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February 19, 2004 Record-Eagle/Lara Neel (left to right) Fawn Lueck (sophmore), Arika Lovano (senior), Sara Stambaugh (junior) and Casey Strouse (senior) in Kingsley High School Gym, Kingsley. Lovano are with Kinglsey High's wrestling team and Strouse and Stambaugh are with Forest Area. Think wrestling is just a boys' sport? Think againByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Historically speaking, girls have always had to wrestle with success on the mat. That seems to be changing, however, as more and more females are pinning their hopes on cunning, stamina and technique instead of pure physical strength. Exhibit A: Forest Area senior Casey Strouse, who has a 23-7 record and a realistic shot at advancing past Saturday's Division 3 individual district tournament. Earlier this season, Strouse won the 112-pound division at the Frankfort Invitational - a rare feat for a female. "For a girl to win a high school tournament, that's a huge accomplishment," said Forest Area coach Miles Gordon. "I know I've never witnessed it. Usually it's tough for a girl to place, let alone win. "Casey's not overly strong, but she's in great condition and she's technically sound," Gordon said. "She's been doing it so long and working so much on technique that she knows what she's doing on the mat. She's a stickler for going about it correctly." Kingsley freshman Joe McGrath is all-too familiar with Strouse's ability level. McGrath has lost to Strouse "three or four times" this season. He isn't embarrassed by it, however. "There's no shame in losing to someone good," McGrath said. "My teammates know how good she is, so I don't get any (teasing) from them. "I'm not the first guy to lose to her." McGrath won't likely be the last, either. "I think Casey has fun beating the guys," Gordon said of Strouse, who began wrestling in the sixth grade at the urging of her older brother, Allyn. "The wrestlers in the Mid-Michigan Conference know her, so they respect her. I don't think they look forward to wrestling her." That's because it's a lose-lose situation for every one of Strouse's male opponents, and she knows that feeling can work in her favor. "Some guys make comments before a match, but I gain their respect," Strouse said. "My teammates have told me some guys have said things in the locker room about wrestling a girl - like they think they're going to have it easy. "I like it when they think that." Kingsley's McGrath, who has two girls as teammates, said wrestling against a female poses problems for their male opponents because, simply put, "you have to make sure you don't grab them where you're not supposed to, plus you don't want to hurt them." Kingsley coach Jim Bandlow said it doesn't take long, however, before those worries become secondary. "Any girl who comes out for wrestling is going to be pretty tough," he said. "The feeling has always been that girls can't compete with guys, and that's certainly not the case. "Girls come after you; they aren't complacent at all," Bandlow said. "They're not defensive wrestlers. Guys who think that may find themselves in trouble. "It doesn't take boys long before they look at them as just another opponent who wants to beat them." Strouse is one of two girls on the Forest Area team. Sara Stambaugh, a 145-pound junior, is the other. Stambaugh hasn't been able to match Strouse's success, and Warriors coach Gordon said the main reason is simple: weight. "The higher the weight class, the tougher it is for girls to compete against boys because the physical aspect is magnified," Gordon said. "Sara works hard and has a great attitude, but the odds are stacked against her." The same is true for Kingsley senior Arika Lovano, who competes at 189 pounds. Teammate Fawn Lueck, on the other hand, has had great success at 103 pounds. Lueck, a sophomore, had a 25-14 record last season and was 9-12 this winter before suffering a season-ending knee injury three weeks ago. Lueck insisted on finishing the match she was injured in, and Bandlow said that kind of determination is typical of the girls he's coached. "They just want to get out there and wrestle," said Bandlow, who hopes to encourage more girls to join the team by adding a female assistant coach. "It's all about getting out there on the mat. I love that attitude." Many of the girls who wrestle against boys in the high school ranks also compete in United States Girls Wrestling Association events. Strouse, who is ranked among the top 10, will take part in her fifth USGWA national tournament March 26-29 at Lake Orion. Manton coach Jim Smart, who has two girls on his team - 103-pound Brandy Shagena (17-14) and 130-pound Hannah Steig - believes that prep wrestling's popularity among females may one day force the sport to be split into boys and girls divisions. "There has been some talk, and I can see it down the road," said Smart, who has coached for 14 years. "Most smaller schools offer one winter sport for girls - volleyball - and there are some who don't like it or get cut, so they try wrestling. "When we introduce it in grade school, we don't say it's a boys sport. We want girls to give it a try. Many of them find that it's fun." Strouse was one of those girls who was attracted to wrestling at an early age. She's also one of those athletes who doesn't like volleyball, so wrestling filled a void. "I play basketball and run cross country in the fall, and I have track and soccer in the spring," said Strouse, Forest Area's valedictorian. "Wrestling is harder than playing two sports in the same season. I like the discipline and helps me stay in shape. Plus, it's different. "It's a great sport." More and more girls are coming to the same conclusion.
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