ERST LESEN! » f support and interest from the Fijian commu

In July and August, espnWs weekly essay series will focus on body image.The newspaper article quoted my coach as saying, She wrestles just as well as the guys. I was one of four girls on my high schools wrestling team.There werent enough of us to form a separate team, so we regularly trained with and competed against guys. About my male teammates, coach said, Our guys treat em just like everyone else.I remember things being more complicated.Two reporters from the local paper contacted me in the winter of 1997. They wanted to do a story on my life as a wrestler.I was 14 at the time and had been figure skating for almost 10 years. Figure skating was a nerve-wracking sport that I hoped would take me to the Olympics. To keep my conditioning up and ease my self-imposed pressure, I joined different teams. I got introduced to wrestling in physical education class.We were allowed to spar, and to my amazement, I defeated the other girls in my class. These wins didnt go to my head, though. Wrestling -- the sport, the matches, the moves -- was not popular among my female classmates.I assumed I won because they were either unfamiliar with that kind of contact, they were less strong or ambivalent. Figure skating required strength, but the type that came from pointed toes, extended legs and aerodynamic arm movements.Wrestling was tumbling, working your way out of someones grasp and then knocking them down. I wanted more.When I mentioned this to my best friend, she egged me on. She already wanted to join the freshman wrestling team, but she didnt want to do it alone. Out of solidarity and curiosity, I agreed.What ensued were two of the most mentally and physically daunting years of my life. Preparing to be tackled was so anxiety-inducing that my best friend and I would occasionally slap each other in the face to get over it.I was no stranger to the pain of conditioning, but the constant sprawling, then standing up, sprinting in place -- just to get ready to battle each other -- was something else. Sometimes I closed my eyes before lunging at someone. I was doing moves I had never done anywhere else, like the cross-face cradle and the single-leg takedown.There were a few guys who helped me with strategy and technique. They also shared that several teammates didnt think girls should wrestle guys. The rest seemed to believe we had the right to be on the team, they just werent comfortable with fighting -- or losing to -- a girl.This was evident at matches. We were supposed to sit together as a team, but the guys would end up keeping a little distance from the girls.There was also the winter ski trip. Traditionally, the guys would go to a ski lodge over winter break. The girls were never invited, nor did we ask to be included. It was taxing enough to be on a team where I didnt feel totally welcome; fighting for a spot on the ski trip felt like even more of an intrusion.Friends sometimes joked that coed wrestling would end up being sexual. My father worried it would create a green light for guys to be rough with girls off the mat. My mother supported my decision to compete but feared I would get hurt.Unbeknownst to me at the time, other parents and coaches expressed their concern for our safety too. Some hoped we would quit. This was the first time in my coachs 43-year career that girls had come out to wrestle for him, so he consulted other coaches around the city and state for guidance.I was just trying to survive and maybe even win. Strength-wise, I was no match for most of my male competitors, but my endurance and flexibility helped me wear them out and avoid getting pinned.My first win against a guy happened that first year on the team. Once I got him on the ground, I was able to pin his shoulders to the mat by splitting his legs apart. I pulled one near his face with my arms, and held the other down by wrapping my legs around his ankles. This is a cross-face cradle, the only pinning maneuver I really knew how to do.When the match was over, my coach said I received a standing ovation. I only remember my slim, 103-pound opponent shaking my hand and then hanging his head when he returned to his team. When I competed against and defeated other girls, all my teammates cheered.Despite these celebrations, girls wrestling never grew to be popular at my high school.In 1997, the reporters at the local paper didnt have this information. They pursued the story by photographing my training sessions and interviewing me, my coaches and my father.The heart of the story focused on my relationship with my dad and how he was not thrilled about my decision to wrestle. He cringed, but he never stopped me. In fact, he said, I guess itd be nice if this is the worst problem I ever have with her.Today, I would focus more on the fact that my mother supported my participation on the team, the norms and boundaries that coed wrestling upsets and the marginalization I never addressed with my team. It ultimately led me to quit after my sophomore year. The sport was too hard to do without having more love and acceptance from my teammates.Eryn Ashleigh Mathewson is a print and radio journalist. Her work has appeared in Womens eNews, Cremé Magazine and on 94.1FM KPFA Pacifica Radio in Berkeley. DeAndre Hopkins Youth Jersey . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. Cullen Gillaspia Youth Jersey . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. http://www.texansrookiestore.com/Texans-Arian-Foster-Jersey/ . PAUL, Minn. Justin Reid Jersey . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. Max Scharping Womens Jersey . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. ?A Fijian-based team will enter Australias National Rugby Championship (NRC) competition in 2017 in whats being described as a major step forward in the game.The Australian Rugby Union made an official announcement at their Sydney headquarters on Friday afternoon, with the team to comprise of locally-based players from Fijis national second XV. The side will also play its home matches in Fiji.Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver says its a landmark moment for world rugby.We are incredibly excited to welcome Fiji into the Buildcorp NRC and thank World Rugby for supporting both the ARU and FRU in helping to make this a reality for next season, Pulver said.The Fiji brand of Rugby is arguably the most exciting brand of Rugby in the world and their inclusion in the Buildcorp NRC will enhance the competition both in terms of the quality of Rugby and by adding a huge amount of support and interest from the Fijian communities both in Fiji and hhere in Australia.ddddddddddddWorld Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont echoed Pulvers comments, saying it may not be the only Pacific Island nation to join the competition.The Pacific Islands play a major role in the sports heritage and future and World Rugby is committed to working with our friends and colleagues in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga to further assist them with the unique challenges that they face, Pulver said.Participation in the NRC will not only provide a superb performance pathway leading in to Rugby World Cup 2019, but it provides locally-based players with a strong alternative to playing club rugby overseas should they wish to remain in the Fijian system.World Rugby will fund the Fijian NRC team for the next four years with officials from the nation hopeful of having a Super Rugby team within five years. 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