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GIRL WRESTLER: Should girls and boys should be able to wrestle on the same mat?
Independent Lens / PBS ^ | 12/17/2004 | Diane Zander

Posted on 12/19/2004 12:59:24 AM PST by 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


(Excerpt) Read more at pbs.org ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: cauliflowerear; ringworm; sports; title9; titleix; wrestling
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To: BOOTSTICK
girls stick to the field hockey and softball, and leave the real sports to the men.

Well, I don't agree with that -- girls can and should play any sport they want to -- it's just that in contact sports men and women mixing isn't really a good idea -- the furthest you can go is soccer. Tennis etc are fine for men-women pairings. If girls want to wrestle, that's ok, as long as it's with each other -- elseways it gets too awkward for the guys (I have no doubts some girls could do it pretty well but there'd always be the thought that the guys weren't given their 100% against her)
41 posted on 12/19/2004 2:51:51 AM PST by Cronos (Never forget 9/11)
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To: quietolong

My son's last year wrestling was 4 years ago, but we saw exactly what you're talking about several times. I think your summary of the issues is pretty good.

In many cases, wrestlers would forfeit rather than wrestle a girl. I really is just a bad deal all around.


42 posted on 12/19/2004 2:58:38 AM PST by FreedomPoster
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To: Mr Rogers

As per your claim of straw dog #1, please refer to post # 22.


43 posted on 12/19/2004 3:00:42 AM PST by BOOTSTICK (MEET ME IN KANSAS CITY)
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To: Larry Lucido

Wrestling is a *lot* more "intimate" than judo ever thought about being. I really just don't think mixed-gender martial wrestling is a good idea (martial as opposed to recreational, if you get my drift. . . ).


44 posted on 12/19/2004 3:01:30 AM PST by FreedomPoster
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To: Mr Rogers

Again -- I'm not opposed to girls playing any sport they like -- including wrestling. I just don't think they should play contact sports with the guys -- it puts the guys in the spot and, in my opinion, at a disadvantage.


45 posted on 12/19/2004 3:03:16 AM PST by Cronos (Never forget 9/11)
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To: HitmanNY

What you say sound good in theory but what are most boys taught from an early age.
It’s not OK to hit girls, There are places you don’t touch a girl & so on....
So now you take young boys and put them on the mat with a girl.
Were do you grab them? If you watch the story. You can see some of the boys trying to answer this. When they would normally do a quick clamp around the chest. There hesitating and pulling on the arms.
Remember were talking about 7 & up here.


46 posted on 12/19/2004 3:07:05 AM PST by quietolong
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To: Cronos
I don't care for all this Title 9 crap, let's face it there are some sports for the girls, but in general sports are within the realm of manly things. This is the reason most will not pay good money to see a girl hit a softball 230 feet, but will pay good money to see a man hit a baseball 440 feet. Just as when girls gymnastics go up against the NFL on the TV guess who more people are going to watch?
47 posted on 12/19/2004 3:07:08 AM PST by BOOTSTICK (MEET ME IN KANSAS CITY)
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To: Mr Rogers

You can squash a guy's eyeballs in or knee him in the groin. Its not for the faint of heart but its your life or the bad guy's, its no time to be squeamish.


48 posted on 12/19/2004 3:15:16 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: BOOTSTICK

I believe we are talking about amateur wrestling and not professional sports here....


49 posted on 12/19/2004 3:16:03 AM PST by MikefromOhio (22 days until I can leave Iraq and stop selling hotdogs in Baghdad....and boycotting boycotts)
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To: BOOTSTICK

Remember how big the womans NBA was to be? don't hear much about it anymore.


50 posted on 12/19/2004 3:16:41 AM PST by quietolong
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To: BOOTSTICK
Reality is martial arts will only give the female a false sense of security,

That"false" sense of security will go far to protect a woman on the street. She radiates confidence and that will deter most assailants alone.Skill with a piece and carrying is the gold standard, though.

51 posted on 12/19/2004 3:16:49 AM PST by ThanhPhero ( Nguoi di hanh huong den La Vang)
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To: MikeinIraq

The point being is that girls want to invade the sports of men, because thats where all the action, and money , and endorsements are, because folks are watching mens sports in general, unless there is some young hottie on the tennis courts!


52 posted on 12/19/2004 3:20:31 AM PST by BOOTSTICK (MEET ME IN KANSAS CITY)
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To: BOOTSTICK; quietolong

Ref post 22 - "Hey - Sarah Michelle Gellar, who has a martial arts black belt showed even girls can take on big guys. If you've seen her on Buffy you know what I mean."

I assumed that was in jest. If serious, it would be frightening - like quoting a Charlie's Angels movie! Of course, I also hate it when the hero is punched hard enough to knock him across the room & through a door, and he jumps up fighting. Physics suggests a blow like that would shatter his face and possibly leave him a mumbling idiot for the rest of his life. Rates right up there with guys who hide behind drywall in a shootout!


53 posted on 12/19/2004 3:20:55 AM PST by Mr Rogers
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To: BOOTSTICK

so you are equating amatuer wrestling to professional wrestling?

LOL, they couldnt be any farther opposite.....


54 posted on 12/19/2004 3:23:02 AM PST by MikefromOhio (22 days until I can leave Iraq and stop selling hotdogs in Baghdad....and boycotting boycotts)
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To: quietolong
The on the same mat structure of the headline is absolutely stupid. No one, to the best of my knowledge, is saying that girls wrestling girls and boys wrestling boys have to do it on different mats. The issue is not the same mat, the issue is should girls and boys be wrestling each other. That awkward structure was chosen to spin the issue...begging for that 'of course they should be allowed to wrestle on the same mat' response.

From semi personal experience, I say no. I was far to big, but one of my good friends had to face a girl. He was 123 at the time I believe. He agonized over it for several days...very seriously considered throwing it. He eventually decided to just go and do his best like any other opponent. He pinned her at about 45 seconds. She then accused him of 'inappropriate touching' with claims he was fondling her. I felt so sorry for him.

55 posted on 12/19/2004 3:23:52 AM PST by blanknoone (The two big battles left in the War on Terror are against our State dept and our media.)
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To: Larry Lucido
When I took martial arts as an adult, my practice opponents were often women. I don't see the big deal, but I'm sure there will be plenty of opinions.

I took a Tae Kwon Do class in college, and the instructor insisted on co-ed sparring. I was the girls' most popular sparring partner. I was raised that you NEVER raise a hand against a woman. NEVER! All I could ever do was just try to cover up and not get hit too badly for three minutes. Most guys didn't want to spar with me after that, because I would be in a really nasty mood...

Mark

56 posted on 12/19/2004 3:27:32 AM PST by MarkL (Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. But it rocks absolutely, too!)
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To: goldstategop

Actually, both are much harder than they look. Most people will turn away in time to prevent a proper eyeball squash - miss by an inch and you'll hit bone instead- and the knee to the groin usually hits thigh muscle. You would be surprised at how few guys will stand there with their legs spread apart waiting for a groin shot.


57 posted on 12/19/2004 3:27:43 AM PST by Mr Rogers
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To: MarkL
Gellar has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She wanted to use her martial arts training for the show and it showed. I believe she did almost all of her own stunts in the seven seasons Buffy was on the air.
58 posted on 12/19/2004 3:30:56 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: MikeinIraq
Plenty of pro wrestlers started in the amateur ranks. And maybe there are some females who think they could get into the pro's by actually being wrestlers as opposed to silicone pumped models.
59 posted on 12/19/2004 3:31:03 AM PST by BOOTSTICK (MEET ME IN KANSAS CITY)
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To: quietolong

A no win situation.

That depends on what the definition of “win” is.

60 posted on 12/19/2004 3:32:14 AM PST by SkyPilot
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