Wrestling Sistaz!

Posted on January 9, 2012 , by junowebdesign

Wrestling has a tendency to be a male dominated sport, although in recent years more and more girls and women have been stepping up onto the mat.

For the Clarke clan, wrestling is a family affair. All nine children practice the sport of wrestling and two of them are female. The two girls are competing in the Shadow Ridge Junior Varsity team.

Emily Clarke is a freshman and has a 7-12 record from the winter season in the 120 pound weight class. She pairs up with her sister for workouts and practice. The girls have a great base of fans who are enthusiastic on the sidelines.

“Some people think girls aren't supposed to wrestle. But in our family, they do,” Emily said. “This is what I like to do. I’m having fun.”

Some times the girls draw stares but they don't mind, in fact they are so focused they tend not to notice.

Meghan Clarke is Legally blind with 20-90 vision and doesn't wear glasses during competitions. During matches she starts by locking hands with her opposition so she can work out where she is and size up her opponent.

Watching Meghan compete you wouldn't realize she was blind, due to the fact she executes moves, pins and overpowers the other wrestlers. Shadow Ridge Coach Gus Gledhill didn't realize Meghan had vision problems until well into the season.

“I don’t feel different from the other (wrestlers) out here,” Meghan said. “There’s no adjustment because I’ve been doing this for so long. I’m comfortable out here.”

The Clarke family moved to Las Vegas two summers ago because their kids were part of an active wrestling team where few of the wrestlers were female.

So these girls are really doing it for themselves and flying the flag for female wrestling in a very male dominated sport! You go girlfriend!