Last week, a headline in the KC Star caught my attention: “Iowa Wrestler Forfeits Rather Than Wrestle a Girl.”
It turns out that Joel Northrup forfeited his first round bout against Casey Herkelman due to religious beliefs. In a statement released by his school’s AD, the young man stated: “wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times. As a matter of conscience and my faith, I do not believe that is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner.”
Herkelman was the first female to qualify for the Iowa State Wrestling Tournament in its 85 year history, and she wasn’t alone. A second girl, Megan Black, qualified as well.
These three athletes have not only had to wrestle other people, they have had to wrestle with their convictions. They had to struggle with the decision to do what is easy, what is expected, what is traditional, versus what they believe in their hearts to be right.
I can’t imagine what they have gone through. For the young women, I can’t imagine the comments, the looks, and the prejudice they must have faced. How many times were they told they should quit, join a proper girl’s team, or conform to societal expectations? How many friends have they lost because of their decision to compete in a sport traditionally dominated by male athletes?
And for the young man, I can’t imagine the struggle to give up his chance at state recognition in order to follow his sense of right and wrong. The decision could not have been easy to make or to live with afterwards.
Wrestling presents an interesting and unique opportunity. I can think of no other sport where males can compete one-on-one against females. Wrestling allows for a somewhat even playing field. By dividing the wrestlers into weight classes, girls face boys of a similar weight. And wrestling utilizes equal parts strength, agility, flexibility, quickness, and intelligence. Pound for pound, males often possess more physical strength than females (though not always!). However, girls can be just as agile, as flexible, as intelligent, as dedicated, and as trained as male athletes. In fact, the usually lighter frame of a girl can actually be an advantage in a sport where you can be awarded points for your ability to wriggle out of tight places.
The fact that this pair of girls qualified for the state tournament proves that they were skilled wrestlers. They had to face and defeat male opponents all year. Wrestling is truly the one sport where this could be possible on a regular basis.
John F. Kennedy once said, “Nations around the world look to us for the leadership not merely by strength of arms but by strength of our convictions.” Yes, boys may have stronger arms than girls. But in my perspective, physical strength isn’t everything. Win or lose, agree or disagree, I can not help but admire people who rely not just on the strength of the muscles, but also on the strength of their convictions.
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