expectations of my girls as I do of my boys.
"At practice I make it perfectly clear that if I team you up with a boy -- and that's going to happen from time to time -- I expect you to go toe to toe with them."
LJWC practices are from 6-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Lawrence High west gym. Anyone interested in joining (ages 4-16) or volunteering to coach can contact club director Jeff Morris at morris@sunflower.com or stop by practice.