This will get the attention of both ESPN and NPR

[dagwud]

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa high school wrestler who was one of the favorites to win his weight class defaulted on his first-round state tournament match rather than face one of the first girls to ever qualify for the event.

Joel Northup, a home-schooled sophomore who was 35-4 wrestling for Linn-Mar High this season, said in a statement that he doesn't feel it would be right for him to wrestle Cedar Falls freshman Cassy Herkelman. Herkelman, who was 20-13 entering the tournament, and fellow 112-pounder Ottumwa sophomore Megan Black, who was 25-13, made history by being the first girls to qualify for the state tournament. Black was pinned quickly in her opening round match.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cassy and Megan and their accomplishments. However, wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times," wrote Northup. "As a matter of conscience and my faith I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most other high school sports in Iowa."

[Iowa notiller]

The girls should have never been allowed to wrestle with the boys. It puts the boys in a tremendous disadvantage. If the girls want to wrestle start a new sport for the girls. How many boys will try and play volleyball with the girls now. That would have to be allowed.

[kraft-t]

Don't take him at his word. He was just nervous that he might have been defeated by a girl. OH! the humiliation!!

[4wd]

I  don't get it. Why do women think they have a chance in heII to compete with men. Don't they realize it is a 'MAN'S WORLD"?

Next thing we will have a woman running for president.

Women need to know their place in this world, stay pregnant, barefoot, and be a good cook and housekeeper, and don't beetch...  🙂

[bruce MN]

The way those singlets are tailored and being a "hommie" kid and never having had any female classmates for 10 years or so of "school" he was probably more worried about the wrestling match turning into "wood" shop than anything..

[dagwud]

Bruce, I mentioned the same thing I mentioned to my wife about a possible fear of wood.  It has now come out that this boy forfeited to one of these girls earlier in the year at a tournament rather then wrestle her so he is at least being consistent. 

Don, I don't think the boy had to worry much about getting beat as he is one of the top ranked wrestlers in the state and was favored to make the finals.  By forfeiting the best he could then get was third place.   I believe both girls lost every match they actually wrestled in at state and think they were pinned in every match as well. 

If high school wrestling was as strong in Iowa as it was 20 or 30 years ago this issue never would have come up as these two girls would have never made it to state and most likely would have even never made the varsity team for their respective schools.   With today's low numbers of wrestlers and students in general most kids today that go out for wrestling are all but guaranteed a spot on varsity.   When I wrestled 35 years ago you had to have a wrestle off to just make the junior varsity team at our small school.  Today our school has so few kids out for the sport they have no one at about a third of their weights and no JV team.

I'm all for equal rights for women but I do think this has gone to far as most Iowans must as well.  I see one poll had 80% to 85% of the people saying girls should not be allowed to wrestle on the boys team.  Iowa high schools do not offer boys volleyball.  Should boys be allowed to go out for girls volleyball? 

I have no problem with girls wrestling but simply think they should wrestle other girls.  I agree with the young man in that wrestling is a very physical and at times violent sport that requires a LOT of physical contact and often involves grabbing and pressuring certain body parts that society on one hand tells us is inappropriate for the opposite sex. 

[tomtoolbag]

  LOL, my wife brought up the idea that either right before they start the match, or at the first point they make contact, for her to say that she's having her period, because that would REALLY mess with his head.

  It's ridiculous to even think that a male versus female in the same weight class would be an even match. They obviously have female wrestlers, but they don't have their own tourneys or matches???

[Red Steele]

if it is not meth labs, or gay marriage, it is girls wanting to be on boys wrestling teams...etc.  What is in the water in the Iowa State to produce so many fruit loops?

[James22]

I've read a few of the posts that believe it is OK and wonder if they have ever wrestled competitively, or has many miles behind the plow qualified them to understand the nuances of the sport as well as to be political pundits.   I've wrestled and it usually is a very tough environment, not fit for intermingling the sexes.  If you want girl wrestling than establish it as a separate sport.  Those that believe he was afraid of being beat are grasping at straws.  He was considered a title contender.  I would venture from her photo with those skinny arms our 112 lb man whom was good but no state title contender, would have likely pinned her in the first round.

[schnurrbart]

I personally think it is "much a do about nothing"!  Who cares!  In the big picture of things a girl on a boys team ranks somewhere between watching corn grow and golf in importance.  My granddaughter played on a boys baseball team this summer along with a couple others of her state champion girls softball team.  They got a lot of teasing and fun made of them until she hit a home run off the starting pitcher and struck out their star batter.  After that , the boys loved having them play on the team.  It is just a game and serves to maybe teach young folks about sportsmanship and other such things.  Lord knows a lot of repubs need to learn about sportsmanship.