Colorado Springs wrestler made history when he knocked himself out of the state tournament

[Tango Two]

Johnson, a senior 106-pound wrestler at The Classical Academy, a charter school in Colorado Springs, is forever a part of Colorado state tournament history now. He’s cool with that. His decision to forfeit twice at the 2019 state tournament, effectively eliminating himself from the event on personal and religious principle rather than wrestle two girl competitors, may divide your inner circle right down the middle. He’s cool with that, too.

“Wrestling is something we do, it’s not who we are,” Johnston told The Denver Post before forfeiting to fellow Class 3A contender Angel Rios of Valley during the third round of consolations Saturday morning at the Pepsi Center. “And there are more important things to me than my wrestling. And I’m willing to have those priorities.”


https://www.denverpost.com/2019/02/...ament-colorado-springs-wrestler-girl-forfeit/

 

[Ban Basketball]

We were the first in the country to make this news, eight years ago.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wrestler-...s-cassy-herkelman-girl-iowa/story?id=12948252

 

[13duke st.]

Respect the girl and wrestle her. She wants to step on the line and compete. Kids afraid of losing IMO

 

[FoxRU]

Respect the girl and wrestle her. She wants to step on the line and compete. Kids afraid of losing IMO

Did you read the article? The kid is thoughtful and very respectful towards both female opponents he forfeited to at the state tournament. His only losses on the year were a medical default and the forfeits. His choice based on his religious convictions are every bit as valid as the choice to wrestle a girl/woman would be. While I don’t share his beliefs I respect them and he was willing to accept the consequences.

 

[13duke st.]

I did read it. I would argue that it is disrespectful to the girl to forfeit to her. She wants to be treated fairly and equally. She chose to be ok with engaging in a physical sport with a boy. Step on the line and wrestle her. That is being respectful

 

[RU93]

I don't agree with girls wrestling in boys competition. Do they compete together in soccer? Tennis? Bball? Come on, we shouldn't have it in wrestling either!

 

[FoxRU]

I did read it. I would argue that it is disrespectful to the girl to forfeit to her. She wants to be treated fairly and equally. She chose to be ok with engaging in a physical sport with a boy. Step on the line and wrestle her. That is being respectful

Ok, let’s say I’m a vegetarian and I make it clear that I don’t eat meat based on moral grounds. I don’t tell you or anyone else that they can’t eat meat, I just won’t. We have dinner together, there is meat on the table but I only eat vegetables. Is that being disrespectful? He didn’t protest girls being allowed to wrestle, he just won’t do it because it violates his principles re. boys and girls touching and what he deems inappropriate physical aggression towards women. He realizes that in his state girls are allowed to wrestle boys and that his opinion is in the minority. She received a forfeit, a win on her record and advanced in the tournament. How has she been treated unfairly? Should he give up wrestling completely because of his religious convictions?

 

[FoxRU]

I don't agree with girls wrestling in boys competition. Do they compete together in soccer? Tennis? Bball? Come on, we shouldn't have it in wrestling either!

Most states don’t have girls Hs wrestling offered so a girl’s only opportunity is to wrestle with the boys. You can argue there is not enough interest but for a talented female wrestler, in most cases, her only option is to wrestle with the boys, whether she wants to or not.

 

[Ban Basketball]

Most states don’t have girls Hs wrestling offered so a girl’s only opportunity is to wrestle with the boys. You can argue there is not enough interest but for a talented female wrestler, in most cases, her only option is to wrestle with the boys, whether she wants to or not.

And in the Iowa case that I linked to above it was her only opportunity to compete, and she DID have the talent to compete with males.

 

[RobotHunter]

It’s a no win situation for these boys....no matter how good the girl is if he beats her everyone says oh ok he beat a girl big deal....if he loses he will prob be made fun of and harassed on social media relentlessly.

 

[FoxRU]

It’s a no win situation for these boys....no matter how good the girl is if he beats her everyone says oh ok he beat a girl big deal....if he loses he will prob be made fun of and harassed on social media relentlessly.

Times are changing/have changed. The large majority of the wrestling community is strongly behind girls wrestling. We are from NJ, there is sarcasm in the water. Our friends will harass/make fun of us relentlessly regardless of the issue.

 

[Ban Basketball]

Times are changing/have changed. The large majority of the wrestling community is strongly behind girls wrestling. We are from NJ, there is sarcasm in the water. Our friends will harass/make fun of us relentlessly regardless of the issue.

And, the growth and expansion of girl's/women's wrestling can maybe help us save a lot of men's programs at the collegiate level from the Title IX ax.

 

[RU93]

Girls wrestling in boys competition is a no-win situation. The top girls are not going to beat top 8 boys, and will not make the podium in 99% of the case. Even Serena Williams, she will not beat any male in top 300 in ranking. Yes, no competition part, I understand, but it's a backward thinking to have them in the males' competition, where girls can actually get touched wrongly if boys want to, and boys cannot compete freely. No one wins.

 

[RU93]

One more - I remember when I was wrestling in highschool, at our lower weight, we had a good wrestler. He was going up against a girl, and he was stressing out b/c he knew he cannot do all his go-to moves b/c it might be taken as harassment, due to positioning of the bodies. So me and others told him some moves he should do, that are safe, but he was still stressed until the match was over. He won easily, but mentally he was exhausted.

 

[dconifer]

Not sure how anybody can spin this as disrespectful.

I would have wrestled, and advised him to do so, but he explained his decision in a completely respectful way that was all about himself, not her.