Wednesday, February 24, 1999

Girl wrestler pins spot in district tournament

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BY MARK SCHMETZER
Enquirer contributor

Sarah Van Skaik of St. Bernard is the first girl in Ohio to qualify for a district tournament. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        Sarah Van Skaik plans to major in biology when she enrolls at Cumberland College in the fall, but she might be more qualified for history, since she just made some of her own.

        Van Skaik, a senior at St. Bernard-Elmwood Place High School, became the first girl to qualify for a district tournament in Ohio when she pinned Clinton-Massie's Bobby McCall in the consolation semifinals of the Division III sectional wrestling tournament Saturday. The Ohio High School Athletic Association has been sponsoring wrestling tournaments for 61 years.

        Van Skaik will compete starting Friday at Xenia High School.

        Only about a dozen girls wrestled on varsity teams last season, according to Bob Goldring, director of information services for the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). The OHSAA won't have figures for this season until completing a survey in the spring, Goldring added.

        “I was so excited when I won the match,” the 18-year-old Van Skaik said. “Ever since I started wrestling, I've wanted to go to the districts, so I was real excited. The last couple of years, I've come really close.”

        To make history, Van Skaik had a lot of it to overcome. McCall had beaten her twice, including by pin earlier this season, third-year Titans coach Paul Finkes said.

        This time, with the score tied, 2-2, in the second period, Van Skaik put McCall in a half nelson.

        “The place erupted. It was exciting. People were yelling, "Pin him, pin him.' It took her about 10 or 15 seconds.”

        Other than participating in a sport usually reserved for males, Van Skaik, in the 160-pound weight class, is the average high school senior, according to senior teammate Mike Hooker, who also qualified at 112 pounds. Her best friend, Finneytown High School senior Abby Edwards, agrees.

        “She's always been athletic,” Edwards said about Van Skaik. They've been friends since elementary school.

        “When she went into wrestling in (seventh grade), it was something really different. There weren't too many people who agreed with it. But as she proved she could do it, everybody became more accepting of it, and the more success she has, the more people grow to accept it.”

        Van Skaik admits some boys she wrestles still have problems with the concept, especially if she beats them.

        “Some of the people give me reactions that are really stupid,” she said. “I understand, but it still bothers me.”

        McCall wasn't one of them, she and Finkes added.

        “He was obviously disappointed, but you would be, too, if you'd gotten knocked out of the tournament,” Finkes said. “He was just upset about losing the match. When he came over and shook my hand, he just said, "She's a good wrestler.'”

       

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