InterMat: Inside info from the N.W.C.A
brought to you byBrute Wrestling
First Time in the History of Women
The Open is always one of the biggest and best tournaments in the USA Wrestling circuit. Every year, wrestlers flock to Vegas with Gold of a different kind in their eyes. This year however, the stakes are much higher. Winners leave with not only a plaque, but also a right to compete for a spot on the Olympic team. For the men, this opportunity has come along every fourth year for years, but for the women, this is the first time in the history of, well, women. This year, for the first time ever, women wrestlers will compete at the Olympics. This is a huge step for the rapidly growing sport; unfortunately, only four of the seven weight classes will compete at Athens: 48 kg, 55 kg, 63 kg, and 72 kg.
This has prompted some very interesting reactions amongst the women in many ways, but perhaps most importantly in their decisions concerning weight classes. Top wrestlers in non-Olympic weights have been moving up or down across the board, resulting in some very strong, and some very weak, weight classes. Here at the Open, all seven weights are still being held, however it is the top eight in an Olympic weight, and only the top four in a non-Olympic weight, that will qualify for the Olympic Trials. All will eventually have to move to an Olympic weight for the Trials, but for now, the main goal is to qualify.
This has made seeding the weights especially hard this year since for many, it is the first time that they have wrestled at these weights. Many top match ups will be between wrestlers who have never met on the mats before. For example, at the 55 kg weight, not only are the top 55 kg wrestlers like Tina George and Tela O’Donnell there, but also Jenny Wong, last year’s winner at 51 kg, and Erin Tomeo, habitually a 59 kg wrestler in the past.
So far, there have been few surprises. At 48 kg, 51 kg, 55 kg, and 72 kg all seeded wrestlers have advanced to the quarterfinals. Only at 59 kg and 63 kg have two unseeded wrestlers managed to beat out a seeded wrestler. The wrestling however, is only just getting started and tomorrow promises to feature some of the best women’s wrestling that the USA has ever seen.
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