 |  |
Katherine Sumner is a tested warrior, after five years on Port Byron's varsity wrestling team, as a woman in a man's sport.
An especially grueling, potentially humiliating, potentially glorious sport at that.
When she placed fourth at 106 pounds in last weekend's Section 3 Class D tournament in her home gym, the senior realized one goal: She qualified for the Section 3 overall meet Saturday at OCC's SRC Arena, for the first time. She achieved her 100th career win along the way.
Sumner also strengthened her potential as a college wrestler. She has been accepted at three colleges with women's teams, with a probable major in occupational therapy.
"Five or six years ago, there were 13 college women's teams," said her mother, Nancy. "Now there are more than 20."
The women's college teams are not sanctioned by the NCAA or NAIA, but women's freestyle wrestling is an Olympic sport. Girls wrestling on boys' teams, a facet of the high school season for 20 years, could now become more plentiful. Some large high schools in Florida and California have girls' teams.
College teams mean financial aid and growing acceptance.
UP THROUGH THE RANKS
Sumner rose from peewees to the varsity at 99 and 106 pounds, supported all the way by Panthers coach Tom Green.
"Wrestling is so much harder mentally than physically," she said. "You can push your body harder than you can imagine but the mental side is even tougher."
"She had to earn the guys' respect," said her mother.
"At first it was difficult, very foreign, lots of people didn't like having a girl on the team," said fellow senior Xander Morgenthaler, the Class D champ at 160 pounds:. "But Katherine is tougher than a lot of guys. Now everybody respects what she's done."
Sumner was not the only girl in the Class D tournament. Riley Dalrymple of Copenhagen/Beaver River placed sixth at 106.
Over the years, girls have wrestled at the varsity level, the most noted being Fulton's Danielle Bennett in the early 2000s. People question why girls would want to take on boys in such a physical way. The answer is competition.
"Everybody respects her passion," Morgenthaler said.
LIFE AS A PANTHER
Sumner said being a wrestler was tougher in middle school, where some girls who competed at the peewee level quit the sport because boys don't see it as appealing or their friends criticize them.
She said some of her female friends still do not understand. But along with her friends at Port Byron, she has the support of other wrestlers she has met through travels with the Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club in the summer. Social media helps her chat with any number of people.
Sumner said she dates wrestlers but not guys on her own team, "which would be too weird."
Her overall record is around .500 and her record this season is 18-17, Green said.
After Sumner's 100th win, a 10-5 decision of South Lewis's Branton Carpenter in a wrestle-back, she was hugged by coaches, her mother and her father, Greg. Port Byron fans cheered. Teammates shook her hand.
Just like any wrestler.
An especially grueling, potentially humiliating, potentially glorious sport at that.
When she placed fourth at 106 pounds in last weekend's Section 3 Class D tournament in her home gym, the senior realized one goal: She qualified for the Section 3 overall meet Saturday at OCC's SRC Arena, for the first time. She achieved her 100th career win along the way.
Sumner also strengthened her potential as a college wrestler. She has been accepted at three colleges with women's teams, with a probable major in occupational therapy.
"Five or six years ago, there were 13 college women's teams," said her mother, Nancy. "Now there are more than 20."
The women's college teams are not sanctioned by the NCAA or NAIA, but women's freestyle wrestling is an Olympic sport. Girls wrestling on boys' teams, a facet of the high school season for 20 years, could now become more plentiful. Some large high schools in Florida and California have girls' teams.
College teams mean financial aid and growing acceptance.
UP THROUGH THE RANKS
Sumner rose from peewees to the varsity at 99 and 106 pounds, supported all the way by Panthers coach Tom Green.
"Wrestling is so much harder mentally than physically," she said. "You can push your body harder than you can imagine but the mental side is even tougher."
"She had to earn the guys' respect," said her mother.
"At first it was difficult, very foreign, lots of people didn't like having a girl on the team," said fellow senior Xander Morgenthaler, the Class D champ at 160 pounds:. "But Katherine is tougher than a lot of guys. Now everybody respects what she's done."
Sumner was not the only girl in the Class D tournament. Riley Dalrymple of Copenhagen/Beaver River placed sixth at 106.
Over the years, girls have wrestled at the varsity level, the most noted being Fulton's Danielle Bennett in the early 2000s. People question why girls would want to take on boys in such a physical way. The answer is competition.
"Everybody respects her passion," Morgenthaler said.
LIFE AS A PANTHER
Sumner said being a wrestler was tougher in middle school, where some girls who competed at the peewee level quit the sport because boys don't see it as appealing or their friends criticize them.
She said some of her female friends still do not understand. But along with her friends at Port Byron, she has the support of other wrestlers she has met through travels with the Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club in the summer. Social media helps her chat with any number of people.
Sumner said she dates wrestlers but not guys on her own team, "which would be too weird."
Her overall record is around .500 and her record this season is 18-17, Green said.
After Sumner's 100th win, a 10-5 decision of South Lewis's Branton Carpenter in a wrestle-back, she was hugged by coaches, her mother and her father, Greg. Port Byron fans cheered. Teammates shook her hand.
Just like any wrestler.
RSS Feed