Girl in Alaska wins state tourney

[scarlet03]

After reading through all the posts on this subject I had to reply.

 

I have been involved with wrestling for over 12 years with 3 sons. It seems that no one takes a real interest in a girl wrestler until she wins. I have lived in Alaska twice and been involved with wrestling there as well. The sport is just as competitive as anywhere else in the USA and there have been a lot of talented wrestlers come out of the state.

 

I think the key point to the article about Micheala is that she won and she won at state. How many boys can say the same? Irregardless of whether she is boy or a girl she did something that every wrestler dreams of doing - what higher goal can there be? Not only did she win but she won as a sophomore and won what would seem to have been a tough match, an escape scored with 15 seconds left!

 

Her older brother Eli became a 4 time state champ that day as well! If you read the article on the Anchorage Daily News website http://www.adn.com/sports/story/7433902p-7330454c.html you will see that they say "Hutchison was born to wrestle. She's one of 10 children and the third in her family to win a state title, joining brothers Zeb and Eli." She also has a sister who placed third in state 6 years ago. Seem like this is one talented family.

 

We don't have to agree with girls being in a "man's sport" but what we do have to do is support those girls who are brave enough to try it and to give accolades to those who succeed at the unthinkable, like winning state.

 

As Kent Bailo, director of the U.S. Girls Wresting Association quoted in the article "he believes Hutchison's victory will help girls wrestling become a varsity sport. He estimates 4,000 to 5,000 girls wrestle in high schools nationwide. Yet, only Hawaii and Texas currently offer it as a girls sport. But Alaska might be next." Girls participating and doing well in the sport will only help get these girls teams of their own.

 

Would any of us have cared about the Colony boy that Michaela beat at 103 if he had won state? Would it have been covered on national news and be all over the internet? I think not.

[maj]

The fact that this is a topic is a comment on how confused early 21rst century American society is. It is only one of many reasons why our sons (and daughters for that matter) are under incredible societal pressures which in many cases are placed on them by their very confused parents.

 

But more to the point - it's just plane old every day perverted. But hey, Broakback Mountain will win a pile of Oscars and Janet Jackson is considered to be entertaining. So I guess, considering what society will accept today as normative behavior, watching a teenage male wrestler perform a Saturday Night Ride on a female wrestler in front of several hundred fans is not only acceptable but entertainment. And if her partents care that little about their daughter, why should the rest of us?

 

Good grief. Let's just blame all of society's ills on a couple of girls wanting to wrestle. Isn't it possible some girls just want to wrestle ? Not neccessarily against boys just anyone who gives them some competition. In the absence of woman's programs what are the alternatives ? I really don't like the idea of coed wrestling teams but don't see it as the fall of the empire either. To imply that any parents who would allow their daughters to wrestle somehow doesn't care about them is idiotic. Any moron who would use a girls decision to wrestle as an excuse to treat her shabbily would deserve all of the retribution an angry father with a wrestling background is capable of inflicting.

[texas23]

After reading through all the posts on this subject I had to reply.

 

I have been involved with wrestling for over 12 years with 3 sons. It seems that no one takes a real interest in a girl wrestler until she wins. I have lived in Alaska twice and been involved with wrestling there as well. The sport is just as competitive as anywhere else in the USA and there have been a lot of talented wrestlers come out of the state.

 

I think the key point to the article about Micheala is that she won and she won at state. How many boys can say the same? Irregardless of whether she is boy or a girl she did something that every wrestler dreams of doing - what higher goal can there be? Not only did she win but she won as a sophomore and won what would seem to have been a tough match, an escape scored with 15 seconds left!

 

Her older brother Eli became a 4 time state champ that day as well! If you read the article on the Anchorage Daily News website http://www.adn.com/sports/story/7433902p-7330454c.html you will see that they say "Hutchison was born to wrestle. She's one of 10 children and the third in her family to win a state title, joining brothers Zeb and Eli." She also has a sister who placed third in state 6 years ago. Seem like this is one talented family.

 

We don't have to agree with girls being in a "man's sport" but what we do have to do is support those girls who are brave enough to try it and to give accolades to those who succeed at the unthinkable, like winning state.

As Kent Bailo, director of the U.S. Girls Wresting Association quoted in the article "he believes Hutchison's victory will help girls wrestling become a varsity sport. He estimates 4,000 to 5,000 girls wrestle in high schools nationwide. Yet, only Hawaii and Texas currently offer it as a girls sport. But Alaska might be next." Girls participating and doing well in the sport will only help get these girls teams of their own.

 

Would any of us have cared about the Colony boy that Michaela beat at 103 if he had won state? Would it have been covered on national news and be all over the internet? I think not.

 

I disagree that we HAVE to support those girls brave enough to try it.

 

the whole point on one side of this argument is in direct opposition of that ideal, in that we believe that girls should not be on the mat at all with their male counterparts, no matter what kind of exception may be run up the flag pole as an example of the quality of one or perhaps even 10 really good girl wreslters. She still does not belong in the boys league, even if she competes at the highest performance level. It is not all about this one exception, it is about the concept of females on the mat with males.

 

Please do not take away from my comments, the truly great accomplishment this young girl has achieved, she is great. She is in the wrong league.

Edited February 10, 2006 by texas23

[allsaints]

I think its pretty clear that the only concensus with this topic that we will ever reach is that we may have to agree to disagree. Although my reply's have been mostly for girls to wrestle, every now and then I see a reply against it and I start to waiver. Then I see a reply for it and I'm back on that band wagon again.

 

No simple solution. But, girls wrestling will probably build more respect between girls and boys then tear down the respect. TV, movies, porn, divorce, teen age sex/pregnatcy, employment conditions, and negative parent interaction has much more effect on tearing down male/female respect in the lives of our kids then a few girls who want to wrestle. I remember when I was a high school freshman, by far the best looking girl in my grade challenged me to an arm wrestling contest in front of all my friends and killed me. It was humiliating. That's about when I decided to start lifting. The experience didn't stop me from flirting with her either (she was so hot) nor did it effect my "fragile pre-pubsent" self esteem. I still know and respect this women and the experince didn't make hate women or become a nazi or gay or talabanist. It just made me get off my butt and start building arm strength.

[NorthwestWrestling112]

The fact that this is a topic is a comment on how confused early 21rst century American society is. It is only one of many reasons why our sons (and daughters for that matter) are under incredible societal pressures which in many cases are placed on them by their very confused parents.

 

But more to the point - it's just plane old every day perverted. But hey, Broakback Mountain will win a pile of Oscars and Janet Jackson is considered to be entertaining. So I guess, considering what society will accept today as normative behavior, watching a teenage male wrestler perform a Saturday Night Ride on a female wrestler in front of several hundred fans is not only acceptable but entertainment. And if her partents care that little about their daughter, why should the rest of us?

I would have to say that this, by far, is the most ridiculous post I have read...Saying that it is considered normal to watch a teenage male wrestler perform a "saturday night ride" on a female wreslter.... I can't even begin...So you think it is more acceptable to society to see a male perform a saturday night ride on a male? you did point out that BROKE(yea, not BROAK)Backmountain will receive oscars because of our perverted society, did you not? Okay here is the thing..nobody views wrestling as sexual..Because if they did, wouldn't it be ackward seeing two males wrestle?? You probably see boys put each other in honeymooners, don't you? And that doesn't bother you, so why would it with a girl? I mean, nobody says anything about that do they, so how is it perversion either way? If people can watch that without making a fuss, they can certainly watch a girl and a boy wrestler with no problems. And what do you call it when i am beating my opponent? Would it still be me putting a SATURDAY NIGHT RIDE on him? YOu need to rethink what you say. And don't even start on parents either... my parents are VERY supportive of me, and not because they don't care, but because I LOVE the sport with a PASSION. I don't do it to hump boys! Their only concern is that I don't get injured, much like ANY wrestlers parents.

Edited February 10, 2006 by NorthwestWrestling112

[BigRedBlooded]

As a longtime wrestling fan but a newcomer to CoachT, I have to say this is the most interesting thread I've seen. My two cents:

 

While I'm a wrestling nut, many of my friends reject it out of hand. Occasionally I'll call one up and urge them to come to some big match I'm going to. I did this a few weeks ago with Baylor/McCallie. Two highest ranked teams in the state, bitter rivalry, decides seeding for state tournament, huge fevered crowd there for both sides, yadda yadda yadda. A great atmosphere for even a neophyte without connection to either team. The response from this graduate-school educated, reasonably progressive, open-minded guy? The same one I get from so many who haven't been around the sport: an eye-roll and assurances that he wasn't interested in watching sweaty teenage boys rolling around holding and grabbing onto each other in sexually-suggestive positions.

 

Outside of the wrestling-community bubble, this is not an uncommon response. And my answer to him was the same that all of you would have given him: "Dude, that's just STUPID. These are the toughest kids you'll ever meet, and if you think that there's anything sexual about a situation in which your muscles are on fire, your lungs feel like they've stopped working, there's sweat in your eyes and blood in your mouth while you're by yourself in front of the world trying desperately to win not just for yourself but for your teammates, your school, and your family, you're crazy or ignorant or both."

 

And, of course, we all know that to be true. We've got some real homophobes in the wrestling community, just like everywhere else. And yet, they don't seem to mind sending their 13-year-old out on the mat to roll around with another teenage boy in sexually-suggestive positions. Why? Because it's not a sexual environment. We know and expect our boy wrestlers not to be thinking of each other sexually when they wrestle, even though homosexuality is the most potent taboo left in our culture (particularly with teenage males), so it seems to me it's hard to argue that it is/should be a big issue if one of the wrestlers happens to be a girl.

 

To the ignorant masses, watching high school boy wrestling is unappealing or worse because they make the same assumptions some of us are making--or at least accepting--about coed wrestling.

 

In a perfect world, there would be full girl's leagues and full boy's leagues and this would be a moot concern. But my inclination in the meantime is to say that if a girl has the courage and the fortitude to have earned the right to walk out on a mat, her opponent (and his parents) should honor that by treating her as a wrestler, and not a girl.

[BigRedBlooded]

And, with all due respect, northwest's takedown of takedown3 is spot on. How silly to invoke Brokeback Mountain into this argument. For someone all worked up about Brokeback Mountain and it's inherent issues, look how much more sense takedown's post makes with a few tweaks (and spelling corrections):

 

"The fact that this is a topic is a comment on how confused early 21rst century American society is. It is only one of many reasons why our sons are under incredible societal pressures which in many cases are placed on them by their very confused parents.

 

But more to the point - it's just plain old every day perverted. But hey, Brokeback Mountain will win a pile of Oscars and Janet Jackson is considered to be entertaining. So I guess, considering what society will accept today as normative behavior, watching a teenage male perform a Saturday Night Ride on another teenage male in front of several hundred fans is not only acceptable but entertainment. And if his parents care that little about their son, why should the rest of us?"

[BayouBear]

Girls wrestling = Janet Jackson = Brokeback Mountain

 

All the same to me...wouldn't pay to see any of them.

[NorthwestWrestling112]

As a longtime wrestling fan but a newcomer to CoachT, I have to say this is the most interesting thread I've seen. My two cents:

 

While I'm a wrestling nut, many of my friends reject it out of hand. Occasionally I'll call one up and urge them to come to some big match I'm going to. I did this a few weeks ago with Baylor/McCallie. Two highest ranked teams in the state, bitter rivalry, decides seeding for state tournament, huge fevered crowd there for both sides, yadda yadda yadda. A great atmosphere for even a neophyte without connection to either team. The response from this graduate-school educated, reasonably progressive, open-minded guy? The same one I get from so many who haven't been around the sport: an eye-roll and assurances that he wasn't interested in watching sweaty teenage boys rolling around holding and grabbing onto each other in sexually-suggestive positions.

 

Outside of the wrestling-community bubble, this is not an uncommon response. And my answer to him was the same that all of you would have given him: "Dude, that's just STUPID. These are the toughest kids you'll ever meet, and if you think that there's anything sexual about a situation in which your muscles are on fire, your lungs feel like they've stopped working, there's sweat in your eyes and blood in your mouth while you're by yourself in front of the world trying desperately to win not just for yourself but for your teammates, your school, and your family, you're crazy or ignorant or both."

 

And, of course, we all know that to be true. We've got some real homophobes in the wrestling community, just like everywhere else. And yet, they don't seem to mind sending their 13-year-old out on the mat to roll around with another teenage boy in sexually-suggestive positions. Why? Because it's not a sexual environment. We know and expect our boy wrestlers not to be thinking of each other sexually when they wrestle, even though homosexuality is the most potent taboo left in our culture (particularly with teenage males), so it seems to me it's hard to argue that it is/should be a big issue if one of the wrestlers happens to be a girl.

 

To the ignorant masses, watching high school boy wrestling is unappealing or worse because they make the same assumptions some of us are making--or at least accepting--about coed wrestling.

 

In a perfect world, there would be full girl's leagues and full boy's leagues and this would be a moot concern. But my inclination in the meantime is to say that if a girl has the courage and the fortitude to have earned the right to walk out on a mat, her opponent (and his parents) should honor that by treating her as a wrestler, and not a girl.

 

Very good points... and BTW, just to let you know, I wasn't saying in my post that I think wrestling is in any way sexual, whether its girls or boys, I was just making a point, just so there is no confusion. Wrestling is the toughest sport there is, and the last thing that should be on anybody's mind, wrestlers or spectators, is sexual suggestion.

[allsaints]

I don't think they want your money, just don't file a law suit to prevent them from wresling. I would think most girl wreslters think that way. They really don't want or need your approval, just don't stop them from participating.

[walkenvol]

I remember when I was a high school freshman, by far the best looking girl in my grade challenged me to an arm wrestling contest in front of all my friends and killed me. It was humiliating.

C'mon, which of the baddest moms in wrestling was it?

[walkenvol]

OK, so what if there is a boy that really wants to go to GPS or a girl that really wants to go to McC? Is the answer, "there are plenty of other schools that accept boys/girls, go to one of those"? That's certainly a simple logical answer. But there again, there are plenty of other sports - play one of those.