GIRL WRESTLER: Should girls and boys should be able to wrestle on the same mat?

Independent Lens / PBS ^ | 12/17/2004 | Diane Zander

[quietolong]

Girl Wrestler

Texas teenager Tara Neal insists that girls and boys should be able to wrestle on the same mat.

Filmmaker Diane Zander follows Neal through the last year in which state guidelines allow her to wrestle boys.

It's a year filled with family conflict, pressure to cut weight and fierce policy debates over Title IX, which grants women's athletics proportionality in public schools

Link to show

[rogers21774]

Looks to me like he already won.

[Always Independent]

I'd say as a former HS middle weight wrestler that it should be ok to let the girls compete. Of course I did this over thirty years ago. Never had to wrestle a girl before but the way I saw it is that you step out on the mat with me at your own risk. I never tried to intentionaly hurt someone but pain has always been one of the great determiners in this sport, and many legal holds could get quite uncomfortable. AS long as they know what they are in for and not given any breaks. It will be harder for the boys though, if they feel their self esteem at stake.

One thing more for the girls. Earings will never look good on a cauliflower ear and they don't go away.

[endthematrix]

I see BOOTSTICK is no longer with us - so sad.

[endthematrix]

I jumped threads and failed to notice the date. Here is a current update of the discussion:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1399347/posts

[cajun-jack]

still in school and had a baby....guess she got pinned at least once didn't she?

[Rca2000]

I read this thing, and had a few observations.FIRST-- If women want to wrestle with men, OK-- IF it is fair, and I do NOT mean "fair", from a feminist prospective(where any sort of physical contact would be considered as assault, or such). As the old saying goes, "you want to play the game , better know the rules!! Once on the mat, NO preferential treatment should be given-- otherwise, the girl will always win, due to a "rigged" outcome. What kind of sport is that?

Second-- I am all for women doing whatever they can, to protect themselves, against sexual predators, and assailants. I mean, maybe it won't work in every case, but better to have some defense, than none at all-- just like an MDS system, that can get 60-90% of incoming warheads, is better than none at all. IMHO a gun is the best protection, but self-confidence, proper awareness, an such, will go a long way, toward not becoming a victim. Perhaps SOME on this board think that martial arts is a waste of time, but I don't -- most rapists ARE looking for an easy target, and if a woman can protect themselves, they will probably run away.

And finally, I have not wrestled many women me and my sister pushed each other around a few times-- 20 years ago, she could take me, but not nowdays. And ,I once had a female friend, challenge me to wrestle her, and at the time, (1986) I was a lot smaller, lighter, and she was very athletic. I don't know if she would had taken me or not, cause I was too stupid to take her hints, and was focused on another, who didn't give a #### about me........

[R. Scott]

A no win situation. If you win. You beat up a girl. If you lose. You got beat by a girl.

That might be the biggest point.

[R. Scott]

Reality is martial arts will only give the female a false sense of security, a 105 lb female will be no match for a 250 lb assailant.

Maybe not, but a well trained 140 pound woman will be a match for an untrained 180 pound assailant. Few adult women weigh in at 105, and few bad guys weigh in at a muscled 250.