Wrestling a Girl?

Headlines this week on ESPN included “Rather than face girl, wrestler defaults”.  Joel Northrup defaulted his match at the Iowa wrestling championships after being matched with Cassy Herkelman, a female from Cedar Falls.  He claims to have defaulted for religious reasons giving a statement that explained that he believed that because of his faith, he should not engage women in this manner. 

Northrup was entitled to his own beliefs and it’s hard to criticize him for personal beliefs, but it’s also too bad that he was put in this position in the biggest stage of high school wrestling.  He came into the state championships with a 35-4 record but after defaulting his match with Herkelman, lost another match and was eliminated from the tournament.

Much debate about this decision has made national news and each is entitled to his opinion, but one question I would like to raise is: Should Herkelman been allowed to participate in wrestling in the first place?

There are two different angles to take in this question:  a male participating in the sport and the female who wants to participate.  Put yourself in the male’s shoes.  From day one, little boys are taught not to physically harm girls.  It goes against everything guys have learned to put a girl in a headlock or twist her arm to the point of dislocation.  If a boy has to wrestle a girl, he is in a no win situation.  If he wins, he could be seen as the bully who beat up on a girl, but if he loses, his friends would have a hayday making fun of him.  One other thing to consider:  since wrestling is a violent sport, injuries happen often.  How would a guy feel if the girl he was wrestling got hurt?  I know I wouldn’t want to be the guy to blow a girl’s knee out. 

The other way to look at is through the girl’s eyes.  She wants to participate in the sport.  She knows what wrestling means, including but not limited to having your knee bent in ways it’s not meant to bend or having your arm pulled so far behind your back your shoulder explodes.  She knows all the possibilities and yet chooses to wrestle. 

I feel that if a girl wants to participate, let her.  If she wants to put herself through the practices and the matches even if it means having guys as her opponents then more power to her.  Most likely, this girl can hold her own on the mat and understands the sport of wrestling.  I just know I wouldn’t want to be the one to have to wrestle her.  I would be in the predicament I mentioned earlier.  Unlike Northrup, I would be too competitive to default.  I also know I wouldn’t want to get beat.  I don’t think I could handle the verbal abuse that would come my way if I got beat, and I think it would motivate me more to not lose.  It would be a tough decision, and could get a little awkward on the mat, but I think if it came down to it, a state title would be worth it.