Boy Refuses to Wrestle Girl

[Liberal_in_LA]

Boy Refuses to Wrestle Girl

Joel Northrup refused to compete against a girl at the Iowa state tournament in Des Moines, relinquishing any chance of becoming a champion because he said wrestling a girl would conflict with his religious beliefs. Northrup, a home-schooled sophomore who was 35-4 wrestling for Linn-Mar High School, defaulted his first-round match in the 112-pound class with Cassy Herkelman, a freshman from Cedar Falls.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/sports/18sportsbriefs-wrestling.html?src=twrhp

[The Nexus]

1. What's he really afraid of? nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. welcome!

:hi:

[baldguy]

9. cooties.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

10. Some people take their religious beliefs seriously.

Home schooled, family decision. I don't understand it, but I'll accept his explanation.


No story, here.

[mzteris]

14. My problem is - it's their "religion" telling them that

women are second class citizens.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

21. one of a 100 reasons that I'm not religious

[polmaven]

24. Sure, because

*every* religion is misogynistic.....even those with women leaders.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

27. you'll never win this argument

:eyes:

[polmaven]

31. Oh, don't I know it...

The number of religion haters here is incredible. And most have no idea what they are talking about.

I am a strongly religious United Methodist. We have no problem with males and females competing in athletics against each other.

Yes, there are some religions still in the dark ages - but not all of them.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

35. I have Methodist friends who sound like they're from the dark ages...

One says she was sexually abused because god wanted to use her to help others.

That kind of shit for brains rationalizing is spooky.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

37. duplicate

duplicate

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

41. from a conversation I had w/ a Methodist friend on another message board...

Her: I guess I could answer myself by saying "God always has a perfect plan for his children who love him and Satan must be part of the ultimate plan." I just don't have an answer to that one yet...not that there isn't one. Why doesn't God intervene? Why does He allow the innocent to suffer at the hands of the guilty? Well, that's a mighty big question. I've found in my own experience as a child who was sexually abused...God has allowed these painful events to occur in my life 1) so that I would draw nearer to Him for safety and value of myself and experience Him as my healer/best friend and 2) so that I would be a light for other women who have been abused and shamed.



Me: I'm going to unapologetically, but respectfully (even though it might not sound like it), disagree with you. Your interpretation of this experience--that God is using you as his vehicle--certainly brings you comfort and that has clearly helped you heal. However, it is an unsatisfactory explanation. Speaking from a mountain of experience, you don't need God in your life to support others who've been dealt the same hand as you. Moreover, the outcome is equally satisfying. IMO, it's an insult to tell victims that God's plan for them was to use them as vehicles of good doings. More than that, it's dangerous. Respectfully (because I do like you a lot), I'm not buying what Christianity is selling.



Rationalization is comforting.

[polmaven]

42. I will not say

that there are not still some UM congregations with very fundamentalist views. There are also congregations like mine who are very forward thinking and believe Jesus to have been a Liberal.

My point, though, in the post, was that not all "religions" are misogynistic. It was in response to a poster who stated that sexism is the reason s/he is not religious. We are not all like that...far from it.

[DJ13]

11. Boehner scares him?

[Motown_Johnny]

36. I would have spelled it differently, but when you consider a teenage boy

and a teenage girl rolling around on a mat together in those skin tight outfits.....



He could easily have an embarrassing incident.

[H2O Man]

13. Nothing.

And you?

[11 Bravo]

15. Hurting her.

He was 35-4 and a favorite to win the state title.

[demigoddess]

19. he's afraid god will send him to hell for wrestling a girl!!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[FiveGoodMen]

2. Side-hugs for everyone!

[SidDithers]

45. ROFL...

great post :applause:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_Oj0-splZw

Sid

[Zywiec]

3. Only some 170 comments on this thread already

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x439330

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. whooops!

[msongs]

5. why is ahome school kid allowed to wrestle for a public school team is the bigger issue nt

[mzteris]

7. different states have different rules

about participation in public school activities.

I think hs'ers SHOULD be allowed to participate. But then again, I used to hs!

[Obamanaut]

23. Home school students here are under the supervision of the school

system insofar as academics are concerned, and are allowed to participate in most non-academic activities.

[mzteris]

6. idiot - you lose. He was afraid of

1. getting all hot and bothered
2. LOSING TO A GIRL!


BTW - I want to emphasize that not all homeschoolers are religious nutjobs. Many many homeschoolers are freethinking intelligent children who thrive in a hs setting!@

[Ilsa]

12. ITA! And 2. LOSING TO A GIRL! Was my first thought. nt

[11 Bravo]

Typical intellectually lazy, but oh-so-predictable internet bullshit.

I disagree with the kid's decision, but he was 35-4 and a favorite to win the state title. He was afraid of hurting her, and probably a victim of some whacked-out homeschool parenting to boot. The old "afraid to lose to girl" crap, while a sure-fire crowd pleaser, is a bunch of horeshit. He was nothing but complimentary and respectful of the female wrestler in explaining his rationale, and again, while I would have decided differently, your accusation of cowardice is fucking garbage.

[mzteris]

18. Do you know the guy?

Your "analysis" is so much "fucking garbage" in my book.

Have a NICE day.

[JBoy]

30. So you know him personally, and are saying he is a coward?

[mzteris]

32. I know the "type"...

you could be right. but I'm betting your wrong.

[11 Bravo]

48. Oh! Fuck! You know the "type"! Why didn't you say so? I take it all back.

That's a level of expertise with which only a fool would dare take issue.
(By the way, there's a type with which I am also familiar. They're unfamiliar with the rules of capitalization and are unaware of the difference between "your" and "you're". Most of them are fucking idiots.)

[ClusterFreak]

16. Maybe the kid just doesn't want to wrestle a girl?

I think that's kind of nice actually. Call me old fashioned.:)

[JoePhilly]

26. I'm kind of with you.

In the other threads on this topic, there are 2 main lines of discussion.

One has to do with the fact that the boy is home schooled, and his statement does little to suggest that his family thinks girls are suppose to be subservient to men. And so wrestling a girl would be evil.

The second line is the one you and I might focus on ... as a teen boy HOPING that a girl would let me "touch her", the idea that I would HAVE TO GRAB a girl, and throw her to the ground, and force her to stay still, so others could CHEER me for doing so, creates a bit of a conflict.

On one level, athletes compete and their gender should not matter. In this case, especially for teens, there are some complicating factors. And I don;t see a simple answer on this one.

[mzteris]

33. so her wishes in the matter don't count?

She trained for this. but he's "too good" to wrestle her? What if she were a guy, but black and he didn't want to wrestle? would that be "cute", too? Or maybe he would refuse to wrestle a gay boy. would that be okay, too?

[riderinthestorm]

34. Sexist more like. The girl deserved her chance to compete

she EARNED her chance to compete. She's clearly capable and yet she's been fed a bunch of bullshit spew about keeping her "safe". Keeping girls and women "safe" has been the age old excuse to keep them unequal and without choices or chances.

It's not "nice". It's bullshit.

[Union Scribe]

38. Agreed. I wonder how people would react to a male/female boxing match?

[riderinthestorm]

39. Gosh! How would people react at males and females shooting at each other??111!!

I mean, women in the army is so... dangerous111!!! And we must keep women safe!!!111!!!1elevens!!!111

Lets not ever let THEM decide what they want to do right? Exposing them to danger or damage or disfigurement is so, well, dangerous!111!!!

And FWIW, males and females box all the time from real boxing to kickboxing and more. This isn't 1950. It's 2011. Boys and girls getting rough with each is okay, really.

[bluestateguy]

17. If he's home schooled, what is he doing on the wrestling team?

You want to homeschool, fine, but don't demand the privileges of public school enrollment too (sports and extracurricular, etc.).

What next, will he demand to be elected class president too?

Anyway, what a shitty attitude. I wonder if he also thinks that women should stay home barefoot and pregnant and that girls should only be cheerleaders and be steered into classes like home economics.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

20. Some states allow it

[Dappleganger]

28. Tim Tebow was happy that FL allowed it.

And of course the school got more $$ when he attended, too.

[Pithlet]

43. They got more tax dollars when he attended what?

The extra curricular activities? I didn't know they were allocated like that anywhere. They're usually based on school attendance. Which is why I don't think homechoolers should be allowed. They want to withdraw and therefore withdraw their tax dollars that would have gone with them? They can pay for their own activities as well.

[Obamanaut]

22. Nearly 200 responses here ->

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=439330&mesg_id=439330

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[demmiblue]

29. .

[defendandprotect]

40. But wresting a boy doesn't conflict with "religious beliefs" .... ? hmmmm.....

Are wrestlers really in this much denial?

:eyes:

[fittosurvive]

44. It was a no win situation for the boy.

If he wins--wow, he is the meanie who beat up on the girl.

If he loses--well, let's just say that it would be a bit more embarrassing than losing to another boy.

[MadHound]

46. He made his choice, he suffered the consequences of that choice, move on.

If he feels his religious strictures don't allow him to wrestle young ladies, fine, his choice.

[Puzzler]

47. Why was he in the contest in the first place if he felt this way?

He must have known that there was a chance of wrestling a girl at some stage in the competition. I'm sure the participation of girls was no secret.