Well, here we go again. Off to the races. From here on in (or out, depending on the weather) we’re racing onward toward the ending of this or the beginning of that.
Practices have begun for the Spring musical, “Beauty and the Beast”, I believe. Wrestlers are also having a good year–kudos to Coach Andel, for having all the weight classes filled; that makes such a difference in team scores. I even went to the Portage County tournament on Saturday–haven’t been to one of those in an age– and saw at least three of the Garfield contingents raise their hands at the end of the matches; it was a good feeling. Reminded me of the old–we’re talking OLD here–days when I was pressed into service as a scorekeeper for middle school matches. Nowadays, I stick to volleyball–safer for all concerned. When I first got to the gym, I didn’t have a clue where to sit–the place was full–but it did not take me too long to figure out that the side with the bleachers full of half-nekkid young fellows and their female fans was not the ideal place for watching the affair. I did not stick around for all the weight classes but some of those smaller, wiry guys were something else. Saw more body-slams than I’d ever seen before too; one of them even cost the slammer his match. I know that there are girl wrestlers around too, but I have not cottoned on to where/when their big event is; they have been in the paper, so I know that they are out there. Would like to see how that facet of the sport is doing.
It is amazing to me all the things that girls can now do in the sporting world, wrestling being only one facet of the change. I came from the day when girls had to play half-court basketball (We were presumed to be unable to play that GREAT BIG full court, being delicate females and all.)–except for in Indiana, where girls could play regular basketball…must have been that Hoosier orneriness that kept them fit. Anyway, guards/defensive players could only play on one half of the court and forwards/shooters/offense players could only play the other half of the court. Soon as a guard got a ball on defense, they had to pass it to a shooter on the other side of the court to make a shot. Bummer. Consequently, I never learned to make a lay-up shot until I was thirty…or was it forty…it was so long ago. Jump balls took forever too. Never had to make a foul shot either; forwards got to do that.
Title IX changed all that, somewhere around ‘73-’74 I think it was. Basketball led the way and look at us now–female kickers on football teams, female wrestlers, girls’ track, you name it, professional leagues, the whole works.
The quote above in the title is from a famous poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade” but women’s outcomes, in this case are a whole lot better (No “do and die” about it). Onward and upward is more like it. You Go, Girls!
