Breaking Down the Barriers

Heather Duthie doesn't understand all the fuss. The 15-year-old was just following her passion. Yet, in December when the Triton Central High School freshman became the first female to wrestle a varsity match for the Tigers, she made history. The 112-pounder suited up and lost her first match at the Connersville Invitational. Despite the historical ramifications, Duthie wasn't trying to become a pioneer for female wrestling at the small high school in Fairland, Ind. "To be the first, that doesn't really matter to me," she said. "I just saw (wrestling) as something new and challenging. I wasn't trying to start a trend or anything." Although Duthie isn't the first female to compete on a boys high school wrestling team, the number of girls willing - and able - to mix it up with the boys is few and far between. Beth Lybarger, the women's developmental director for the Indiana State Wrestling Association, estimates there are currently between 30-50 girls in the state competing on boys teams at the middle school and high school levels. According to Lybarger, the number of female wrestlers is typically higher at the elementary-age clubs, but many of them quit before middle school. "I encourage girls to start when they're 5 or 6 years old, like the boys do," Lybarger said. "At the younger ages, if they have the right coaching, they can be better than boys. Around sixth grade, however, boys start developing muscle, and it's hard for them to keep up." Another factor driving some girls away from the sport is disapproval from their parents. Lybarger said a common concern among parents is the touching that goes on during a match, some of which could be misunderstood as "inappropriate." "On some level, I understand their concern, but it's an athletic competition," Lybarger said. "You have two athletes trying to win a match. That's all." Longtime high school wrestling coach Dave Cloud, who has spent the past 25 years at Pendleton Heights High School, doesn't think wrestling newcomers should misconstrue the physical components of the sport. "Boys aren't grabbing other boys in a sexual way, and it shouldn't be viewed differently when the opponent is a girl," Cloud said. "Some boys think they'll get in trouble for doing moves a certain way, but when you're on the mat, it's just wrestling. There's nothing sexual about it." Another deterrent for female wrestlers is the strength differential between teenage boys and girls. At the lower weights, it's not always evident, but in the middle and upper weights, boys are generally much stronger. "When you start getting above 130 pounds, those boys are solid and chiseled with muscle," said Triton Central coach Randy McPheron. "Wrestling is a contact sport, and like any contact sport, there's always the risk of serious injury." When Duthie joined the Tigers, McPheron noticed his male wrestlers were being "lenient" with her during practice. "Whether you're a boy or girl, you have to treat everybody the same," McPheron said. "The boys were setting Heather up to be injured by taking her lightly. You can't go 50 percent in practice and 100 percent in a meet." Duthie, who has suffered a handful of minor injuries, like a bloody nose and sore neck, respects her teammates and opponents for trying their hardest. "I don't want special treatment because I'm a girl. I don't expect special treatment, either," she said. "When I first came to practice, the guys were trying to go easy on me and take it slower, but it wasn't helping me improve." Even with a competent wrestler like Duthie, some opposing coaches and challengers would rather forfeit the match than face a girl. At the Connersville Invitational, both of Duthie's victories came by forfeit. "It's extremely disappointing," Lybarger said. "Some people have an old school attitude and don't want to see girls in the sport, but it's not fair to the individuals putting in hours and hours of hard work. Some of these girls are capable of beating boys - they're just not getting the chance." Katie Downing, who recently changed her last name to Cygan, proved her ability while wrestling at Pendleton Heights from 1994-98. Following high school, she went on to wrestle internationally against females and was an Olympic alternate for the Beijing Games last summer. At Pendleton Heights, she beat a number of male competitors and finished her senior year with a record near .500. "Luckily, I had a good high school career, and it was a good situation for me," said the 29-year-old Cygan, who resides in Colorado Springs, Colo. "Because I loved the sport, I was able to deal with some of the negativity surrounding girl wrestlers." Cygan has noticed a growth in female wrestling over the years, but she believes girls will never have a true impact at the Indiana high school level until they have their own teams separate from boys. "Right now, it doesn't seem like there's a lot of interest because their only option is to compete on the boys teams," Cygan said. "If girls were able to wrestle other girls, I think people would be surprised by the turnout." Establishing wrestling teams for high school girls has become a priority for Lybarger, who said a number of states, including Texas, California and Hawaii, have paved the way by implementing successful programs. "Wrestling is like women's basketball 30 years ago. People were like, 'Who wants to see women play basketball?'" Lybarger said. "I think girls will have their own (wrestling) teams one day in Indiana, but until someone figures out how to get it started, it's probably still years away." - Go online to read more about Triton Central wrestler Heather Duthie and her journey to becoming the Tigers', first female varsity wrestler.