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we're wrestling with something: a guy refused to compete with a gURL. wdyt?
Joel Northup, a wrestling star from Iowa, gave up on his chances to become a state champion because it would have meant wrestling a gURL. His reasoning: Joel didn’t think it was right to engage in a contact sport with a chick, especially since wrestling can become quite violent.
|Other gURLs are talking about this story in the Shout Out Boards.|
Do you think this guy did the right thing? Or does it discredit gURLs out there (like his opponent, Cassy Herkelman), who train hard in their sports so they can compete?
Is it ever okay for a guy to engage in physical combat with a gURL? Would this have been the exception?
Either way, we think what Joel did was cool. He took a stand against something he didn’t believe in doing, even if it meant forfeiting a title he had worked hard for. What do you think? Comment below.
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i think his parents raesid him wrong. He’s too stuck on the idea. The gurl put herself in the position to wrestle so her consent makes it ok. now she can earn her win and make him look bad or he can win, and she walks away still fine I did wrestling and went against guys. it’s a safe sport, not like mma but anyway if a girl has earned the top spot, let a guy wrestle her or fear losing
I can see where people are coming from when they say her consent made it OK for a guy “to hit a girl,” but i really do agree with him. I would have done the same thing. I know equal rights means were all the same and I shouldn’t treat girls different than buddies, but the truth is, I do. Really, no matter what the situation, I just couldn’t bring myself to hit a girl.
Guys think their doing it and it doesn't make them look bad. Seriously, who would judge him for getting physically in contact with her? Is it because guys thing getting physical means having sex? I think he's just afraid if he beats her, guys will say why would you beat up a girl? but if he gets beaten, then guys will say, dude, you beat up a girl! What's wrong with you? Most likely his reason.
i think his parents raised him wrong. He's too stuck on the idea. The gurl put herself in the position to wrestle so her consent makes it ok. now she can earn her win and make him look bad or he can win, and she walks away still fine…I did wrestling and went against guys. it's a safe sport, not like mma…but anyway if a girl has earned the top spot, let a guy wrestle her or fear losing
His parents raised him right. They raisied him to respect women and leave to put his hands on her for any reason. we need more men like this.
That boy is a cowardly prick who deprived the girl of a fair victory. He didn't want to get beaten by a girl. I'm so tired of rules that say guys can't hit girls. Why don't both sexes hold each other to equal standards? Reverse the sexes of the female athlete and that coward and who would get ridiculed?
to add to my other comment, I notice many people saying that wrestling could be disrespectful to girls.(according to his beliefs and so on) I don't think it is. It's just another sport where a woman has a chance to beat a guy (literally or figuratively). I'm friends with most of the wrestlers and they all respect me.
i think what the dude was saying is it doesn't feel right to him to compete in a sport with a gurl if he is going to have to hurt or offend her to win. Also this is just my opinion it is not fair to the guy to put him in that spot but either way i am glad he stood up for what he cared for
I am on the fence with this. My boyfriend is also a wrestler and he wrestles every match including those with girls. He actually hates it because girls tend to be more flexible than guys so most of the moves he can use on guy wrestlers he don't work as well on girls. Either way he usually wins against the girls. I don't think it's because they are weaker, although if girls could build up a little more muscle tone and definition and less fat it could be easier, I think it is because the girls get it into their heads that if they go against a guy they are automatically going to lose so they don't try as hard. We have one girl on our team and she does exactly that without realizing it, and then takes the loss hard because she wants to do better.
I do like that the guy in this case gave a reason, even if it is a little sexist, but he stuck to his beliefs. Also I think since he technically forfeited the match she won it. Ah well. shit happens. don't let one guy bring ya down it the only thing I could possibly say.
Did he apologize and explain why he didn't want to wrestle her? I'm glad he stuck to his beliefs, but a little disappointed if he didn't explain to the girl why he didn't want to fight her. It's just rude.
I think it was disrespectful not to fight her. I'm all up for following through on your beliefs but if it were me, I would have taken it personally and beat his *** in the parking lot!
I was watching a video on this on CNN and it said that wrestling a girl was against his religious beliefs. He has a right to practice his religion in this country. And if that means not wrestling a girl because he was taught to respect women. I think we should respect his decision to respect us.
I totally respect his desicsion even though i think girls should be treated the same way. I respect him because he didn't make Cassy Herkelman not wrestle. He did what he had to do for his beliefs. He gave up the Champion title because he stuck by his beliefs. I say keep wrestling! You go
Coming from a school 30 miles away from Cassy's it was a big deal even at my school to hear she was the first girl in Iowa to go to state! 
I respect both wrestlers very much!
i understand what y'all are saying but i dont really care if shes mad b/c he forfeited. he did wht he thought was best and for 1 is glad to see strength.
honestly i think it was cool of him to do this. he knew he had an advantage and didnt want to accidentally hurt a gurl. i beleive it was the write choice. its a hard one too. i know this cause my brother and dad have made it. they were competing at worlds for fighting and were going to go for gold but had to fight a gurl. it just is NOT fair to the guy to do that to them. i understand that some of you think it is unfair to the gurl cause she worked for that moment and i do think that sometimes too. some guys will fight me but they are only my fam. and guy friends. and thats ok. i think Joel Northup brought honor to his family. i also hope that one day that gurl will find another gurl to fight for the right to the title.
In my opinion I think what Joel did was very noble. He didn't feel it was right to wrestle Cassy. And I hightly doubt it was because of the remarks everyone would have made if he were to get beaten by Cassy. I know that any guy wouldn't give up being a State Champion over something that foolish. Yes, Cassy has worked hard to get into this sport, but so has Joel. You shouldn't blame him for what he believe's in, which is why Joel did make the right decision in giving up but also a bit ignorant for not competing in something he worked so hard for.
in one case its a lil unfair to the girl cuz she worked hard and wanted to do this. so if shes going into wrestling with men then thats her choice. if she gets hurt then thats that. On the other case it was pretty nice of him. I could c how thatd b awkward for him cuz he might feel its wrong to hurt gurls and they shouldnt be treated that way.
i agree fully
I was the manager of my high school's wrestling team and we had a girl. She could kick any of the guys butts on the mat and everyone knew it. I live in Utah so it was really hard for guys in not our towns to get the courage to wrestler her becaue they were mormon and worried about grabbing her in the wrong places. They still wrestled their best and sometimes they won and sometimes they lost. They didn't worry about her getting hurt anymore than they would worry about their other competors. I believe that this guy was more afraid of the double standard "haha you got beat by a girl" or the "dude you just beat a girl your a jerk" stereotypes than anything else.
i dont agree with you. my parents have told my bro its not right to fight a gurl. and its true. what i think is that he respected that gurl enough to say i dont want to b/c its not right. u might think my parents were talking about every day on the street but they werent and dont mean that. we grew up travilling for tournaments in fighting for my bro. And he has said no to fighting a gurl before. and to be honest with you it kinda hurts me to hear that some poeple(and not just u) can think some guy could be that mean to onley think of his rep.
I think it's a bit sexist. Girls are very strong, and if Cassy has gotten herself into professional wrestling, then she understands that she'll have to compete against some men, and I'm sure she's up to it!
Though I totally get why he would be uncomfortable fighting a girl based on what we Americans are accustomed to, I just wish he would give her a chance to BEAT HIM DOWN. Haha!
hahaha. im glad u see that. but i am proud that other guys can say no to fighting a gurl other than the guys in my fam.
I think it's a discredit to girls out there. She knows what she's getting herself into, she knows what can happen. If she didn't she wouldn't be in this sport. Don't be afraid to wrestle a girl, or that you'll hurt her. My brother wrestled a girl at one of his meets and she was really good. She's probably more mad that you forfeited.
totally! – i mean the girl has to be good enough to fight boys if she had got that far right?!
but good for him 4 standing up 4 what he believes in.
honestly i think it was cool of him to do this. he knew he had an advantage and didnt want to caicdentally hurt a gurl. i beleive it was the write choice. its a hard one too. i know this cause my brother and dad have made it. they were competing at worlds for fighting and were going to go for gold but had to fight a gurl. it just is NOT fair to the guy to do that to them. i understand that some of you think it is unfair to the gurl cause she worked for that moment and i do think that sometimes too. some guys will fight me but they are only my fam. and guy friends. and thats ok. i think Joel Northup brought honor to his family. i also hope that one day that gurl will find another gurl to fight for the right to the title.
In my opinion I think what Joel did was very noble. He didn’t feel it was right to eslrtwe Cassy. And I hightly doubt it was because of the remarks everyone would have made if he were to get beaten by Cassy. I know that any guy wouldn’t give up being a State Champion over something that foolish. Yes, Cassy has worked hard to get into this sport, but so has Joel. You shouldn’t blame him for what he believe’s in, which is why Joel did make the right decision in giving up but also a bit ignorant for not competing in something he worked so hard for.