Girl Wrestler Wins After Boy Won't Compete Against Her

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Sara Hammel - People Magazine




High school wrestling star Joel Northrup had his eye on the Iowa state championship – until he found out he'd have to compete against a girl in the first round.

Northrup, a home-schooled sophomore whose record was 35-4 wrestling for Linn-Mar High School this season, handed Cedar Falls freshman Cassy Herkelman a win by default at the tournament Thursday.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cassy and Megan and their accomplishments," Northrup said in a statement, referring also to Ottumwa sophomore Megan Black (the two girls are the first to make the state wrestling tournament in its 85-year history). "However, 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 it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner," the statement continues. "It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most other high school sports in Iowa."

While Cassy wasn't available for comment, her father, Bill Herkelman, tells The Associated Press that he respects Northrup's decision.

"It's nice to get the first win and have [Cassy] be on the way to the medal round," Bill Herkelman wrote in a text. "I sincerely respect the decision of the Northrup family especially since it was made on the biggest stage in wrestling. I have heard nothing but good things about the Northrup family and hope Joel does very well the remainder of the tourney."

Northrup's father, Jamie Northrup, is a minister in the independent Pentecostal church Believers in Grace Fellowship, which teaches that young men and women shouldn't touch in a "familiar way," said Bill Randles, the church's pastor, according to The AP.

"We believe in the elevation and respect of woman and we don't think that wrestling a woman is the right thing to do," Randles said. "Body slamming and takedowns, that full contact sport is not how to do that."

Though he gave up his shot at a championship, it's not over yet for Northrup. He was still eligible for the consolation rounds, and he won his first match later Thursday by major decision.

[Hal-9000]

"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..."

pretty articulate for a 17 yr old..

[Softdreamer]

"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..."

pretty articulate for a 17 yr old..

He will prob spend the rest of his adult life fantasizing about the match that could have been

[redred]

so he'd rather have this happen?

[DemonGeminiX]

He will prob spend the rest of his adult life fantasizing about the match that could have been

As a former high school state-tournament level wrestler, I can honestly say: no he won't.

There was always some girl that wrestled with the boys when I was in high school and if any guy got beat by a girl, they were pretty much fucked socially for the rest of the time they were in high school. Seriously, guys got made fun of hard if they lost to a girl, and they never lived it down.

They should have separate boys and girls wrestling like they do every other sport.

[Godfather]

Yeah why isn't it separated?

But some people peak in high school and get frozen there forever

[Yt Trash]

As a former high school state-tournament level wrestler, I can honestly say: no he won't.

There was always some girl that wrestled with the boys when I was in high school and if any guy got beat by a girl, they were pretty much fucked socially for the rest of the time they were in high school. Seriously, guys got made fun of hard if they lost to a girl, and they never lived it down.

They should have separate boys and girls wrestling like they do every other sport.

We had a couple of girls in our county, but they didn't amount to much. Getting pinned by the locals burned out their wrestling flame way before the regionals.