DIVAS OF THE RING

We are having hard time believing this woman (Terrie Wilson, photos below) is a professional wrestler. Certainly her looks, education, appearances on TV hit programs (Baywatch), public speaking, lectures, her national interviews and bright mind tell us a different story. Why does she need to be a wrestler. Most certainly, she will give you today an answer which will become totally contradictory and irrelevant in the years to come, once she is out of the wresting business. Terrie is a charming, warm hearted, intelligent, brilliant, creative and very classy lady. We love to see her name in lights one day…in lights over a big Broadway stage production sign, instead of a wrestling stadium entrance.

  Photos, below: The very delightful and bright Terrie Wilson

Looking at some of those gorgeous wrestling women, one might wonder why didn’t they consider a modeling career? Many would easily pass for Victoria’s Secret catalog models. Is this the face of a wrestler? No. But she is a professional wrestler and she kicks asses in the ring! He makes a fortune and she deserves it.

Do college students and educated women like or practice wrestling? Women Wrestlers and (College Students)  Aim for Olympics

  Photo, below : Photo: Carol and Shannon

The Simon Fraser University newsletter reported that Carol Huynh (top) and Shannon Samler want to know how it feels to be in Olympic gold medalist Daniel Igali's shoes. They might get that chance. The two women, both members of SFU's wrestling team, are setting their sights on the 2004 Olympics. The next summer games could be the first to include women's wrestling as an Olympic sport. Huynh, a six-year wrestling veteran, already has a world championship bronze medal to her credit. She earned it at her first appearance at the senior world event held in Bulgaria in September, competing at the lowest weight category of 46 kg. Samler also competed and placed fourth in the 68 kg. category. The previous year she placed sixth in the world. Two others, both SFU graduates, also competed in September as part of the six-member national team. Women have been part of the SFU wrestling team since 1994. The SFU team currently has five women wrestlers while the Burnaby Mountain wrestling club, also housed at SFU, has a dozen female members. "Interest in the sport has become phenomenal in B.C. and Canada and even around the world, making women's wrestling one of the fastest growing sports," says SFU wrestling coach Mike Jones. SFU was the first institution in Canada to include women on its team. "We have all been surprised by the speed and scope of its growth." Huynh, from Hazelton, is a third-year psychology major aiming at a career in counseling. Samler is a fourth-year kinesiology student who has her sights set on medical school. Both compete in freestyle wrestling at the international level and also participate in collegiate competition. Huynh has even taken on several male opponents. While she has yet to win against a male, she's come close. "They've been good matches," she says. "Competing against males makes me try harder. "Both Huynh and Samler were attracted to the sport in high school. Samler, now in her tenth year, recalls how the B.C. high school finals drew only a handful of female competitors. There are now about 200 girls competing. Their commitment to the sport is a daily one, as the SFU team works out together every morning while the Burnaby Mountain team, made up of some SFU students along with other young wrestlers, practices daily in the late afternoon. The two wrestlers also participate in wrestling camps designed to attract young girls to the sport. "It's a great sport because it's just you out there," says Samler of wrestling's appeal. "We have the full support of the coaches and teammates, which is great." Jones says the Canadian Intercollegiate Association of Universities has adopted the sport while the NAIA, the organization through which SFU athletic teams compete, is also entertaining the idea of adding a women's division. "The addition of female wrestlers has had a very positive impact on our entire program," says Jones. "The enthusiasm and committed work ethic has certainly raised the standard for our entire team."

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