A girl on the wrestling team
Mon Nov 29, 2004 1:52 am
Tomorrow is the first day of winter sports at my school, and westling is one of the options. My brother has been on the wrestling team at his school since he was in 8th grade (he's a senior in highschool now) so I've gotten to know the sport a bit, and I'm kind of fond of it. So I thought I would try out for wrestling when the time came. But then I heard the coach say in a presentation on wrestling that girls could not wrestle boys, and could only be on the team if there were enough girls, and that this had happened once. I can't imagine that girls would not be allowed to be on the team, so I think I may have imagined that they couldn't be on the team at all, but I have no idea why they aren't allowed to wrestle boys.
There are 5 girls on my brother's wrestling team this year, and they all wrestle boys.
The US sent 4 women to the Olympics in wrestling, and all of them had to wrestle boys in middle and high school.
Those are the only arguments I have to make so far, and I was wondering whether anyone knew anything else about girls wrestling for me to bring up in my case against the school. Or if you just have support, that would be nice too.
There are 5 girls on my brother's wrestling team this year, and they all wrestle boys.
The US sent 4 women to the Olympics in wrestling, and all of them had to wrestle boys in middle and high school.
Those are the only arguments I have to make so far, and I was wondering whether anyone knew anything else about girls wrestling for me to bring up in my case against the school. Or if you just have support, that would be nice too.
Mon Nov 29, 2004 2:30 am
Maybe the coach thinks it isn't a great idea for girls to be wrestling boys, because boys might be more agressive. But it's not really a great arguement because they put you in different weight classes and everything.
I'd try out if I were you. If the coach doesn't let you then maybe you can appeal to the principal or someone like that.
I'd try out if I were you. If the coach doesn't let you then maybe you can appeal to the principal or someone like that.
Mon Nov 29, 2004 7:53 pm
Statisically speaking, a boy of the same mass as you is likely to be stronger. No matter what we say, in general, boys are stronger than girls. The boys gain an advantage over you already.
If you feel like you could handle wrestling boys, good on you. But I know that I wouldn't want to!
The way that wrestling is, a boy could seriously harm you in a way that would be less likely to happen if you were wrestling against a girl, because boys do not have a great perception of girls bodies and what hurts them. [/quote]
If you feel like you could handle wrestling boys, good on you. But I know that I wouldn't want to!
The way that wrestling is, a boy could seriously harm you in a way that would be less likely to happen if you were wrestling against a girl, because boys do not have a great perception of girls bodies and what hurts them. [/quote]
Tue Nov 30, 2004 2:15 am
It turns out that the girls can't wrestle boys rule comes from the administration, and the coach would be happy to let me wrestle boys, but he's not allowed to.
And yeah, boys are by default stronger than girls, it's true, but I've done Judo and grappling in Tae Kwon Do before, and I faced (and sometimes beat) boys. I think boys mainly have more upper body strength than girls (certainly more than me) and girls, in turn, have their strength centered lower. But the thing is, wrestling isn't all about strength. There's also agility, technique, and timing, which anyone can learn.
So anyway, I started this topic before school, and I'm writing this afterward, and I did get to go to practice, but I didn't practice on anyone. I got to run and stretch and do push-ups, and watch. The coach told me to try and find other girls to be on the team so I could wrestle, and because the turnout was tiny. I hope I can convince at least one other person.
And yeah, boys are by default stronger than girls, it's true, but I've done Judo and grappling in Tae Kwon Do before, and I faced (and sometimes beat) boys. I think boys mainly have more upper body strength than girls (certainly more than me) and girls, in turn, have their strength centered lower. But the thing is, wrestling isn't all about strength. There's also agility, technique, and timing, which anyone can learn.
So anyway, I started this topic before school, and I'm writing this afterward, and I did get to go to practice, but I didn't practice on anyone. I got to run and stretch and do push-ups, and watch. The coach told me to try and find other girls to be on the team so I could wrestle, and because the turnout was tiny. I hope I can convince at least one other person.
Tue Nov 30, 2004 3:06 am
Ahh, that stinks. Your administration is probably like that for your own safety, because they feel that the guys woud probably hurt the girls because we're supposed to be all dainty and stuff. And it's a known fact that men have more upperbody strength than woman (we get it all in the knees and stuff ;D)
Hope you can find someone to wrestle ya
Hope you can find someone to wrestle ya
Sun Dec 05, 2004 1:25 am
Base wrote:
And yeah, boys are by default stronger than girls, it's true, but I've done Judo and grappling in Tae Kwon Do before
Teehee, I do Tae Kwon Do^__^ And I spar against guys, but they often have the advantage, even if they have lower belts, because I'm fairly small >.<
Hmm, my school's wrestling team has at least one girl on it, but I'm afraid I'm not sure if she wrestles boys or not. But I doubt that most coaches would want to stop girls from joining...They could very easily lose their job because of discrimination. Would you not be able to simply wrestle other girls though? o.O;
Sun Dec 05, 2004 3:46 am
At my school girls and boys wrestle and I would just find that a little uncomfortable not only during the match but socialy when and if a boy lost to the girl. I'm not sexest but I find that girls should wrestle girls and boys should wrestle boys.
Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:14 am
the_mongoose2020 wrote:At my school girls and boys wrestle and I would just find that a little uncomfortable not only during the match but socialy when and if a boy lost to the girl. I'm not sexest but I find that girls should wrestle girls and boys should wrestle boys.
Uncomfortable? Why? Because boys are suppose to be stronger then girls? It's true that boys are usually stronger then girls, but aren't you paired to people at the same level you're at? So it seems like gender shouldn't matter.
Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:20 am
I think people would be uncomfortable because wrestling seems a lot more intimate than it is, and boys might feel wierd having to roll around on the ground with a girl, even though it is just a sport.
And see the reason I couldn't really wrestle other girls was because there were no other girls who were wrestling. But now one of my friends is on the team because her mom finaly consented to let her. I have one person to wrestle, hoorah.
And see the reason I couldn't really wrestle other girls was because there were no other girls who were wrestling. But now one of my friends is on the team because her mom finaly consented to let her. I have one person to wrestle, hoorah.
Tue Dec 07, 2004 3:18 am
Base wrote:I think people would be uncomfortable because wrestling seems a lot more intimate than it is, and boys might feel wierd having to roll around on the ground with a girl, even though it is just a sport.
Oh that's true, I didn't think of that.
I guess the mention of sexism just set me off. 
It's cool that your friend is on the team now. Hopefully you can get more girls to join, too.
Tue Dec 07, 2004 11:28 pm
Well,I don't know if this really has any relation to this,but it involves a girl on a boy's team..
Last year,there was a girl or two on an opposing football team,one tackled and brought down one of out biggest players.*shrug*
It probabally is foryour safety,hope you find more girls
Last year,there was a girl or two on an opposing football team,one tackled and brought down one of out biggest players.*shrug*
It probabally is foryour safety,hope you find more girls
Wed Dec 08, 2004 5:04 pm
It is indeed for your safety!
I know you're disappointed, but there really is no need to get offended because your school are just being sensible. If you got badly injured wrestling a boy, what would happen then? People would say "Oh, she shouldn't have been wrestling boys."
I know you're disappointed, but there really is no need to get offended because your school are just being sensible. If you got badly injured wrestling a boy, what would happen then? People would say "Oh, she shouldn't have been wrestling boys."
Wed Dec 15, 2004 1:02 am
Igg wrote:It is indeed for your safety!
Or for that of the boys. You don't know Base.
Sun Dec 19, 2004 9:32 pm
A simliar thing happened at my high school.
They wouldn't let the girls play rugby with the lads.
In the end our rugby coah caved in and lets us have girls rugby training.
We couldn't have any matches though because no other school in our area had a girls team the same age.
My rugby coach loved me, he always said I was better than most of the lads team
I would wrestle with guys, I do with my mates.
We had a wrestling match round my house last year and it took 2 guys who are bigger than me to pin me down for 3.
They wouldn't let the girls play rugby with the lads.
In the end our rugby coah caved in and lets us have girls rugby training.
We couldn't have any matches though because no other school in our area had a girls team the same age.
My rugby coach loved me, he always said I was better than most of the lads team
I would wrestle with guys, I do with my mates.
We had a wrestling match round my house last year and it took 2 guys who are bigger than me to pin me down for 3.
Thu Dec 30, 2004 9:51 pm
I still don't understand that safety issue. I sparred and grappled boys during Tae Kwon Do, so how is this much different? I'm still only wrestling my friend, which does get old after a while. And, though I'm not complaining, we both had to wear shirts under out singlets at our only meet so far because there was only one kind of singlet, the kind for boys 
. Still, we get to train with the team and miss half an hour of our last period class for away meets with the team and get stronger with the team. It's fun, but I still wish I could wrestle the boys. It'd be nice to have more than one opponent.
. Still, we get to train with the team and miss half an hour of our last period class for away meets with the team and get stronger with the team. It's fun, but I still wish I could wrestle the boys. It'd be nice to have more than one opponent.
Last edited by Base on Sun Jan 02, 2005 9:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.