WestVirginiaRebel Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Yahoo News:DES MOINES, Iowa – An Iowa high school wrestler who was one of the favorites to win his weight class defaulted on his first-round state tournament match rather than face one of the first girls to ever qualify for the event.Joel Northrup, a home-schooled sophomore who was 35-4 wrestling for Linn-Mar High this season, said in a statement that he doesn't feel it would be right for him to wrestle Cedar Falls freshman Cassy Herkelman. Herkelman, who was 20-13 entering the tournament, and fellow 112-pounder Ottumwa sophomore Megan Black, who was 25-13, made history by being the first girls to qualify for the state tournament. Black was pinned quickly in her opening round match."I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cassy and Megan and their accomplishments. However, wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times," wrote Northrup. "As a matter of conscience and my faith I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most other high school sports in Iowa."There were several thousand fans on hand Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena, but many were watching other matches when the referee raised Herkelman's hand to signal her win. There was a smattering of cheers and boos from the crowd before Herkelman was whisked into the bowels of the arena.Tournament organizers declined to make Herkelman available for questions. Her next match is Friday.In a text message to The Associated Press, her father, Bill Herkelman, said he understands Northrup's decision."It's nice to get the first win and have her be on the way to the medal round," Bill Herkelman wrote. "I sincerely respect the decision of the Northrup family especially since it was made on the biggest stage in wrestling. I have heard nothing but good things about the Northrup family and hope Joel does very well the remainder of the tourney."________How to win without earning it-thanks, Title IX! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepper Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Cassy Herkelman should refuse the title. She's in a difficult spot. Instead, she will be viewed and used as a tool by femiNazis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rheo Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 When my son wrestled, he showed up at the meet to find he was wrestling a girl. I was livid, he was mortified. He had been taught not to lay his hands on a woman and to treat them with respect in regards to touching, etc. He did wrestle her and won the match. That was the last he wrestled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltbag Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I remember my very first spar in martial arts was up against a woman, and I didn't know until I got in front of the crowd. There was a rush of thoughts I had about 10 seconds to process about having to punch and kick a woman. Fortunately, I did win the match in the end with a soft "tap" to the side of her head with a roundhouse kick (which is all it took with the rules of that spar.) I felt like we both got off the hook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickydog Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 When my son wrestled, he showed up at the meet to find he was wrestling a girl. I was livid, he was mortified. He had been taught not to lay his hands on a woman and to treat them with respect in regards to touching, etc. He did wrestle her and won the match. That was the last he wrestled. That is sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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