High school wrestler refuses to wrestle girls

[Gravekeeper]

It's a sport. These social norms do not apply. You fight to win no matter who your opponent is. You can't be the best if you refuse to face any and all opponents.

Actually, no, no you don't. As a sport, fairness applies hence you do not face any and all opponents. That is why we have divisions based on skill level, weight, gender, etc. They don't even play golf coed at a professional level for fark sakes.

[Greenday]

Actually, no, no you don't. As a sport, fairness applies hence you do not face any and all opponents. That is why we have divisions based on skill level, weight, gender, etc. They don't even play golf coed at a professional level for fark sakes.

Neither do they at bowling, but if for some reason I'm in a sport that does pit me against a female, I'm not going to take it easy or not face her just because she's a woman.

[Mytical]

I've known females that can kick my butt at any sport out there. Then again, as I am not very athletic, there are probably a lot of people who can. I have a healthy respect for females, but...

I can see the issue. While I will compete with everything I have against any competitor..I would be worried about grabbing the wrong part of the body. Not something I would worry about with a guy. It has nothing to do with actually being sexual, but the perception of sexual. When I was a kid, I wrestled with my female cousins and friends all the time with no problem. Because a kid doesn't think about things that way.

Heck I am a lot more asexual then the typical male, but yeah..I'd get my butt kicked fast because I would be too worried about my hand slipping to the wrong place. Where against a guy, it wouldn't matter where my hand ended up. So it is not sexuality, but the perception of it. How it 'appears'. Some people worry about those things.

In video games, I am more nervous playing against a female..because I have this thing in the back of my head. "She has to be very good." Yeah it's a bit sexist .. thinking somebody is better because they are of a certain sex..does that make me a jerk? I won't refuse to play them, win or lose, but I actually am more on top of my game against female gamers..because in my mind they are more of a challenge.

[Boozy]

They don't even play golf coed at a professional level for fark sakes.

Okay, but to be fair, wrestling is a bit different with how they create fairness in matches.

In golf, it is assumed that there is a significant height and weight difference between most male and female players, so they separate them accordingly. It's golf, so that loose criteria is close enough to create some semblance of fairness.

In wrestling and other pugilistic sports, they have weight classes. If a woman weighs in the same class as men, why not give her some matches with them? Especially if their weight class doesn't hold other female players in their area.

[Gravekeeper]

Okay, but to be fair, wrestling is a bit different with how they create fairness in matches.

In golf, it is assumed that there is a significant height and weight difference between most male and female players, so they separate them accordingly..

Think that kinda answered itself. Even in the same weight class you'll still have average differences in height and muscle distribution. Plus, as Mytical pointed out, there would likely be a constant concern for trying to avoiding touching the wrong places. Which in wrestling as a sport is extremely likely. Its simply not something everyone would be comfortable with and I don't blame this kid for forfeiting based on his beliefs. He accepted the consequences and that should be that.

[Ginger Tea]

on the co ed boxing vein, fighting to win etc all being well, no one really cares about what their opponant is going to look like in the morning after a face full of punches, but seeing your female opponant the next day all beat up, not something I would want to see for the sake of winning.

Man could look like shit, but the same damage done to a woman by a male boxer ...
I've not seen aftermath pictures of female boxers from all women fights, but if they are anything like how the men I saw on TV in the 80's looked, well.

I didn't know golf had these things, I thought it was about the skill of hitting the ball with a club (something mrs Woods knows about) and people were paired up just to have an appearance of competition, yet 50 people could play that hole in an event, its just hard to have 50 players all at once so a more manageable number is used.

[KitterCat]

Years back I actually practiced sword fighting with a kid who was the same mentality as this kid. He didn’t want to fight me since I was the only girl in the class. We pretty much had to force him to practice with me and for the first few months he still wouldn’t fight me at all, he‘d just forfeit the match or let me hit him. It was just very very ingrained in me that you didn’t fight a lady. He even said if a girl were to hit him he’d try to stop her, but he wouldn’t hit her back.

Looking at the girls he hung out with I can understand why he’d think girls are delicate flowers that must be handled carefully. These girls had the wonderfully emaciated look that’s still in style for so many. They are delicate flowers that would keel over at the first true hit. They’d start crying because they wouldn’t be able to deal with the pain. And unfortunately most woman in this age are wosses. There are very few girls like AdminAssistant, or myself. Very few woman take on contact sports or any sport deemed “a mans” sport. So is it any surprise that there are guys who have been taught all their lives “you do not under any circumstances hit a girl” who refuse to hit a girl?

Greenday if anything I’d take the advantage that he gave her. His convictions on none violence and sexual contact towards women let that girl win a match she may not have won.

[Greenday]

Or she might have beat his ass, embarrassing him.

[Ginger Tea]

I don't know if its embarrassing to have ones arse handed to them in a fair fight by a more skilled opponant who just happens to be female, all depends on the ego. If said fighter has set aside the no hurting women rule for a contact sport then they should take losses as losses.
I haven't read the link so I don't know how far up the championship she got, but if she has got far it means shes beaten others before him, if it was the first round then she is unproven.

Is it listed how she faired in all this in the end?

[Greenday]

Wow, she's only a fresman. Great job going 20-13 during the regular season for a freshman.

If I'm reading it correctly, she lost by a few points in the next round, 5-1. Pretty low scoring. Looks like she got pinned in her consolation round. I can't tell what their season records were but one was a senior, the other was a sophomore. From what I've read, her school is one of the top wrestling schools in the state.

[Plaidman]

Is it listed how she faired in all this in the end?

It was a tourment to go on to a championship. He forfieted, so she got to go on to the championship.

He gave up a championship chance for his beliefs. Which is great.



Could I hit a lady? Don't know. I've been raised by strong women. I have strong female family members. I've seen how incredibly powerful some of them can be, especally in fist fights. I was raised differently, that women are equal, and it wasn't taught to me as much as to not hit them.

So it did take me aback abit the shitstorm that happened in middle school when I did smack a women who both punched and spat on me, after she cut in front of me in the breakfast run, despite all the rules stating that since I got it set up, I was allowed to go first. She didn't care. She was Mrs. Popular because her brother is the coolest, so she spat in me face and punched my gut. I smacked in the face. (Open fist). Even though she was twice my size (and three times my weight, and was in clear view of everyone that she struck first due to laughter and hooting, it was my smack that drew glares and more beatings.

[Greenday]

It was a tourment to go on to a championship. He forfieted, so she got to go on to the championship.

He gave up a championship chance for his beliefs. Which is great.

LOL No he didn't. He got to just wrestle someone who actually wrestled and had exhausted himself and if he won, he got to go on to the next round. It's not like the forfeit really had an effect on his tournament becides publicity. And he won the match against someone who already lost that day in an actual match so it's like it never happened in terms of results. In fact he came in 3rd place for his weight class.[/QUOTE]

Could I hit a lady?

This is the problem. Instead of just looking at her as an opponent, he defined her by her sex, which is stupid.

[Mytical]

If a woman hits somebody, then they hit her back..regardless of sex then I absolutely have no problem with it. My sister used to teach me and my brother that she was the 'alpha' in our house lol. Every one of the females I grew up around were strong. Mostly farm girls/women. Yet I would be very reluctant to wrestle one now.

Then again, I am reluctant to wrestle anybody, or fight anybody (except in virtual combat then everybody is fair game ). Takes a stronger person to walk away. However, in a way I agree with Greenday. If you enter a contest, every opponent should be treated just like every other opponent. Conversely, however, the guy has every right to forfeit. If it was a guy who he forfeited against, for whatever reason, this conversation would not be taking place. *shrugs*

[Greenday]

If it was a guy who he forfeited against, for whatever reason, this conversation would not be taking place. *shrugs*

Because he wouldn't have been refusing to wrestle someone based on sexism?

[Hyena Dandy]

Its a sport, but its not a professional sport, and its not like its his whole life.

I don't think he wants to be the best, I think he wants to enjoy himself. That's why I played sports in highschool.