12/22/24
February 06, 2006
Young lady wins state wrestling championship:
Michaela Hutchison joins her older brother Eli in capturing the state wrestling championship in her weight class (103lbs) by defeating Aaron Boss 1-0. She finished the season 41-4, with 33 pins.
It is nice to hear that there are ladies compeating against guys now instead of just againts other girls. Where I am from (Texas)The UIL only lets girls compeat againts girls. Now I do not see anything wrong in that. But when a girl becomes a state champ by only having two other girls in her weight class and then wants to throw it in a male wrestler's face. Thats where it gets me mad. Well my sister wrestled also and she did well for the time that she spent doing it. I just wish that the girls in Texas were able to wrestle againt the guys and have that chance to get better and go to college and then maybe represent our country. Well I have vented enough. Way to go Michaela! Keep up the good work
posted by TexWrestler149 at 06:42 PM on February 06, 2006
Congrats!! MICHAELA for your state title. I have a wrestling backgorund and would find it hard to wrestle a girl, although as a youth coach, I have seen girls wrestle boys and kick their ass. Keep up the good work. As for the men stating that girls should have their own league, if we were brought up where girls were wrestling, there wouldn't be a big deal about the sport. There would either be, boys vs. boys, co-ed, or girl vs. girl. I think you're doing a great job, don't let any of these comments discourage you. Go for the Gold, Girl.
posted by tdrbass at 08:36 PM on February 06, 2006
Oh, nonsense, donnychris. At my Judo club the teenage girls and teenage boys spar with one another with no problems. It's good for both of them, and if either the boys or girls have a problem with it, they need to get over it and grow up.
posted by rodgerd at 02:45 AM on February 07, 2006
She can take on other high schoolers but how would she fare against this guy?
posted by HATER 187 at 08:19 AM on February 07, 2006
Its a great story. I have seen girls that can handle themselves wrestling boys. For me, its just a moral issue. Girls just shouldn't be wrestling boys.
posted by daddisamm at 08:36 AM on February 07, 2006
What morality issues are involved in a athletic competition between boys and girls? Are you implying some sort of sexual situation? I really don't like the idea that if boys are uncomfortable with wrestling girls, then the result should be that the girls should be deprived of opportunities to wrestle. What kind of sense does that make? It sounds like it is a problem that some boys have and they should be the ones who must deal with it or face the consequences (i.e. missing opportunities to wrestle).
posted by bperk at 09:47 AM on February 07, 2006
I really don't like the idea that if boys are uncomfortable with wrestling girls, then the result should be that the girls should be deprived of opportunities to wrestle. Good point. I don't hear anyone complaining about boys wrestling other boys, and the fact that some of them might be gay.
posted by grum@work at 10:46 AM on February 07, 2006
What morality issues are involved in a athletic competition between boys and girls? Are you implying some sort of sexual situation? With high school and junior high age boys everything is a sexual situation.
posted by scottypup at 11:01 AM on February 07, 2006
I can tell you this, if I gotta wrestle a girl while she's on the rag and sweatin' hormones, well, she's got an avantage over me. Cause the smell gags me. I know it's suppose to turn me on and all that, but I was the guy who gave my girl her space during this time. I can see where a boy would not perform up to par during a match. He's gotta feel that he might hurt her. Guys don't feel that during competition with guys. To hurt is the goal. Pain weakens your opponent. I don't think it's a good idea. Hey, "grum", even gays are male. A straight guy would love to tie a gay wrestler into a knot. So what's your point?
posted by pokchop at 11:05 AM on February 07, 2006
Well put pokchop. Even gays are male.... wait, wtf are you talking about?
posted by tron7 at 11:18 AM on February 07, 2006
I was one of the first female wrestlers in MI (over 10 years ago) and I can tell you that absolutely, boys wrestle girls differently then they wrestle other boys, but they definitely don't go easier on them. Every single boy I wrestled tried that much harder in order to "not be beat by a girl". Their teammates gave 'em hell if I scored points, much less pinned them. And they would come back twice as hard just to avoid that. Now that I'm a boxer, I find the same thing happens. Sure...there are always some guys who are afraid to "hit a girl" but as soon as I catch 'em with an uppercut and left hook, they realize that I'm going to hit them so they may as well hit back.
posted by wendellw at 11:20 AM on February 07, 2006
A guy wrestling a girl is a loose loose situation for the guy. You win, so what you beat a girl, you loose well that's even worse. I totally dissagree with women competing in mens sports leagues. It's fine if its a coed league but men deserve the opportunity to compete against men only just like women do against women only. When the LPGA, or the WNBA or the WTA start letting men compete against women for the prizemoney, then I will agree women should be able to compete against the men. Women want it both ways and it's about time men stand up for their rights for a change. If someone like Michelle Wie wants to compete against the men, why can't Tiger Woods enter a prestigeous LPGA tournament? Plenty of money there. Seems fair to me. May the best player win. I wonder how many women will win any money if they really had fair and open competition against men. If it is fair and legitamate for women to keep men out of their competittions, then it is only fair for men to have the same right. Someday we might have women challenging for the heavyweight boxing title or playing in the NFL. Now wouldn't that be interesting? NAAAAAH
posted by Atheist at 01:16 PM on February 07, 2006
If someone like Michelle Wie wants to compete against the men, why can't Tiger Woods enter a prestigeous LPGA tournament? Sigh. It seems this gets debunked every 2 months... Tiger competes in the PGA. Professional Golfers Association. Michelle competes in the LPGA. Ladies Professional Golfers Association. Tom Watson competes in the Champions Tour (which was the Senior Professional Golfers Association). Tiger can only compete in the PGA. He is a professional golfer, but neither a lady nor a senior. Michelle can compete in the PGA (she's a professional golfer) and the LPGA (she's a lady). She cannot compete in the senior tour. Tom Watson can compete in the PGA (he's a professional golfer still) and the senior tour (he is considered a senior according to their rules), but can't compete in the LPGA (he is not a lady). If you complain about Michelle competing in the PGA, then you have to complain about Tom competing in the PGA. When Michelle gets old enough, then maybe she can compete in all three tours...
posted by grum@work at 01:42 PM on February 07, 2006
Someday we might have women challenging for the heavyweight boxing title or playing in the NFL. I see no reason why a team couldn't sign a female punter or place kicker.
posted by grum@work at 01:44 PM on February 07, 2006
Actually, if the boy won, he would have been state champs. That is hardly a lose-lose situation. Neither the NBA or the PGA are men-only leagues. While the WNBA and LPGA are gender-specific leagues. It would make your argument stronger if you knew what you were talking about. What grum said!
posted by bperk at 01:47 PM on February 07, 2006
No bperk, you didn't read what Atheist said. It's a loose-loose situation.
posted by Amateur at 02:27 PM on February 07, 2006
I stand corrected. I have no idea if it is a loose-loose situation.
posted by bperk at 02:59 PM on February 07, 2006
My point was that it is perfectably acceptable for women to discriminate against men by the creation of women only leagues. The fact that the established mens leagues did not specify in their title men only is mearly a technicality. But for the sake of argument, is it OK to prevent women if the men add to the title MPGA? Or MNFL or whatever. The fact that women find it perfectly acceptable to discriminate against men in their competittions but demand to be allowed to play in what is considered the mens tournaments is my point. Please don't try to argue semantics. In our society those who feel they have been discriminated against seem to believe reverse discrimination is OK as some sort of pay back. Well I think if it is acceptable to have a LPGA than a MPGA should be fine also. To stress the matter at a more taboo level, why is it OK to have a United Negro College Fund or Black Entertainment Awards Show but would be considered racist or offensive to have a United Caucasian College Fund or White Entertainment Awards Show? There is nothing equal about equality these days. True equality either prohibits the exclusion of someone on the basis of sex or allows it / for both sexes equally. For the record, I have no problem with open leagues for men or women. But I also have no problem if men or women want to have separate competitions. I just don't think a boy should be forced to wrestle against a woman if he is wrestling on a mens wrestling team.
posted by Atheist at 03:04 PM on February 07, 2006
The fact that the established mens leagues did not specify in their title men only is mearly a technicality. No, it's simply an indication that there are no limitations in place, and that the best competitors are allowed in the league without any restrictions. The WNBA/LPGA/WTA/etc say implicitly that they are an inferior league because they have restrictions on who can compete. It's their decision and they accept it. I just don't think a boy should be forced to wrestle against a woman if he is wrestling on a mens wrestling team. He wasn't wrestling on the men's wrestling team. He was wrestling on the school wrestling team. You'll notice that the championships are listed by weight-class, not by sex. Related side note: Men and women have been competing against each other in the Olympics for over 50 years. Lis Hartel (Denmark) won the silver medal in the Individual Dressage competition (equestrian) in 1952. It's been a mixed competition ever since. To stress the matter at a more taboo level, why is it OK to have a United Negro College Fund or Black Entertainment Awards Show but would be considered racist or offensive to have a United Caucasian College Fund or White Entertainment Awards Show? There is a United Negro College Fund because there is also a scholarship fund for children of Ford employees. Distinct groups of people identified by a common background like to provide for others of the same background. There is a Black Entertainment Awards show because there is also a Gemini Awards show (Canadian television). Distinct groups of people identified by a common background like to celebrate achievements by those of the same background.
posted by grum@work at 08:26 PM on February 07, 2006
I believe a young woman should think of her future. If she enjoys wrestling right now because of the success, fine. Wait till she gets in the bigger, tougher leagues of college, maybe she'll find getting whooped isn't worth the attention and she'll find something else to do, like use her mind instead.
posted by XY in YL at 12:21 PM on February 08, 2006
I cant wait til the first woman wants to step in the octagon with the likes of Chuck Liddel! Wait I know why that won't happen. Most states do not allow professional fights between men and womend due to the plain ol difference between men and women. Strenght, speed, hitting power, being designed to take more punishment. But I really dont have any problem when women compete aginst men. Most high schools just dont support women sports comparted to mens sports, so if I was a women I would head to where all the good coaches and equipment is, with the men.
posted by NHBfan at 05:43 AM on February 09, 2006
michaela, fantastic achievement. no more excuses for the boys. interviews with the boys she wrestled shows that they respected her abilities and hard work. i believe that a repercussion of her win will be more HS wrestling programs for girls. not for the old reasons of "girls will get hurt" but because parents/coaches will want to prevent the wake of emotionally injured boys that someone like michaela creates. btw, i wrestled many years and easily managed to avoid grabbing other wrestler's on the penis. arguments about problems with anatomy differences are overly exagerated. on the implied eroticism, fear tends to make any sort of arousal dissipate. not many boys stood across from michaela on the mat and didn't fear her for her abilities.
posted by gilthrax at 06:38 PM on February 09, 2006
For several years I covered high school wrestling as a reporter for a couple of newspapers and the issue of girls wrestling with boys was a hot topic at the time. While it's a great story that this girl won a title to go with her brother's title the fact of the matter is girls wrestling against boys just isn't good. I interviewed dozens of high school boys on this subject and not one of them said they could wrestle the same against a girl. Whether it was the fear of hurting her, or embarassment about where their hands were, or whatever, it changed their mindset. Unfortunately for the girls, I think this is a problem. I'm all for girls competing in sports with boys when there is no girls team in that sport, but the nature of high school hormones makes it hard for me to believe that it's a good idea in wrestling. Think about when you were 15, 16 or 17, and how hard it was just to talk to a girl, let alone get your hands on her. Now imagine at that age being asked to grab her pretty much anywhere and basically bend her almost until she breaks. The 25 to 30 year old in you says YEAH!!!! but as a high school boy that is NOT a good situation. So, great story but sorry, girls shouldn't be wrestling boys in high school.