USGWA Women's Team

[Guest ksweat]

I have never been on this forum before and I must say that I am absolutely speechless about some of the posts on the "Girls Wrestling" thread. I probably should've posted my opinions on that thread, but this post is actually about a women's team not about whether girls wrestling is right or wrong...However, I will give my opinion on that matter first.....

I wrestled Varsity for Cookeville High School. Cookeville is not a small school and my Varsity spot was by no means 'given' to me. I worked just as hard if not harder than most of the guys on my team. Wrestling is a sport - I am an athlete - I was taught to always train with intensity - that's what I do. A friend of mine wrestles in syracuse, ny. I trained with him over christmas break and now all he ever talks about is how he wishes he had someone to drill takedowns with that will drill like me. That's not because I'm a girl. That's because when I trained for Nationals coach Cook would make me train to the point I was almost in tears. That's just wrestling. If anyone would seriously like to comment on girl's wrestling as a redneck olympic activity, you seriously need to grow up...I just laughed at that one. I respect the opinions of people who don't like the girls v. guys thing, but I ask you to please respect mine.....When I get beat, it hurts. When I get beat by a girl, it hurts worse. The guys that I wrestled with in highschool expected me to win for my team. If I got beat by a guy that I shouldn't have, they would rag me. If I ever would've gotten beat by another girl in one of our matches, my boys would've given me the hardest time, just like they would each other...why? because I was a wrestler. and there have been guys that I beat that cried or even quit their team, but my question is this: were they really meant to be out there? wrestling is a mental sport...it takes an incredible athlete to stick with wrestling, if you can't take getting beat (even if it is by a girl) get off the mat. I don't wrestle anymore ...almost went to wrestle for Marion Military Institute but i got a full ride to ut -knox for ROTC and that's where I'm at now, but i miss wrestling like crazy. just this weekend watching my guys wrestle at regions...seeing sean cordell and quinn gibson...watching the intense match with matt morgan and jesse baker...those things gave me chills. Also, watching a guy have his senior season ended... that about killed me. honestly, one of the biggest pains i've EVER experienced was losing at regionals 10-7 in my match to place....my point is that i'm a wrestler...if you've ever wrestled before you know what i'm saying ...it stinks to lose and it feels good to win....and i've know some guys that say it feels good to beat me...it wasn't a lose-lose situation from them. if a girl is good and you beat her, then you beat a good wrestler. period.

So, i think girls wrestling guys is fine.... if i'm better than five guys in my weight class at my school, my coach would be crazy not to let me have the varsity spot just b/c i'm a girl. And my guys supported me when i wrestled.. i had to practice i had to cut weight. I was a captain for cookeville...we vote for captains...my guys supported me...the first year i won women's nationals they were at the county line waiting for me to get back from michigan at 2 in the morning with a banner and a police car...pretty cool.

my last point on this...i was a competitive wrestler at the national level for girls...I WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN AS SUCCESSFUL IF I HADN'T BEEN WRESTLING GUYS!!! Let your girls wrestle guys and then let them wrestle girls.....FEMALE WRESTLING IS A SPRING SPORT! When my season ended and the boys got to go eat whatever they wanted to and go home after school, I would go run after school and wait for coach cook to get done with spring football practice so we could work on my turns or my takedowns until 8:00 at night. But at nationals, you can tell which girls are the little sisters, the managers, the girlfriends...and which ones wrestled for their highschool team...

HONESTLY, i would love to see women's wrestling be an individual division....SOMEDAY...but for now there is not enough competition to limit these girls to who they compete with.

 

 

BUT FOR NOW...

i am willing to try to put together a team for women's wrestling to take to some USGWA Tournaments this spring...at least to the close ones and if anyone is interested we could go to nationals in michigan...i would go and coach if there was just one girl...my first year i went by myself and did just fine. I am excited to see women's wrestling growing, but it will take a lot of support, hard work and most importantly experience for these girls. Nothing is more important than some mat time with other girls this spring. I've contacted some of the girls from cookeville a while back and have heard from a few others as well. If anyone has any infomation on a female wrestlers in tennessee, please give me an email address or school name or something where i can get in contact with these girls. Female wrestling is growing tremendously in our country right now and there is no need for tn to fall behind...I have been to nationals and i know within a few years we can be competitive with michigan, cali, etc. But like i said before, the girls need to get on it.

And also, i want this to be a positive thing. This is solely for the girls...they deserve every opportunity they can get. and if anyone has a list of names and numbers of the soddy and redbank girls i would love to have a copy...

okay, my email is ksweat1@utk.edu

[Guest ksweat]

I have talked to miranda the 103 from mcminn. her and her father seem pretty gung-ho about everything. haven't heard much about the 119 though....

i would love to see what these soddy and red bank girls are like...i heard that the match between the two was just for a fundraiser for the boys (which, in my opinion is somewhat degrading, but i'm sure it wasn't intended to be viewed in that manner) but i also heard that this year they were actually training with the girls on a daily basis...if that is the case then some of the girls would be great for the team...

i know that there are alot of little sisters, managers, and girlfriends that love the sport, but are they interested in participating or just remaining as fans?

also, i need to talk with coach vandegriff at knox-halls, they used to have a few girls. and mcminn county and cumberland county did too. and i heard greenback has a tough girl at 103.

i guess, i'll wait to see who responds to this and try my best to get in tough with as many coaches/wrestlers as possible.

 

if all of the people that bashed girls wrestling guys on the "Girls Wrestling" thread really don't want females competing with males, they will support this women's team. if we do good in the next few years, get some coverage from chattanooga/knoxville/nashville newspapers then good things will start happening to the sport of women's wrestling

[Guest ksweat]

thanks for the info....i wasn't sure about halls. they used to have two girls on their team that weren't aloud to wrestle guys or something like that...coach v asked me to come down and wrestle one of them at an inschool match one time, but i wasn't sure if they were still wrestling or even still in highschool

[buckingbronco2]

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[Edited by dom730 on 2-13-03 9:18P]

[W4L]

Who said anything about wrestling those guys. All Kristie is trying to do is start up a women's wrestling team to compete nationally. I recommend that she do this. Look Women's wrestling is on the verge of becoming a reality in the state of Tennessee here in the future. We are looking at different ways to pumping more life into the sport. Hey Kristie, would you be willing to instruct a newbie in wrestling. I have a girl that was one of my managers on my middle school team this past year. She has been wanting to wrestle in my Kids Club as well but the parent issue just will not let it happen. Any type of help could be very beneficial in this circumstance...L8er!!!

[Guest ksweat]

I would definately take a new girl. Remember, I was a "newbie" myself just five years ago! There are alot of girls that their parents don't want them to wrestle guys but would be willing to let them wrestle girls. I would strongly recommend them wrestling guys during the season (because that will make them much better) but if not i would still love to work with them. what school does your girl wrestle for?

[obeyriver]

Bucko2 you must be worried about being bucked out of your spot on the team by one of these ladies in this sport. That is if YOU do.. or can... wrestle.

[Edited by obeyriver on 2-13-03 12:39P]

[W4L]

She'll be a freshman at Cleveland High next year. Right down the road from you...She's after me almost everyday about wrestling. But oh well we'll see...L8er!!!

[Guest ksweat]

The 2nd anual USGWA TN state open will be this sunday, 23 Feb at Seymore HS. I will be there to coach any girls that need me and to watch any girls that are interested in traveling with me in the next few weeks. I will mainly be there to take notes and see what all of you need to work on and what your strengths are in your style of wrestling. I hope all of you are working hard and finding some guys to drill with you. Hope to see all the girls I've been hearing about on Sunday?

 

Also, I need a contact with the cleveland girl, if anyone has her email address or phone number. My email is ksweat1@utk.edu