Chicks Heart Fights

February ended quickly, so on leap day, here are a few last links and looks at some of the other people who have made an impact on wrestling.

RevWrestling wrote a well-researched history on some of the pioneers of wrestling. It’s really a great read.

Nebraska and Oklahoma State’s athletic department both wrote features on Black History Month. OSU’s focused on how many black athletes have been All-Americans for the Cowboys. It is impressive. However, a less impressive note is that while some of the best wrestlers in NCAA history have worn Cowboy orange, I have yet to see a black coach at OSU. Sure, maybe a few club coaches, but I have never seen a black man sitting next to John Smith while coaching. Why is that, Coach Smith?

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention one more fantastic black man who has made an impact on the sport of wrestling: Melvin Douglas. He won NCAAs twice for Oklahoma, and was an Olympian in 1996 and 2000. His longevity is something that is dying out in the sport. He was also one of the most well-liked wrestlers in the US. He was always great in interviews-honest and funny. I was at the Olympic trials in 2004 when he left his shoes on the mat, and the crowd gave him such an ovation that I had chills.

Carl Adams, Kerry McCoy and Reggie Wright. They represent the three black head coaches in NCAA D-1 wrestling. Three, and not one is a coach in the Big Ten or Big Twelve, the two most dominant wrestling conferences.

I truly believe that wrestling can be a sport for anybody. You don’t need to be the biggest, or the fastest, but you do need to work hard. You do need to cut weight, and be in fantastic physical condition, and be willing to spend hours practicing. But how can we market this sport as a sport for everybody when the coaches who are recruiting don’t represent this country?

I am not advocating giving chances to men who do not deserve it, nor do I advocate choosing a less qualified coach in order to fill quotas. The NFL model of requiring an applicant of color to get an interview has helped ensure that minority coaches are getting a chance, and that brought about last year’s Super Bowl with two black head coaches. Neither Tony Dungy nor Lovie Smith was given a job they didn’t deserve. So, to the many athletic directors who read this blog (giggle), I implore you, give some of these guys a chance: Continue Reading »

Seriously, I can’t wait for Saturday night. I’m not the only one either. Watching Countdown, I see that Dana White is ready to jump through the camera he’s so excited.  The rest of the MMA blogosphere is pretty damn excited, too:

• MMAJunkie has a preview from fighter Frank Trigg
• Dave Meltzer on Yahoo Sports has a profile of Hendo
• Cage Potato has a couple of clips from ESPN interviews of Hendo and Silva.

During the Countdown show, both fighters claimed that the fight won’t last long. I couldn’t disagree more. They are both strong and have excellent physical conditioning. Silva can take punches like few other fighters. Hendo’s wrestling is possibly the best in the UFC but is also an excellent striker. Silva’s muay thai skills are impressive. With the resume of these two fighters, I can go on for days. Hendo is cutting down, but at the same time, he’s a wrestler. Those boys cut weight in their sleep. (Seriously. Talk to any wrestler and he’ll tell you that he’s slept off a pound.) My pick? You actually want me to make a pick?… I have to go with Continue Reading »

When discussing the greatest American wrestler of all time, the discussion usually focuses on two people: Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson. Both men are definitely worthy of this distinction, but it’s rather questionable that Leroy P. Kemp is quite often left out of the conversation. Just some of his accomplishments:

- Three NCAA titles - the first black man to do so

- Three World Championships - including one when he was just 21

- Seven national freestyle titles

- A collegiate record of  143-6-1, including an undefeated streak of 109 matches in a row.

Maybe he is left out of the discussion because he doesn’t have an Olympic medal. Kemp made the Olympic team ins 1980 and was considered a lock to win a medal, but didn’t compete due to the US Olympic boycott. All this from an athlete who didn’t start wrestling until his freshman year of high school.

According to a profile by the Wrestling Mall, Kemp definitely does not mind that people don’t bring up his name when discussing the greatest American wrestler:

“If people want to put me in the category of being one of the greatest in the history of the sport, I feel honored,” Kemp said recently while taking a break from his full-time job as owner of a Forest Lake, Minn., Ford dealership. “I think all competitive athletes would feel great about being compared with the greatest in the history of the sport.”

And for the record - Gable did wrestle Kemp. Kemp won 7-6.

Two commenters on this blog, Ezra and Cat, have agreed with me - yes, cauliflower ear is sexy. Not only do my ladies and I like it, but here are two articles that support my theory, and even a t-shirt!

Yep, that’s damn hot… and here is why. It’s not the beat up ear, per se, that is attractive.  It’s what it represents. You see, wrestlers are a different breed of people. They are hard working, modest, and quite often have a wicked sense of humor. They are crazy enough to do buddy carries up stadium stairs, and focused enough to see how those buddy carries will make them a better wrestler. As they get older, they never truly get away from the sport - sticking around to coach, run tournaments, work at concessions stands. They don’t greet each other with handshakes or high fives; instead, they tie-up with their friends. Of course, not all wrestlers fit this mold, but the ones who have worked hard enough, and wrestled long enough to earn a cauliflower ear usually do. There is also a family-aspect to wrestling, and the ears help us identify a family member. So I won’t lie. When I am out at a bar, I don’t look for dimples or dreamy eyes. I look for beat-up ears.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUmzzgZH3zU&rel=1]

In preparing to write about Black History Month, I asked two of my favorite black wrestlers, Mo Lawal and Jamill Kelly, which black wrestlers they looked up to. Without hesitation, they both answered: Chris Campbell, Kenny Monday and Kevin Jackson. These three men won Olympic medals for the US in 1992, and in doing that, made a mark on young black wrestlers. Read more about these men, and how they affect today’s generation of wrestling, after the jump. Continue Reading »

M-1 wants to start a reality series in which the winner gets to fight Fedor Emelianenko. No, seriously. Is Fedor that much of a puppet for M-1 that he would agree to this, or does he just want to keep the title “World’s Greatest Fighter” without having to work for it? In his last fight, he submitted a giant, which was in and of itself, a circus match-up. It seems as if the chance for Couture vs. Fedor is never going to happen, but there has to be better competition than some random Russian. Mirko Cro Cop announced today that he is leaving the UFC for DREAM, a company who has an arrangement with M-1. (Maybe this means M-1 will have more than one fighter now!) This could lay the groundwork for Fedor-Cro Cop II, but in the meantime, Fedor needs to fight real competition now. And Cro Cop is hardly the answer, considering that he was knocked out in his last two fights. I would hate to to see “World’s Greatest Fighter” keep that title because his promoters were too lazy to find real competition.

I was going to hold off on a Linky McLinkerson, but some of these links were too good not to share…

Ben Fowlkes from the Fighting Life wrote a story on the “type of women” that seem to gravitate towards fighters. You know the type-bleached blond, stiletto-wearing, surgically-enhanced, fake-tanned women of indelible character. I make no judgment on these women, but they’re just very different from me. I’m a redhead, tanning beds scare me, stilettos make me fall, and the only surgical enhancement I’ve had is having screws put in my leg so my knee won’t dislocate. Yet, I am still attracted to fighters. I think the difference is that the blondies are on TV more, and there are a multitude of these women in places where fighters train and fight - namely, California and Las Vegas.

The Ultimate Fighter update: MMA Junkie has a pretty comprehensive listing of fighters here, and that list includes two former wrestlers, CB Dolloway, All-American from Arizona State, and Paul Bradley, an Iowa All-American. KTNV in Las Vegas has a cute little interview with Forrest Griffin and Rampage.

Bloody Elbow has been writing an ongoing history of MMA, and it’s fascinating. Check it out here.

The Cornell Daily Sun did another excellent “Ten Questions” feature, this time with my precious wrestler to watch, Jordan Leen. Unfortunately, the link is not working right now, but I emailed the webmaster, so hopefully you can read Jordan’s thoughts on mud-butt vs. swamp ass, the kind of woman he’s looking for, and if there has ever been a redheaded NCAA champion. As a redhead myself, I am curious to know the answer to that question. I can think of some redheaded All-Americans, but no champion. If anyone can think of a champion, please email me at at chicksheartfights at gmail dot com.

Also, if you have any links for Linky McLinkerson, please feel free to send those to me as well!

Dear Dana White,

I love the UFC. I watch it, I write about it, I discuss it, I frighten people with my knowledge of it. Last October, I read that you wanted to bring the UFC to Chicago - imagine my joy! But then, to my sadness, MMAJunkie reported this week that Dana White has said that New York or Boston will host a UFC event this year, despite the restrictions that exist on MMA in New York and Massachusetts. Dana, I know that you’re a boy from Southy, but how quickly do you expect laws to change in an election year? Why not come to a city with a rabid MMA fanbase, two viable options for an arena with the Allstate and the United Center, a top-3 market who loves local sporting events, and, most importantly, me? And when you schedule this card, how about throwing Roger Huerta and Forrest Griffin in this event? Thanks!

xoxo

The Chick

Throughout the month of February, Chicks Heart Fights will take a look at some African-Americans who have made an impact on the sports of wrestling and mixed martial arts. To kick off the series, I’m starting with the coach that fascinated me from the moment I started watching college wrestling. While coaching, he had an unmatched intensity, but then off the mat, he is a true teddy bear - one of the nicest men in the sport. Of course, that paradox was not the only thing that puzzled me - I was dying to know what was in that fanny pack!

Continue Reading »