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Sports & Recreation > Wrestling and Chivalry
 

Wrestling and Chivalry


On Thursday, Joel Northrup, an Iowa high school wrestling champion, refused to wrestle Cassy Herkelman, who won the state championship by default.

Northrup cited religious beliefs as one of his reasons. I think there are many reasons, and religion is peripheral, why this kind of competition is not a good idea.

I do not think that wrestling should involve men and women in competition. It is asking too much of a normal young man that he impose his physicality against a female and it probably goes against every instinct of chivalry that he has ever been taught. There are many sports in which a female should have the right to compete against males. I don’t think this is one of them. And female equality on the side, I think Herkelman's default title is flawed. I hope she realizes it. I wouldn't be displaying any trophy on my mantel if it were me.

Could she have beaten him? His psychological reticence might have given her the advantage. Maybe she could have done it even if he wrestled full out as if she were a guy. She must have won over other male opponents to get to this point. I wonder how many of them held back. The point is, given his mindset, Northrup knew he couldn't give this match his full vigor.

Do we really, I am addressing the women now, want every aspect of chivalry to disappear from our social culture in order to prove we deserve equality? Maybe I am speaking from the point of view of a long ago sensibility that has seen its day, but I don’t know many women who really like being treated as one of the guys all the time. And even if this kind of social behavior becomes the norm, it will swing back. Biology wins the day every time, unless you want to fool with it by injecting women with testosterone.

xx, Teal

posted on Feb 18, 2011 7:13 AM ()

Comments:

I appreciate the structure that chivalry lends to our otherwise chaotic world. I see it all the time in the hotel elevators - even the droopiest-drawered deadbeat looking characters wait for the women to get out first.
comment by troutbend on Feb 24, 2011 1:02 PM ()
The Olympics separates the genders in every competition, I think -- even rifle shooting.
comment by drmaus on Feb 20, 2011 10:12 AM ()
I think separation should be limited to sports that are not based on direct physical contact. Rifle shooting is a sport that should have equal competition. Let's say that any sport requiring great physical endurance and strength was open to both genders. If the stereotypes hold true, then women would be eliminated through failure. I think some would fail and some would not. Works for me.
reply by tealstar on Feb 21, 2011 3:38 PM ()
Actually, I like having car doors opened for me and men paying for my
meals and letting me precede them through the door. I admire athletic
women but would never aspire to be one. Women like me are out of fashion
but I have thoroughly enjoyed the chivalry that I am shown.
comment by elderjane on Feb 19, 2011 6:48 AM ()
I for one dont want that much equality between men and women. I dont believe women should be any less of a human being than the men but I do believe common sense, chivalry, respect for the individual is important without going stupid about political correctness. I like being a woman and I like that men are the strong ones...it doesnt mean I am less of a person or should be treated as a weaker being. In this particular case, as far as I'm concerned it is irrelevant whether one can beat the other...it is just plain stupid, that's all.
comment by aussiegirl on Feb 18, 2011 9:30 PM ()
First off, it wasn't the finals, just the first round in a double elimination state tourney, so both advanced. The young man still has a strong chance of winning. I thought he was a class act, but he shouldn't have been placed in that position, nor should the young woman.

That said, I heartily agree that the physical strength differences between the sexes makes such contests unequal, even given the weight classes. It's a bad idea. But the girls want to wrestle and they should have the option to do it if they want. Collegiate women's wrestling programs are active across the country, offering scholarships. Check it out at
https://collegiatewomenswrestling.com/colleges.html

The problem is that girls who want to wrestle often don't have options to wrestle in same sex programs in high school. They don't exist in many state high school athletics. So changes have to happen in states that are behind the times.

As a high school girls golf coach, I was part of a movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s to get girls golf into the local and regional high school competition, then recognized by the Ohio High School Athletic Association and finally into the state tournament. It is now thriving, feeding into the robust Title IX program in college women's golf. I'm so proud of my prayers, who won local, regional and state championships. Every one went on to college, many on golf scholarships, and all of them graduated. Several became professional golfers. I hope the young high school women wrestlers will one day have all the options they deserve.
comment by marta on Feb 18, 2011 7:14 PM ()
I know that opportunities for a workable entry into wrestling for women who want wrestle are not always available. Despite my bias, I can't boo-hoo about it, anymore than I agonize over women who can't be rabbis. Having been part of it, you have an intimate knowledge of all the variables. I still think the place to start is expanding female-to-female wrestling programs. Including them in the male program discriminates against males because, like it or not, they WILL hold back if they are decent. I don't care how many women say don't hold back. They don't get to organize the psychology of another person. And, of course, my own bias is why the hell does anyone want to enjoy what I consider a blood sport and I include the guys in that one.
reply by tealstar on Feb 19, 2011 6:15 AM ()
Same feelings here. Who are the morons running that state's athletics?
comment by jondude on Feb 18, 2011 2:44 PM ()
I agree! I don't think wrestling is an appropriate sport for girls, unless they wrestle other girls.
comment by redimpala on Feb 18, 2011 9:20 AM ()
Hear, hear!
comment by jerms on Feb 18, 2011 8:16 AM ()

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