Well thought out piece here, friend. As a guy I can say that I avoided this when I wrestled 25 yrs ago, so I'm not sure how I would've reacted. Now that I've resumed weight training, I'm noticing many more females lifting than when I was wrestling. Not being a big guy, some of the younger, more "fit" girls lift more weight more reps than I do. This is what is difficult for me to handle. I think embarrassment must play a role in how guys feel when they realized a girl can beat them in a competitive sport. Eventually we'll get over it and accept women in ways we used to think of ourselves as superior, but that'll take a while.
As a mother of six boys, I feel very uncomfortable even thinking about my son wrestling with a girl. Right now, I am trying to find out what my rights are as a parent to say that I do not want my son to wrestle with a girl. I was told that I had the right to pull my son from the league. He wants to wrestle... so, why is this the only option? I teach all my boys to be respectful of girls, and to not violate their personal space... even if the girl offers the invitation! Why do my children have to be forced into a situation that goes against our values? Do I have any grounds to stand on and win this battle without hurting my own reputation in a small community and getting my son through it without any consequences towards him? This is definately not a situation that I enjoy being in right now. Anyone have any suggestions or information of value?
Annette, I wish I had some advice I could give you, but I don't. Unfortunately, the wrestling league is in a tough spot. If they do not have enough girls to form a girls league, then they have to let the girls compete with the boys, otherwise they could face a lawsuit that they'll probably lose-if they can even afford to fight it. Meanwhile, the parents of a boy have very little legal standing to stand up and say no. One option is to let him join and still refuse to let him wrestle girls, but he'll have to forfeit those matches and it may be problematic for you and him. As he gets older, he'll have to wrestle girls less and less, but he'll still face the possibility of having a female opponent all the way through high school.
Hello Annette,
im sorry i am having a hard time understanding why you dont want your boys to wrestle the other opponents in their weight class if they happen to be a girl. i understand that you teach your boys to not invade girls space and to respect them...good to hear. but not allowing them to wrestle against a girl in their weight class is disrespectful to that girl, that athlete, that wrestler. she is wrestling because she wants to. the match against your son would not be her first. she will have been training before stepping out on the mat. and although you say you teach your sons not to invade a girls space, are you then teaching them to invade a boys space? what is the difference? they are wrestlers.
as for the strength difference between the sexes i ask you this? do you see the strongest guy winning each class?...no. technique is what wins matches.
Commenting by HaloScan
