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Wrestling longevity


Mike Parrish

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I've been looking at this topic for a while on the women's side.

In 2015, this was the ASICS All American scene.

https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2015/July/16/ASICS-names-2015-Girls-High-School-All-American-Team

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2015 ASICS® GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING TEAM
Light (100-121 pounds); Middle (122-140 pounds); Upper (141 pounds and above)

First Team (alphabetically)
Teshya Alo, junior, Honolulu, HI, Kamehameha High School, light
Marizza Birrueta, senior, Grandview, WA, Grandview High School, light
Alexis Bleau, junior, Schoharie, NY, Schoharie High School, upper
McKayla Campbell, sophomore, Wauseon, OH, Wauseon High School, light
Gabrielle Garcia, senior, Anaheim, CA, Valencia High School, light
Ronna Heaton, sophomore, Brookings, SD, Brookings High School, light
Alyssa LaFrancis, senior, Vista, CA, Rancho Buena Vista High School, upper
Becka Leathers, senior, Choctaw, OK, Choctaw High School, middle
Maya Nelson, senior, Denver, CO, Denver East High School, middle
Dominique Parrish, senior, Scotts Valley, CA, Scotts Valley High School, light
Kendall Reusing, senior, Riverside, CA, La Sierra High School, upper
Jessika Rottier, senior, Little Suamico, WI, North Pulaski High School, middle
Kenya Spencer, junior, Caro, MI, Caro High School, upper
Rachel Watters, junior, Ankeny, IA, Ballard High School, upper

Second Team (alphabetically)
Rachel Bridges, sophomore, Keller, TX, Timbercreek High School, upper
Naomi Chavez, junior, Amarillo, TX, Caprock High School, light
Grace Figueroa, freshman, Sanger, CA, Selma High School, light
Cierra Foster, sophomore, Post Falls, ID, Post Falls High School, light
Skylar Grote, junior, Newton, NJ, Blair Academy, upper
Hanna Jewell, senior, Goodrich, MI, Goodrich High School, light
Sariyah Jones, junior, Modesto, CA, James C. Enoch High School, light
Alexandria Liles, freshman, Allen, TX, Allen High School, middle
Alleida Martinez, freshman, Selma, CA, Selma High School, light
Ashlyn Ortega, freshman, Pueblo, CO, Pueblo South High School, middle
Theresa Rankin, junior, Grass Lake, MI, Grass Lake High School, light
Taylor Rosario, junior, Katy, TX, Cinco Rancho High School, upper
Koral Sugiyama, senior, Pocatello, ID, Pocatello High School, middle
Desiree Zavala, junior, Grandview, WA, Grandview High School, middle

Third Team (alphabetically)
Brittany Bates, junior, Doyline, LA, Doyline High School, light
Marina Briceno, senior, Simi Valley, CA, Royal High School, upper
Arian Carpio, senior, Federal Way, WA, Beamer High School, middle
Hailey Cox, freshman, Mapleton, UT, Maple Mountain High School, light
Jessica DeHart, senior, Hood River, OR, Hood River Valley High School, light
Emily Huerta, sophomore, Centralia, WA, Centralia High School, upper
Katarina Lobsinger, senior, Concord, CA, Northgate High School, upper
Ricki Liang, senior, Vallejo, CA, Jesse Bethel High School, middle
Kayla Marano, sophomore, Tulsa, OK, Sapulpa High School, middle
Jackie Quinones, senior, South El Monte, CA, Arroyo High School, upper
Brenda Reyna, sophomore, Mount Vernon, WA, Mount Vernon High School, light
Harmony Roberts, senior, Ukiah, CA, Ukiah High School, light
Tatum Sparks, senior, Othello, WA, Othello High School, middle
Lakiyah Wagoner, junior, Van Nuys, CA, Birmingham High School, upper

Honorable Mention (alphabetically)
Vayle Baker, freshman, Benton, PA, Benton High School, light
Alyssa Barredo, senior, Walnut, CA, Walnut High School, light
Jordyn Bartelson, junior, Puyallup, WA, Puyallup High School, middle
Sierra Blasone, senior, Sussex, NJ, Sparta High School, light
Felicity Bryant, sophomore, Amarillo, TX, Tascosa High School, middle
Audrey Bucher, senior, Kenosha, WI, Mary B. Bradford High School, upper
Rachel Butler, senior, Pleasanton, CA, Foothill High School, upper
Alexandria Enriquez, sophomore, Alpharetta, GA, Cambridge High School, light
Rebecca Forsyth, senior, Beaverdam, VA, Patrick Henry High School, light
Emily Fuller, senior, Avoca, MI, Yale High School, middle
Marina Goocher, senior, Riverview, MI, Riverview High School, middle
Aleeah Gould, junior, Riverside, CA, Canyon High School, light
Carly Jaramillo, senior, Lahaina, HI, Lahainaluna High School, upper
Jennifer Juarez, sophomore, Woodside, NY, Robert F. Wagner Jr. High School, light
Iman Kazem, senior, Tracy, CA, West High School, upper
Alexandria Knowles, senior, Johnson City, TN, Science Hill High School, middle
Ilania Keju, senior, Spring,TX, Klein Oak High School, upper
Lalelei Mataafa, senior, Lahaina, HI, Lahainaluna High School, upper
Monica Mason, senior, Newark, NY, Newark High School, upper
KC Moulden, senior, Enumclaw, WA, Enumclaw High School, upper
Viannei Perez, junior, Grandview, WA, Grandview High School, light
Emily Pinson, senior, Lizella, GA, Rutland High School, light
Anesia Ramirez, junior, Lakewood, WA, Lakes High School, light
Nonie Reyes-Small, junior, Mather, CA, Folsum High School, upper
Monica Samaniego, senior, Fontana, CA, A.B. Miller High School, middle
Genae Sampract, sophomore, Danville, IL, Danville High School, light
Luciana Schement, senior, Murphy, TX, Plano East High School, middle
Hailey Schiermeyer, freshman, Uehling, NE., Logan View High School, middle
Andrea Sennett, junior, Wheeling, IL, Wheeling High School, upper
Brooke Thurber, junior, Wisconsin Rapids, WI, Nekoosa High School, light

Only 6 of them are still wrestling out of 72 entries on this list.

 

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wow...

becka leathers...

she was my first introduction to girls who wrestle...

 

i know how much stretching, PT, and just general care my teenagers have to do right now to keep healthy... 

 

add in all the social "issues" (not the word i want but you feel me) that are compounding on females who choose to do this sport...

longevity in wrestling could be very very hard on them...

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15 minutes ago, LJB said:

wow...

becka leathers...

she was my first introduction to girls who wrestle...

 

i know how much stretching, PT, and just general care my teenagers have to do right now to keep healthy... 

 

add in all the social "issues" (not the word i want but you feel me) that are compounding on females who choose to do this sport...

longevity in wrestling could be very very hard on them...

Leathers was tough.
She beat Dom twice, once at WCWA's in the semis and once at the US Open.

Lots of the senior national team are getting married these days.
Fearnside, Heaton, Mason, Villeascusa, Velte, Bell
Gray just had twinsand she won't be the only one who starts having kids.

Many of these women were tough as nails.
Dom had loses to Liang, Leathers, Figueroa, and very close matches with Birrueta and Roberts.

 

One sad note on this is that many of the heavier girls had nowhere to go after college, since the top senior women's weight is only 76kg...

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i used to love to watch leathers at OSU during the summers...

she banged hard...

we were also around kristie davis and her daughter for a bit while still in OK...

i can not remember the daughters name, but, she was nails as well...

 

i have not thought of either of them in so long, which, panders to your point...

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14 minutes ago, LJB said:

i used to love to watch leathers at OSU during the summers...

she banged hard...

we were also around kristie davis and her daughter for a bit while still in OK...

i can not remember the daughters name, but, she was nails as well...

 

i have not thought of either of them in so long, which, panders to your point...

Kayla Marano

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1 minute ago, Crotalus said:

What happened to Alo? I remember her being hyped as the next big thing in women's wrestling and being competitive against senior level competition while still in high school. 

there were two sisters, right?

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1 hour ago, Mike Parrish said:

One sad note on this is that many of the heavier girls had nowhere to go after college, since the top senior women's weight is only 76kg...

clearly i will do anything to avoid actually working today...

is there a big enough competition pool internationally to consider a higher weight?

76kg seems so light, but, anything i said would just be assumptions...

 

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the boy and i were watching 76kg by accident from zagreb while waiting for specific greco matches...

one of our girls competing there did not look like what i would consider a 76KG competitor... she was built like a 53kg girl just blown up about 2Xs...

otto had been around her at the OTC... said it was pretty crazy how different that girl is from everyone else...

clearly there will always be outliers...

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Questions that may influence longevity...

As a world team member in wrestling, what is your standard of living like, and how do you manage to support yourself financially? Do you receive sponsorships or other financial support, or do you have to work other jobs to make ends meet? How do you balance your athletic pursuits with the need to pay rent, bills, and other expenses?  Contrast this to when you were trying to make the team but not yet a member.

What are some of the challenges you've faced as a female wrestler, either in terms of discrimination, lack of resources, or other obstacles?

How do you balance your training and competition schedule with other aspects of your life, such as work, family, or education?

What does your training regimen look like, both in terms of technique and conditioning?

What advice would you give to other women who are interested in pursuing wrestling beyond college?

How does it feel to represent your country at the world level, and what are your goals for future competitions?

Can you describe your experiences competing in different parts of the world, and how does wrestling culture differ between countries and regions?

What is the secret to your longevity and success in wrestling?

Was it worth it?

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On 2/17/2023 at 2:00 PM, Mike Parrish said:

Leathers was tough.
She beat Dom twice, once at WCWA's in the semis and once at the US Open.

Lots of the senior national team are getting married these days.
Fearnside, Heaton, Mason, Villeascusa, Velte, Bell
Gray just had twinsand she won't be the only one who starts having kids.

Many of these women were tough as nails.
Dom had loses to Liang, Leathers, Figueroa, and very close matches with Birrueta and Roberts.

 

One sad note on this is that many of the heavier girls had nowhere to go after college, since the top senior women's weight is only 76kg...

40 months where you can't compete...then after that, even if you have full time health, you've got a baby and you need to "rehab" your body to get back in shape. If you want a family, it's a MASSIVE hurdle for Women to overcome. Serena Williams got a lot of shit for saying "it's not fair," and that if she "was a man she wouldn't have to choose between her career and family," and...while that annoyed people as it's hard to convey tone in print if you're not a writer, she's right. It's not. It sucks. Kinda unavoidable. 

But it's amazing to watch the sport grow. I just went to watch Sectionals and...not having had children yet or a Daughter, I admit I forgot about the Girls.

Got there and there was a pretty sizeable contingent, and I was impressed. Obviously some beginners, but there the level of Wrestling is just jumping each year. 

 

It's kinda sad how many sorta fringe Wrestling fans will shit on Women's Wrestling, but the real fans get it and appreciate Women's athletics...

 

You seem to be more plugged in. What are the chances of getting to 40 teams in 10 years? Also, can we make sure Penn ISN'T one of those 40? 

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On 2/18/2023 at 2:58 PM, scourge165 said:

40 months where you can't compete...then after that, even if you have full time health, you've got a baby and you need to "rehab" your body to get back in shape. If you want a family, it's a MASSIVE hurdle for Women to overcome. Serena Williams got a lot of shit for saying "it's not fair," and that if she "was a man she wouldn't have to choose between her career and family," and...while that annoyed people as it's hard to convey tone in print if you're not a writer, she's right. It's not. It sucks. Kinda unavoidable. 

But it's amazing to watch the sport grow. I just went to watch Sectionals and...not having had children yet or a Daughter, I admit I forgot about the Girls.

Got there and there was a pretty sizeable contingent, and I was impressed. Obviously some beginners, but there the level of Wrestling is just jumping each year. 

 

It's kinda sad how many sorta fringe Wrestling fans will shit on Women's Wrestling, but the real fans get it and appreciate Women's athletics...

 

You seem to be more plugged in. What are the chances of getting to 40 teams in 10 years? Also, can we make sure Penn ISN'T one of those 40? 

I missed this reply before.

There are already over 100 colleges offering women's wrestling.

https://www.americanwomenswrestling.com/news-2/all-womens-college-wrestling-programs

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7 minutes ago, Mike Parrish said:

I missed this reply before.

There are already over 100 colleges offering women's wrestling.

https://www.americanwomenswrestling.com/news-2/all-womens-college-wrestling-programs

Sorry, I was referring to Division 1. They made Women's Wrestling a...can't remember the term for it(developing sport was effectively what it meant IIRC), but it basically gave them 10 years to reach 40 programs(the # required for an official Championship). 

That was just last year, so 7...looks like a good start. 

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3 minutes ago, scourge165 said:

Sorry, I was referring to Division 1. They made Women's Wrestling a...can't remember the term for it(developing sport was effectively what it meant IIRC), but it basically gave them 10 years to reach 40 programs(the # required for an official Championship). 

That was just last year, so 7...looks like a good start. 

My bad. I'm three lengua tacos in right now and feeling sleepy.

 

'Emerging sport' is the term of art.
https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2016/8/26/ncaa-emerging-sports-for-women-process-guide.aspx

From 2016
https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2016/3/2/emerging-sports-for-women.aspx

 

Edited by Mike Parrish
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10 minutes ago, Mike Parrish said:

My bad. I'm three lengua tacos in right now and feeling sleepy.

 

'Emerging sport' is the term of art.
https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2016/8/26/ncaa-emerging-sports-for-women-process-guide.aspx

From 2016
https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2016/3/2/emerging-sports-for-women.aspx

 

Hey, I just made Tacos myself! Not lengua...not sure exactly what those are, but they were pretty damn good.

 

Yup...that's the term I couldn't recall. Emerging sport.

I think about 99% of the fans at the D1s last year were 100% behind it...and then there was 1% who were probably putting melted cheese into plastic plates for the people watching.

 

 

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On 2/17/2023 at 3:37 PM, Crotalus said:

Yes, I think Teshya had a younger sister, maybe, but she was the one hyped like Spencer Lee was in high school. 

The main thing was that Teshya had a baby in that time after she lost in the Olympic trials semis and when she was trying to make the senior team team again.  Not a great thing when you're that young and trying to wrestle full-time.

She's always competed in judo and BJJ, so she stuck with BJJ and won the IBJJF World Championships in the womens adult blue belt division last year

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2 hours ago, CA_Wrestler said:

The main thing was that Teshya had a baby in that time after she lost in the Olympic trials semis and when she was trying to make the senior team team again.  Not a great thing when you're that young and trying to wrestle full-time.

She's always competed in judo and BJJ, so she stuck with BJJ and won the IBJJF World Championships in the womens adult blue belt division last year

I watched her last match from matside.

The opposing coach told his athlete at the break between rounds, "Pulling moves only. DO NOT push on her. She needs that to throw. She has nothing else."

He was absolutely right and his wrestler prevailed.
 

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1 hour ago, Mike Parrish said:

I watched her last match from matside.

The opposing coach told his athlete at the break between rounds, "Pulling moves only. DO NOT push on her. She needs that to throw. She has nothing else."

He was absolutely right and his wrestler prevailed.
 

Yep.  That's why almost all of the time I say that people need more attacks than just hand fighting.  Especially in womens wrestling.    I  always like to see setups for leg attacks from neutral in addition to hand fighting.

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The strategy you just mentioned is big against Judo backgrounds.  As soon as you push, you're going for a ride.  I know from experience having practiced against a multi-time national judo champion in wrestling practice.  He never shot.  Only closed the distance and looked to hand fight into a throw.  The complete opposite was Tony Okada of Savannah HS(Anaheim SS).  He would always look for leg attacks in addition to using Judo.  Tony made the 1992 Olympic team for Judo, but he was really, really good in HS.  2x California state champ in wrestling then went to  San Jose state for Judo..

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On 2/20/2023 at 10:49 AM, CA_Wrestler said:

The strategy you just mentioned is big against Judo backgrounds.  As soon as you push, you're going for a ride.  I know from experience having practiced against a multi-time national judo champion in wrestling practice.  He never shot.  Only closed the distance and looked to hand fight into a throw.  The complete opposite was Tony Okada of Savannah HS(Anaheim SS).  He would always look for leg attacks in addition to using Judo.  Tony made the 1992 Olympic team for Judo, but he was really, really good in HS.  2x California state champ in wrestling then went to  San Jose state for Judo..

I used to occasionally roll with a multiple time Singaporean or Malaysian judo champion who had been to worlds a few times. He was maybe 140 lbs and I was over 200 and if I made even a small mistake I was going for a ride. I finally figured out if I could keep him from putting his hands together, easier said than done, the chances of me going flying went down somewhat. It was always a pleasure to test against him because he was so technical and had years of experience. I should also mention he was around 50. He really showed me that even the smallest steps forward or tiniest amount of weight pushed into him was all he needed to throw. 

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On 2/28/2023 at 6:50 AM, Tripnsweep said:

I used to occasionally roll with a multiple time Singaporean or Malaysian judo champion who had been to worlds a few times. He was maybe 140 lbs and I was over 200 and if I made even a small mistake I was going for a ride. I finally figured out if I could keep him from putting his hands together, easier said than done, the chances of me going flying went down somewhat. It was always a pleasure to test against him because he was so technical and had years of experience. I should also mention he was around 50. He really showed me that even the smallest steps forward or tiniest amount of weight pushed into him was all he needed to throw. 

Yep.  Leverage is everything in Judo.

One of the best examples that I can remember in recent times was David Terao and his NCAA tourney run in 2016.

Joey Dance went for a ride courtesy of David Terao and also got Connor Schram in the quarters to advance to the semis with a pin.

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