ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 26, 1996 TAG: 9612260098
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO AP. 1. ARLINGTON
DATELINE: ARLINGTON, TEXAS
SOURCE: Associated Press
SOME PARENTS of female high school wrestlers are going toe-to-toe with sports groups in Texas.
If Arlington High School wrestler Ashley King has to give up the sport she loves, it won't be because of her mostly male competition.
It could be the referees who drive her off the mat.
The state's only high school wrestling officiating association disbanded a few weeks ago rather than be forced to referee girl vs. boy matches.
``They can't make us do this,'' said John Rizzuti, former president of the Texas Wrestling Officials Association. ``Hell will freeze over before I officiate girls being brutalized by guys.''
The association's move came after two female wrestlers and the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to sue for the association not refereeing matches involving girls. The dissolution was intended to undercut the ACLU suit.
But two mothers of female wrestlers, Rai Barnett and Karen Herring, on Tuesday filed a discrimination lawsuit along with a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.
The governing body of high school wrestling in the state, the Texas Interscholastic Wrestling Association, and the Texas Wrestling Officials Association are among the defendants. Lawyer Anthony Hume, who filed the lawsuit, said Wednesday he had no evidence the officials' association had disbanded, so it was included in the suit.
The plaintiffs are seeking $10,000 in damages and a restraining order and injunction forcing the two organizations to allow girls to wrestle.
The legal maneuvers mark the escalation of a controversy over a sport that now has 20 female participants statewide.
Girls have wrestled for several years in Texas, just as in about 20 other states, including Virginia, and typically are on a school's mostly male team. They wrestle boys or other girls in their weight class in matches established by the coaches at the start of a meet.
But because the TIWA does not recognize female wrestlers - a policy unique among state oversight groups - referees until now either have ignored the matches or officiated without posting points for the team. The debate boiled over in September when association members began refusing to officiate.
Those who support girls wrestling say the battle comes down to antiquated values and discrimination.
``The girls that wrestle are ready for guys to be rough and they'll be rough right back,'' King said. ``It's really about old-fashioned Texas tradition and sexism.''
Says Eddie Nelson, the only association member who supports girls wrestling: ``If the good ol' boy network that doesn't like to see women play any sports wins out, I will be really disappointed.''
But Rizzuti, who has officiated high school wrestling for 10 years, said the idea of a girl wrestling a boy is ``ridiculous.'' The association's primary concern is safety, he said.
``There's one guy I call the Punisher. If a girl fought him, I'd tell them to call an ambulance - she's going to the hospital,'' he said. ``What in heaven's name are parents teaching these girls where they want to jump into the ring with brutes?''
Then there are the potential legal ramifications.
``Many times we have to grab wrestlers when the fall off the mat, or things are too physical,'' Rizzuti said. ``We have no protection against sexual harassment charges if some girl is offended by the way we touch her.''
Nelson said that's ludicrous.
``It's never, ever happened,'' he said. ``This is just another concoction aimed at keeping girls from wrestling.''
Fans at a meet this month between Arlington and Arlington Martin high schools seemed to warm instantly to King.
Cheers went up on both sides of the gym as the 17-year-old briskly shook hands with Marcos Venegas, 17, who had at least a 3-inch height advantage. After two rounds of locks, throws and counters, Venegas pinned King.
King was quick to point out she wasn't outmatched by much. ``I'm not saying we [girls] always win, but we can compete.''
Dusty Barton, a wrestler for Arlington Martin, said he doesn't mind wrestling girls, but added that many male teammates see it as a lose-lose situation.
``If you win, they say you only won because you're a boy,'' he said. ``If you lose, they make fun of you because you lost to a girl.''
The TIWA defends its stance against male-female wrestling, saying it's consistent with policies in other high school sports.
``Wrestling is the only sport across the United States where we even think about having girls compete against guys,'' TIWA executive director Jim Giunta. ``I don't care if it's tennis, swimming, track - girls don't even golf against guys.''
On Monday, the state oversight group announced the formation of a female wrestlers league. But Courtney Barnett, 17, is not appeased.
``I want to wrestle boys,'' she said. ``They're usually not afraid to get rough and I like that. They're also usually the most experienced wrestlers.''
LENGTH: Medium: 94 linesby CNB