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
(Excerpt) Read more at pbs.org ...
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.
As per your claim of straw dog #1, please refer to post # 22.
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. . . ).
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.
What you say sound good in theory but what are most boys taught from an early age.
Its not OK to hit girls, There are places you dont 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.
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.
I believe we are talking about amateur wrestling and not professional sports here....
Remember how big the womans NBA was to be? don't hear much about it anymore.
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.
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!
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!
so you are equating amatuer wrestling to professional wrestling?
LOL, they couldnt be any farther opposite.....
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.
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
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.
A no win situation.
That depends on what the definition of win is.
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