Step Into the Circle

            One of my favorite sports, and one of the most controversial topics in the sporting world right now is my subject for today. I felt the need to talk about wrestling after sitting in a big, stinky, smelly gym for 13+ hours this weekend watching nothing but men trying to prove who could survive in the circle longer. Many people would complain, but I was living the dream. I assume that a lot of the girls who were there were more than likely just present to check out the hundreds of guys in singlets, but I’m a bit classier than that. I’ve had a countdown going for weeks until the District tournament; I look forward to it more than any other weekend of the year! There’s just something about watching those guys work their butts off all season and having to prove everything they have in six minutes or less (okay sometimes more with overtimes too). But the excitement is just unreal and it can’t be compared to any other sport. There isn’t another sport where there is only one winner and one loser. Only one man will have his hand raised at the end of the match and the other needs to accept the defeat and only can improve. That’s a tough lesson to take and a reason I have so much respect for wrestlers.

            A lot of people don’t ever want to take the time to learn about wrestling because they stereotype it by thinking it’s just men rolling around and touching each other. It’s one of the simplest and oldest sports, dating back to the 12^th or 13^th century where it was first mentioned by Homer in The Illiad.

            I just want to give a brief account of what wrestling is and also what it means to some people.

            There are a few different forms of wrestling and each form comes with its own set of rules and point system.

Olympic wrestling is different than what I was watching this past weekend. High school wrestling, usually referred to as “folkstyle” differs from the Olympic events of “freestyle” and “Greco-Roman.”

            Both folkstyle and freestyle are similar in that they use the same mats, both styles use the same equipment, and both styles try to score points in one way or another, ultimately trying to “pin” their opponent. Pinning is when one competitor, in a controlled manner, is able to force the other competitor on to his back with shoulder blades touching the mat for a certain period of time. Both styles also divide wrestlers by weight classes which vary anywhere from 5-15 pounds between weights.

            The two differ in the amount of time a period lasts as well as their point systems. Folkstyle is three periods, or rounds, that last two or three minutes with brief rests in between. Freestyle is a bit different in that it could be two, one-minute periods or perhaps even one, five-minute round. Olympic wrestling is two rounds which last for three minutes. Now not to really confuse you, but if a pin occurs, regardless of the amount of time left on the clock the match is immediately over with the “pinner” being declared the winner. If a pin, often called “a fall” doesn’t take place, the wrestler with the most points at the end of a match is given the win. Points are awarded for different moves that are used to help pin the opponent. The riskier the move, the more points awarded. In folkstyle, two points are awarded for takedowns (literally the act of bringing a person to the ground) and reversals (just like it sounds, the ability to escape from the defensive position and gain power of the offensive position). A single point will be awarded for an escape (getting out of an opponent’s hold), and two-three points, often called back points, are given to a wrestler when they have their opponent’s back near the mat and are in control, also often referred to as a near fall. Freestyle differs in that takedowns, near falls, and escapes are all single points, but take downs resulting from throws can be anywhere from one-four points depending on the difficulty and execution of the throw.

            At this point you may be thinking to yourself, one minute, two minutes, even five minutes, that’s nothing! That isn’t a lot of time at all, how hard could it be to last that long? I asked a few wrestlers what those moments are like. I know from my years of sitting in the bleachers they’re sometimes fun to watch, but most of the time it’s extremely nerve-racking. I received a few different responses but many wrestlers echoed the same thoughts and I’d like to share them with you.

The guys said that those few minutes are like the final minutes before the last bell of the school year – they seem to drag on and can seem like the longest minutes of a person’s life. Most spend the time thinking of strategy, a game plan, what to do and how to score. They know that it’s now or never and they need to wrestle smart if they expect to win. With an easier match sometimes, thoughts may drift to who may be watching or what they’re going to eat after (if they can eat anything at all!). Thoughts can be completely crazy and absolutely random, but the biggest thing on everyone’s mind seems to be strategy. Guys wonder and plan when they should try a certain move or how they can capitalize if something their opponent tries falls through. All in all, thoughts vary from match to match, but like any other sport it’s about strategy, and the long lasting thought of survival of the fittest.

            I’m not switching gears all that much, but I’d like to pose a question for my fellow readers: how do you get people from the Middle East, America, and European nations to all agree on something? Well taking away wrestling as a sport in the Olympic Games seems to be doing the trick. Whoever would’ve thought that Iran and America would be on the same page? I mean, two of the most politically hostile countries have actually become alliances and are fighting together to make sure wrestling doesn’t disappear from the most sought after championship in the world.

            When the International Olympic Committee first announced their decision to remove wrestling, one of the oldest sports in Olympic history, from the summer games of 2020 I was shocked. Wrestling was first introduced to the Olympics back in Athens in 1896. (Women’s wrestling was even added in 2004 to give women the same chance at competition as men.) I didn’t, and still don’t understand how a century later it’s being removed?

             After the Olympic board (IOC) looked over the 26 sports played in the summer Olympic Games, the decision to eliminate one sport to allow another onto the program was acted upon.

            In last year’s London Olympics, 344 athletes competed in eleven freestyle events and seven Greco-Roman. Of the 68 countries that were in the Olympics, 21 were awarded a medal in wrestling.

            Wrestling is up against seven other sports bidding for the remaining spot in the 2020 games. Those sports are baseball and softball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding, and wushu (a martial art).

            I don’t really understand why a sport such as golf is being added to the 2016 games? How is golf proving itself as a sport? It takes almost zero athletic ability. Yes, I will admit it is a challenging sport – one that takes years of practice to finally master, but it isn’t as challenging physically, or even emotionally as wrestling. Golfers have their own crowns and respective competitions. Isn’t the Masters enough for them? The same goes for cycling, tennis, football, and basketball. The Tour de France, Wimbledon, Super Bowl, and NBA Finals are all the ultimate win for the sports I just mentioned. The Olympic Games is all that wrestling has.

            The decision to take wrestling off the program was first introduced after 39 different factors were analyzed. These included: television ratings, ticket sales, anti-doping policy, global participation, popularity, and also political, emotional, and sentimental factors reviewed by the fifteen member board. (http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/02/12/ioc-drops-wrestling-2020-olympics.html) Wrestling also ranked low in the rating system of the Olympic Games. Of the 113,851 tickets available, only 116, 854 were sold, and the poor viewing on television broadcasts (23 million average of a maximum 58.5 million viewers), wrestling was considered not worth continuing to support nationally. (http://espn.go.com/olympics/wrestling/story/_/id/8939185/ioc-drops-wrestling-2020-olympics)

            People are outraged that the pentathlon event, the other lowest ranking sport that was originally going to be removed from the Olympics, wasn’t voted off instead of wrestling. The event represents 108 countries compared to the 177 that have participated in wrestling. The event was founded in 1912 and is five different events combined in to one (pistol shooting, fencing, 200 meter freestyle, show jumping, and a 3 km cross country run.) In my opinion the pentathlon is more of a sport than golf or table tennis and the IOC needs to really review what the criteria should be for an even to be considered an Olympic sport.

            Mark Adams, spokesman for the IOC told ESPN that the board is going through a process to renew and renovate the program for the Olympics. This decision was made not to hurt the sport of wrestling, but to help the other 25 core sports. (http://espn.go.com/olympics/wrestling/story/_/id/8939185/ioc-drops-wrestling-2020-olympics)

The meeting to propose which sports to include in the 2020 games will take place in May in St. Petersburg, Russia. Those who are pushing for the sport to be included have high hopes for this “home-field advantage”. In the London games, Russia brought home 11 wrestling medals, more than any other country. Many are hopeful that his wrestling dominated country will be able to influence the board on making a decision regarding the status of wrestling. The final decision will be made in September in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The IOC board believes that removing wrestling because of its low ratings will help modernize the Olympics. My personal opinion is that it is going to make a major impact and hurt the games. I feel that boycotts will take place and people who are beyond passionate about the sport may even start riots. Wrestling is not only a popular sport in a variety of countries, but it is almost as historic as the Olympics themselves. There is a deep root of tradition in wrestling and it has become a sport of universality. Again, just look at Iran and America, fighting for the same thing. If it can bring these two countries together it must be something worth saving.

Do you believe wrestling is worth keeping in the Olympics, or do you think it should be replaced with something else? Post your comments below and voice your opinion.

You can probably already guess my view; join the fight to help keep Olympic wrestling alive!

 #saveolympicwrestling

 #savewrestling2020

Xoxo,

~Francesca       

A Look Inside My Life

Most people don’t believe I’m a sports writer, but I mean, why should they? I’m an 18 year old girl who shows up to games dressed relatively stylish, with a cute briefcase and a stat book in hand. Coaches usually scoff at me when I ask for a lineup or worse yet, try to flirt with me.  Many think being a writer is a joke. Yes, I do get in to games for free, but I don’t go just to hang out with all my friends. It is weird that I’m “working” while my fellow peers are working their asses off on a field or court. I get to relax, sit there, and take it all in. Well, that makes my job sound easy, but it’s stressful too. I like to prop myself in the corner of the gym or far from the fans so no one tries to disturb me or tell me how I should write. I always say if they would like to tell me how to do my job they can go pick up an application at the paper. But from the first quarter, period, inning or whatever it is, I’m working just as hard as those players. I need to remember every single detail, every play, and I can’t mess up because people read what I write. They get to critique what I do and if they don’t like my style or what I’ve chosen to write about, so be it, but I’ll hear feedback.

I love what I do though. I’ve met so many different people and I’ve been able to do my favorite thing in the world – watch sports. I get paid to go sit at a game or match and just take it in. Sometimes the hours are long, even those who are paid to write get writer’s block too. But in the end it’s all worth it. Picking up the paper the next day and seeing my name next to an article, especially one that makes the front page, is so rewarding. Better yet is when people in public tell me they’ve read my work and like what I have to say. Some people also tell me when I mess up or get something wrong, or even when they don’t like how I’ve worded a particular play or call, but it all comes with the job.

I’m in the minority, not only am I the youngest person who works in the sports section at the paper I’m at, but I’m the only girl as well. I’m the butt of a few jokes, even coaches and officials tease me saying it’s nice that they’ve brought me in to “class the place up”, but I don’t let those comments bother me. I’ve always been considered one of the guys because of my extensive knowledge of sports.

I like to think I know a little bit about every sport out there, but I’m sure there are some I’ve never even heard of before. I have my strong points. Football, my absolute, hands-down, favorite sport, and one of the most complicated for women to understand is an area I thrive in. Maybe it’s because my vision and knowledge of the game usually makes it beyond the sidelines and the players’ asses in spandex. Or perhaps it’s due to my dad’s love of the game? I’ve been lucky enough to be raised in a football family. Daddy was a walk-on linebacker at the University of Pittsburgh, while both my cousins went to play in college as well. My oldest cousin Frankie also coached at both Class AA as well as AAAA in the area, and has high hopes of moving on to coach college ball. I’ve learned a lot from watching his style of coaching and how his teams work. But I learn the most just sitting around the TV with the guys.

I know a whole lot about basketball, baseball, and softball as well. All were sports I played at a young age but ended up giving up so as to write instead.

 I hold my own in the wrestling department too. I was born in to a wrestling family. Both my uncles were District champions and my godfather was the first two-time District champion our town ever had. Wrestling is about so much more than guys rolling around on a sweaty mat, it’s a sport of hard-work and discipline. If you don’t believe me, try dating or living with a wrestler. I’ve never seen men exercise such control and restraint in their lives. It looks easy, until you take on the challenge to wrestle one and end up on your back in less than ten seconds. Take it from me and from experience, it’s definitely not as easy as it looks so don’t be judgmental.

I started this blog because my mom gave me the idea. She’s said for years that I know so much about sports and I should share my knowledge with the rest of the female population. If males read this too, more power to you. You’re getting a look inside the female mind or perhaps I’m answering questions you’re too scared to ask your jock buddies.

I’ll be giving my random thoughts about things happening in the sports world whenever I have the time. And just throwing it out there now, there may be some random rants and things that get completely off topic, but I’m a random and opinionated person, I apologize in advance! But for this to work I hope to have feedback from people too, so ask me questions! Tell me what you want to know or hear about! I can’t answer if I don’t know, and I’m open to all opinions.

But more to come later!

Xoxo,

~Francesca