Scott Mantua defeats Nicole Woody in state wrestling match | |
Scott Mantua defeats Nicole Woody in state wrestling match Quote:
So close to history, her grip slips
But statement on gender isn't on Woody's mind as she rues loss
By Kevin Van Valkenburg
Sun Reporter
Originally published March 4, 2007
COLLEGE PARK // If you don't follow high school wrestling in Maryland, you might be surprised to learn that the most interesting story line at yesterday's state tournament didn't involve a defending champion or a three-team race for the overall title.
Instead, it involved a wrestler dressed in pink socks, lime-green headgear and sporting a ponytail who finished second in the final of the Class 4A-3A 103-pound weight class.
And when she - yes, you read that right, SHE - received a standing ovation from the packed stands despite finishing second, it helped temper her disappointment somewhat, but not nearly enough.
Arundel High School's Nicole Woody wasn't interested in making a statement about her gender or about equality, and she mostly rolled her eyes each time someone threw words at her like pioneer or trailblazer.
Like any fierce competitor, she was simply in it to win. And yesterday, she came up just a bit short.
Woody, who became the first female wrestler in state history to qualify for a final while competing against boys, saw her quest for a historic state title end against River Hill's Scott Mantua, who controlled their match throughout for a 6-2 victory.
Woody was hoping to become just the second female wrestler in the United States to win an individual title competing against boys, joining Alaska's Michaela Hutchison, who won her state's 103-pound class a year ago as a sophomore. But Mantua grabbed a 2-0 lead with a first-period takedown a minute into the match and never really relinquished control.
"It didn't even feel like me out there," said Woody, a junior who will graduate early this spring. "Win or lose, I really wanted to wrestle well, and I'm disappointed because that didn't happen. I don't know why, but I was just in la-la land out there. I just laid there on the mat."
The match marked the second time Mantua has defeated Woody this year (he also beat her in a tournament earlier this season), and it gave Mantua the first state title of his career.
He admitted after the match that, even though he has considerable respect for Woody (she graciously clapped for him during the trophy presentation) and admires her technique, there was an added dose of pressure in facing a girl.
"Of course you don't want to lose to a girl, but most of the pressure comes from thinking that you might lose a state championship," Mantua said. "She's incredibly smart and tough, and I knew I had to be smart to beat her."
The match, disappointing as it was for Woody, concluded an emotional and impressive weekend for her. Woody, who has a big smile and chiseled arms that would likely be the envy of nearly every female celebrity in Hollywood, cruised past her first two opponents Friday.
Yesterday morning, she won a close, intense, overtime match (by the score of 5-4) against Tuscarora's C.J. Savage in the semifinals, and seemed calm and confident.
"She just doesn't make mistakes," said Savage, who grabbed an early lead but was worn out by Woody's superior conditioning. "She doesn't get tired and she's really flexible. I thought I had her a couple of times, and she just wouldn't let me take control."
Woody - who in 2005 became the first girl in Maryland history to qualify for the 4A-3A state tournament and this year became the first girl to win her region - said she expected to battle nerves throughout the weekend. She knew she was considered one of the favorites in her weight class, and that the crowd would be behind her in every match.
But for the most part, she spent two days waltzing around Cole Field House with almost a breezy playfulness, hugging friends, eating french fries, napping in a sleeping bag between matches, flirting with her boyfriend, bobbing her head around as she listened to hip-hop and techno music on her iPod.
On Friday, after she ditched her wrestling shoes in favor of calf-length leather boots with two-inch heels, a reporter introduced himself and asked for an interview. She quickly interrupted, reaching out to adjust his bangs before agreeing to continue.
"Sorry, man, you just had a hair hanging there that was really bugging me," she said, grinning.
That kind of friendly confidence has always been one of Woody's most obvious qualities, according to her mother, Mary, who steered her daughter into wrestling at age 9 when the girl's judo teacher ceased teaching.
Nicole Woody, who also played Pop Warner football, has been both bold and confident ever since she started bringing home snakes, lizards and countless bugs because her parents wouldn't let her have pets.
"She wasn't afraid of anything," Mary said. "She's always had a ton of friends. She helped decorate for her homecoming dance earlier this year, and would probably help with the prom if she wasn't so busy with wrestling."
Woody said repeatedly that she didn't envision this state tournament as her Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs moment, and she only wanted the opportunity to compete for a title like any other wrestler would. This wasn't about making a statement for girls everywhere.
"The only time I think about all that pioneer stuff is when reporters ask me about it," she said on Friday.
But after her loss in the final, Woody confessed that thoughts of what she was trying to accomplish did enter her mind, and did distract her.
"I probably thought too much about everything," Woody said. "I suppose years from now, I might look back and feel proud of what I did, but right now placing the highest for a girl really doesn't mean much. I wanted to win."
| http://wrestlegirl.com/gnews1817.htm Quote: |
Scott Mantua, who controlled their match throughout for a 6-2 victory.
| He clearly dominated her. It's sad that the media focuses on the loser instead of the winner.
~ A man needs a woman like a lion needs a stove. ~
~ Women deserve only equal opportunity, not equal outcomes. ~
~ Men are not collectively "guilty" of anything. ~
~ Never needing to be pregnant is a blessing. ~
~ Feminist ideology “men have to respect women, but women have no reason to respect men” ~
~ Everybody makes choices, and nobody should be entitled to special treatment because of those choices.
Equal results based on unequal treatment amounts to no kind of equality at all. ~
|
5th-March-2007
