I was originally thinking to do an interview with Miss Jerzie Estrada last weekend when she placed second in the boy division of the Pike Peak Wrestling League, Colorado State Tournament...it just didn't happen. She followed up the next day to win her division in the girl's state championships; however, the story isn’t going to be based on her wrestling accomplishments, but rather how she made the brave decision to not cut weight.
"Girl Power! Equalization of the Sexes.” -Ginger Spice
Short bio of the Estrada Family. I want to introduce you to them, because we hang out nearly every weekend and they'll probably come up in the future. Jeff Estrada, tatted & original, is the principal of the Sons of Thunder Academy in Parker, Colorado. SOT Academy is a school that not only has the core classes of a traditional middle school, but the kids get lessons on the mat, wrestling twice a day, not including recess. Sign me up!
Natasha, creative & petite, even after having Jerzie, Zao, and Nova (Three Girls)...she is still tiny without working out; therefore is genetically superior to most.
Right now Jerzee walks around at 99lbs/45kgs. She had the option to cut 8lbs/4kg or 2lbs/1kg for state. Everyone, including pappa, thought that she should go down. She had beaten all of the boys on that weight category, so you could see how it may increase her chances of winning another state title. Despite the pressure from the outside, when I spoke to Jerz about a week before the competition, she was fed up with cutting weight.
"I just want to go up and wrestle my hardest." was what she said after I laid out what it would actually take to make this already painful weight descent. By the time I spoke with her, she had already made her mind up and I think that was just the nail in the coffin for the 92lb/41kg weight class. As a judgment call, I felt it best not to push her. I wanted her to feel confident in the choice she’d made and not to second-guess herself. She is 13 years old, healthy and physically active so there was no need to force her weight down...she would have been miserable under those circumstances anyway.
The guy she met in the finals was the toughest she'd wrestled all year. He was a challenge and ended up pinning her in the second round. She was MAD! No one likes to lose, but I am sure for a hot second she thought that maybe she should have cut the weight. I disagree.
Young wrestlers need to challenge themselves. When Maggie on Million Dollar Baby was knocking everyone out in the first round, she bumped up to face more challenging competitors. This experience will help build her character and inspire younger girls to maintain healthy weights free from crash dieting. Jerzie is a role model and a champion in wrestling.
Girl's like Jerzie deserve the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games in the Sport of Women's Freestyle Wrestling. Women's wrestling has only been an Olympic Sport since Athens 2004 and is now on the chopping block to be cut from 2020 Games along with Men's Wrestling. Women's Wrestling is the fastest growing sport in North America and offers 31 collegiate wrestling opportunities around the country, not to mention the global effect. Our athletes are every bit as marketable as beach volleyball and we are in a fight to keep our Olympic dreams alive.
To help, please visit keepwrestlingintheolympic.com to sign the petition, watch video, and obtain up to date information on the International Olympic Committee decision.
Ciao,
Leigh Jaynes-Provisor
2012 World Team Member
Chick Wrestler
