When it's alright to tackle a girl

As a person with ovaries, I’m glad to be able to paint my nails, bake and wear skirts without upsetting society, but my female-size brain sure gets befuddled when it hears crap like “You need to treat women with respect.”

Initially, this slogan sounds good, but really, it’s not just women that deserve respect. It’s everyone.

I say we should honor the be-nice-and-play-fair policy instead.

If it’s fair to pin someone down and squash his or her face into a salty wrestling mat because that’s part of the game and you’re respecting the rules, so be it. Boy or girl.
I’m sorry to report that last week a young wrestler was denied the chance to properly compete in the Iowa State Championship.

Sophomore Joel Northrup walked off the mat Feb. 17, refusing to wrestle his opponent. The match was subsequently forfeited to Cassy Herkelman.

But isn’t a win by default a kind of insult? Consolation prizes are great for kids, but high school sports require extensive training, and each athlete should be treated with respect.

To me, it would be more dignified to treat Herkelman and other female wrestlers as regular wrestlers.

They’re wearing singlets like all the boys, and they know that wrestling is an aggressive contact sport.

When on the mat, I see no problem attacking a perfectly qualified contender, and since Herkelman was in the same 112-pound weight class as Northrup, it’s a shame they weren’t able to compete.

Northrup defends his decision to walk off the mat in a written statement: “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.”

I don’t want to say that Northrup’s beliefs are wrong, but it seems necessary to point out that Herkelman is not helpless.

She had a 20-13 record entering the tournament. 

Northrup wasn’t asked to tackle a cheerleader, a lady walking down the street or his mother.

Herkelman is on her school’s team because she wants to wrestle, yet she still found a way to respect Northrup’s actions.

“He had the right to make his own choice, and he made his choice,” Herkelman said. “It’s not like he did what he didn’t want to do.”

This same approach should be taken with female wrestlers.

Like any other competitor, they willingly train for matches and put on their uniforms. While not the most flattering things, singlets can act as great equalizers.

So if someone is literally asking you for a friendly wrestling match, go for it. Just remember that consent is the key factor for both girls and boys.


E-mail: paihenry@indiana.edu