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Girl first to win state prep wrestling title over boys
ESPN.com ^ | 5 Feb 2006 | AP

Posted on 02/06/2006 6:26:31 AM PST by MikefromOhio

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Michaela Hutchison became the first girl in the nation to win a state high school wrestling title while competing against boys.

Hutchison won the final of the 103-pound weight class during Alaska's big school wrestling championships. The Skyview High sophomore entered the state tournament ranked No. 1 in her weight class.

Amid chants of "C'mon, Michaela" and "Girl power," Hutchison earned a 1-0 victory Saturday over Colony High School's Aaron Boss.

She scored an escape with 16 seconds left to beat Boss for the second time in two weeks. Family and friends mobbed Hutchison as she walked away from the mat with a bloody nose, while the crowd rose in a standing ovation.

(Excerpt) Read more at sports.espn.go.com ...


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: 103lbs; alaska; anchorage; athletes; champion; girlpower; girlsvboys; pwn3d; titleix; wrestling
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To: MikeinIraq
I agree that is the way it should be and clearly there is no shame in losing to someone with a record like the one in the story. Plus my experience is almost 20 years old now so things may have changed.

Still, it is kids we are dealing with and they sometimes do overreact to things like the guy you mentioned who dumped someone on their head or the guy I knew who quit after he lost as a freshman. How many folks have made jokes on this thread about wrestling a woman in for lack of a better phrase a different context? Those kind of issues all get magnified when you have a bunch of teenagers running around with parents ready to sue at the drop of the hat.

Sigh, I guess I am getting old fashioned (or pessimistic) in my old age. Still a great accomplishment by her, hope she continues with the sport.
61 posted on 02/08/2006 2:02:02 PM PST by Steelerfan
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To: Steelerfan

yeah...

it all depends on the kids I guess.

Generally from what I remember, the kids and the parents tended to be more conservative in their approach. That generally would preclude any lawsuits.

Also, the coaches made it very clear to Rebecca's (the girl that was wrestling on my team) parents about what could happen (the kid dropping her on her head, injury potential) and would happen (physical contact). She was ok with it and looked to it as a challenge, not a hinderance.


62 posted on 02/08/2006 2:04:42 PM PST by MikefromOhio
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To: DainBramage

I think I was 103 lbs for a few minutes, several decades ago. :-)


63 posted on 02/08/2006 2:06:53 PM PST by HitmanLV (Listen to my demos for Savage Nation contest: http://www.geocities.com/mr_vinnie_vegas/index.html)
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To: MikeinIraq

"And I also wrestled in the 275 lb weight class at 198 lbs and got my arse handed to me"

Ouch. My wife's brother did the same thing for his team because they did not have a heavyweight. He got the team's MVP award and a back injury that still occasionally bothers him.

I am probably being too pessimistic about this and in general the more people that participate in the sport the better. That having been said, I was one class up from my friend back then and I am still very glad I was not the one that had to wrestle her.

Stacy Kiebler on the other hand....




64 posted on 02/08/2006 2:10:35 PM PST by Steelerfan
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To: Steelerfan
Anyone remember Andy Kaufman the first Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion?
65 posted on 02/08/2006 2:17:00 PM PST by steelyourfaith
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To: steelyourfaith

LOL, I was looking for a picture of Andy to post.


66 posted on 02/08/2006 2:18:41 PM PST by Beowulf
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To: Steelerfan

LOL

well before the 1st elbow dislocation, I was set to go into the season as the 189 lb slot guy. After that and the 4 weeks of rehab, the guy who came down from 215 to wrestle there was on a hot streak and I couldn't beat him in a wrestle off. The guy who came down from Heavy to 215 hadn't lost, so I said that I would just bite the bullet and wrestle the Heavies.

Sometimes the guy I was wrestling was a fat turd and I would be able to outlast him. But being in Ohio, there were just too many good wrestlers out there in the heavyweight divison and I got stomped on more than I wanted too.

the coaches generally wouldn't allow me to wrestle heavy if I weighed less than 200 but I would weight in with all my clothes and shoes on after eating a huge thing of pasta or something.


67 posted on 02/08/2006 2:21:06 PM PST by MikefromOhio
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To: Beowulf

Yeah, but this girl actually has talent, whereas Andy had none.



68 posted on 02/08/2006 2:51:58 PM PST by Steelerfan
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To: MikeinIraq

Making weight, the worst part of wrestling. Oh well, I was more cut out for debate anyhow.

Stay well.


69 posted on 02/08/2006 2:52:48 PM PST by Steelerfan
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To: Steelerfan

LOL

I loved it :)


70 posted on 02/08/2006 2:54:12 PM PST by MikefromOhio
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To: Steelerfan
>wasn't she managing as opposed to actually wrestling?

She has been doing
a bit of everything. But
mostly just standing . . .

Which isn't that bad.
They've put a bunch of her clips
up for pay-per-view--


71 posted on 02/08/2006 3:35:54 PM PST by theFIRMbss
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To: pissant

"She takes a spot from some boy who likely worked his tail off to get to the level he is, and now is no longer on the team. It's nothing but PCism run amok"

That's a meritocracy.

PCism would be allowing boys to be on girls teams. Ridiculous.

But for the rare girl/woman who can compete at the highest level, which is men's sports, that female deserves the opportunity to excell.


72 posted on 02/08/2006 4:19:31 PM PST by dervish (Osama, please hold, I'm trying to reach a FISC judge)
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To: MikeinIraq

Since I always thought sports in school was in part about building character, I suggest the lesson for the male who loses to a female would be valuable.


73 posted on 02/08/2006 4:22:08 PM PST by dervish (Osama, please hold, I'm trying to reach a FISC judge)
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To: dervish

it's the way I always viewed it.....


74 posted on 02/08/2006 4:23:41 PM PST by MikefromOhio (Brokeback Mountain: The ONLY western where the Cowboys GET IT IN THE END!!!)
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To: dervish

I disagree. How about the rare boy who has some physical handicap that would allow him to make a womens slowpitch team but not the boys baseball team. Or the boy who is only 5'2" who could excel in girls Basketball but not in the boys.

PCism is bending the rules to allow a female placekicker on the football team (there are no other opportunities for female kickers) but not an effeminate boy who likes to wear skirts and is a heckuva a cheerleader onto the cheer squad. If both are acceptable to you fine, but I think its silly.


75 posted on 02/08/2006 4:44:10 PM PST by pissant
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To: Steelerfan; pissant
Girls wrestling boys in middle/high school is wrong. (IMHO)

My oldest (son) just finished his wrestling season at the middle school level. I witnessed in his schools meets that there were about 10 girls, from different schools, out for the sport.

My son wrestled one girl and pinned her in about 20 seconds. I've witnessed the one girl on his team have a .500 season. All the girls I saw were very courageous, however, the overall experience ranged from sad to gross.

At a time in life (adolescences) when boys and girls are dealing with hormone surges and what their place is in society, wrestling is definately something I would never allow my daughter to do.

Problems that I see...

Boys at that age have self esteem issues.
Boys at that age are beginning to feel the pressure of sexual attraction.
Beating a girl in wrestling does nothing to boost his skills or self confidence.
Losing to a girl in wrestling can seriously set back a boys self confidence.
Developing a physically aggressive attitude toward girls.
Teaching boys to physically dominate a girl.

Why a parent would allow their precious daughter to undergo what would pass as sexual assault any place else, stuns me. Hands and faces shoved into crotches, arms thrown across faces with the intent of bloodying noses, etc. It's tough to watch my son undergo this sport, but I understand the thrill of that victory on the mat brings. When its just two boys, there is nothing sexual about it. Add a girl and you get sexual innuendos added.

Add it all up, and I see NO good thing coming from putting girls into boys Middle/High School wrestling.
76 posted on 02/08/2006 5:40:41 PM PST by ScubieNuc
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To: dervish

see post #76


77 posted on 02/08/2006 7:14:51 PM PST by ScubieNuc
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To: ScubieNuc

I saw it but I disagree.

Sports coaches say it is girls not boys who lack self esteem. Boy's coaches describe having to deflate egos while girl's coaches have to build them up.

Girl's share the ball; boys take the big shot. Learning to handle loss is a life lesson too. Learning to respect women on their merits is important. Ditto dealing with your sexuality.

Further, given that what I am suggesting is purely merit based, relatively few would qualify.


78 posted on 02/08/2006 8:43:56 PM PST by dervish (Go New York Press!)
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To: dervish
"Sports coaches say it is girls not boys who lack self esteem. Boy's coaches describe having to deflate egos while girl's coaches have to build them up."

While I am not an expert on teen age self esteem, I would say that all teenagers deal with issues of low self-esteem. I would imagine that boys and girls deal with it in different ways, however.

Your statement, though, adds to my arguement based on my own personal observations. All of the girls I saw wrestle, were humiliated in their loses. Most of the loses were not even close. Mostly pins. Add to that having some boy pining your daughter with his crotch in her face, how does that build a girls self-esteem?

I have two sons and one daughter. My daughter, in many ways, is more daring and athletic then my boys, but I would never allow her to wrestle, even if I knew that she would trounce most of her opponents. Her sport, right now is riding horses. She has fun, is disciplined, and has gained alot of self confidence.

The point is that girls and boys in Middle/High School are in a development stage. Not everything is beneficial if you pit boys against girls. Wrestling is a very unique sport. It's not anything like basketball, hockey, soccer, or even horseback riding. It is very up close and physical. The only place that girls wrestling MIGHT have some kind of merit, would be just girls wrestling girls. Even that creates some weird images though, but at least it would be treated like the other sports.
79 posted on 02/08/2006 9:10:20 PM PST by ScubieNuc
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To: dervish
Your response reminded me of something else....I never once saw a female wrestling coach!

Now I realize that not all girl sports coaches are women but don't you think that having a male coach showing your daughter wrestling moves is a bit creepy. After all, all the wrestling coaches I know, get on the mat with their wrestlers and demonstrate the moves.

While I agree with you that sports is a good way to teach many good things, the overall good must be looked at also. Your response ignores all the other negative effects of girls wrestling boys.

Sportsmanship, goal setting, discipline, and all the other things that wrestling offers to boys can be obtained for girls in other sports. Why put your daughter through something that she doesn't need to, to learn something that she can get somewhere else?
80 posted on 02/08/2006 9:59:03 PM PST by ScubieNuc
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