Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance

ANOTHER WRESTLER is also being honored by Wheaties. Chico Hernandez of Washburn, ME, is one of six athletes to be selected as an "Everyday Champion" and will be seen on the cover of the Wheaties Energy Crunch box. He has a long background in wrestling and won the 163-pound title at the national AAU combo tournament in 2000.

A two-time member of the U.S. World Cup team, Chico won a silver medal at the World Cup and the Pan American Championships. When he is not working as a social worker at the Maine Correctional Institute, he volunteers his time to conduct crime prevention programs at local schools. He also helps run sports programs for children. In his spare time, Chico serves his country as a combat and basic training instructor in the Army Reserves.

"His athletic accomplishments, demanding work schedule and commitment to his community and his nation make Chico a deserving everyday champion," said the Wheaties press release

It was certainly a gala event that captured the true essence of the world's oldest sport and the memories were extremely over flowing as Steve Nokes and Domingo Cumpian highlighted the 2002 Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Hall Of Fame.

Nokes of Peru and Cumpian, currently serving in the United States Air Force were officially inducted along with other competitors Steve Sabine, Skowhegan H.S. and Jayson 'Jake' Allain of Sanford H.S. during MAWA induction ceremonies Saturday evening at the Hyde School in Bath. The honor was three-fold for Nokes because in addition to his mat skills, he earned respect as a coach and contributor. It's the first time an individual was recognized in all three categories.

Beverly Glover of Dixfield was awarded the Person of the Year based on her loyal dedication to wrestling for over a decade. Glover began following the Dirigo wrestling program in 1987 and has only missed two events in 16 years.

"This is an honor that I never expected,"Glover said. "The sport of wrestling grows on you and it's extremely satisfying to have been associated with through the years. It's great for the kids because it helps build their self-esteem."

Glover has always been available and her contributions to all wrestlers are well known throughout the state. Glover' son Shad won the first-ever 119-pound state championship when Class C was created in 1990.

"Wrestling is for every one,"Glover said. "You don't need to be the biggest or strongest person in order to succeed. There's a spot for every one, but you need to be willing to work for it."

Nokes paid his dues early on, but stuck with the sport and eventually proved untouchable in Maine en route to winning Class A state championships in '76-77. Nokes also placed second and third respectively, in the New England championships

"Success doesn't suddenly appear,"Nokes said. "I've found that in order to get by in life, it's necessary to surround yourself with good people. If you do, there's a good chance that you'll be able to rise above (obstacles) that are encountered."

The lure of wrestling never escaped Nokes and he returned as an assistant coach at Rumford a decade later. The Rumford-Mexico school systems merged in the late 1980s and Mountain Valley H.S. was created. Nokes became the head coach and won 74 meets, exactly the amount of matches he'd won while competing.

Nokes followed a great philosophy that he had learned early on in his coaching career. A group of several veteran coaches expressed that utilizing your eyes and ears, not your mouth, was the best way to succeed in the profession.

Cumpian was all business on the mat and won three consecutive Class A state championships from 1988-90 at Mount Blue. More importantly, his drive and dedication also helped bring back plenty of pride back in to the Mount Blue wrestling program.

"There are three thing's to look for in a competitor,"former Mount Blue coach Glenn Kapiloff said. "First, they need to be talented and also be dedicated to themselves and the sport. Last is character and that's important to have. Fortunately, Domingo had all three and although he was successful, his focus was directed toward the team."

Cumpian was unable to attend the ceremonies because he'd been on a mission in Turkey. The former Cougar standout an exceptional student-athlete and finished his wrestling career with 118 wins.

As a freshman, Cumpian entered a tournament and when asked, only gave his first name. The rest of the day his introductions drew puzzled looks, however, by the time of graduation every one knew who Domingo was.

Allain, who won a state championship in 1977, went on to enhance his career both nationally and internationally. He enjoyed an extensive wrestling background, including competing for the York County Athletic Club.

Allain, who had strong determination and perseverance, was a three-time New England Greco Roman champion and also placed sixth and third, respectively in the United States Junior World Wrestling championships.

Allain joined his father Ric as the first ever MAWA father-son Hall Of Famers. A brother-in-law Earl Boyce is also a HOF member.

Allain won three U.S. Air Force Wrestling titles and was a member of the National World Cup team.

Sabine won three state championships, including a New England crown in '68. won a New England Small College Championship. Following serving in the Army, Sabine enrolled at the University of Maine.

Keith Lancaster, who coached Sabine at Skowhegan, was the presenter. Lancaster who also created a program at Oxford Hills, is a member of the Hall of Fame.

Ben Goulette of Morse was awarded the John Carmihalis scholarship. Goulette, a three-time Class A state champion, will enroll in and wrestle at the University of Southern Maine this fall. Other finalists included Pat Howard of Marshwood. Jon Kane of Deering.

Four standout wrestlers will be inducted into the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame at 6 tonight, in ceremonies to be held at Hyde School in Bath.

Domingo Cumpian was a three-time state champion during his high school days at Mt. Blue High School. Cumpian racked up 118 career wins and won state titles in 1988, 1989 and 1990. Cumpian accomplished the feat by defeating defending state champions in each title match. Cumpian is currently enlisted in the United States Air Force.

Steve Nokes was a career heavyweight for Rumford High School in the mid-1970s. Nokes won back-to-back state titles in 1976 and 1977. He also reached the New England finals in '76 and placed third in '77. Nokes, who owns a floor finishing business in the Rumford area, also served as head coach for the Mountain Valley High School wrestling team for several seasons.

Skowhegan High School's Steve Sabine capped a spectacular high school career by winning the 145-pound class at the New England championships in 1968. Sabine also was a three-time state champion, winning titles in 1966-68. Sabine currently resides in the state of Washington.

Jayson Allain won the 155-pound state title in 1978 while a senior at Sanford High School. Allain went on to compete for the Air Force in international competition. Jayson joins his father, Ric, as a Hall of Fame member. Allain currently works for the New Hampshire National Guard.

The MAWA Wrestler of the Year award will also be given during the ceremony. The award is named for the late John Caramihalis, who founded the Sanford wrestling program and is considered to be the founding father of wrestling in the state. The award carries a $1,000 scholarship if the winner pursues post-high school education.

This years nominees for the award are Ben Goulette of Morse High School, Patrick Howard of Marshwood High School, and Jon Kane of Deering High School.

The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram named Jon Kane of Deering and Sarah Marshall of McAuley winners of its Athlete of the Year awards Sunday.

Kane became only the second wrestler to receive the award in its 15-year history, while Marshall, who led McAuley to its first Class A basketball title, follows in the footsteps of childhood idol Cindy Blodgett.

"This is a huge honor," said Marshall. "You look at the athletes who have won this, and they are all great athletes and great people."

Last week, a panel of coaches, athletic directors, administrators and Telegram sports writers and editors voted on the state´s top male and female high school athletes. Candidates were the most valuable players for each of 28 sports as selected by the newspaper´s sports writers during the course of the year.

Kane, Marshall and the other MVPs were honored Sunday at the Doubletree Hotel in Portland.

Marshall, a 5-foot-8 point guard, averaged 19 points, 6.1 assists and 4.5 steals per game to lead unbeaten McAuley to its third consecutive regional title.

"I´m so happy and proud for her," said McAuley Coach Liz Rickett. "She worked so hard and she´s a fantastic athlete. So I think it is well-deserved."

Blodgett, who played four seasons in the Women´s National Basketball Association after a stellar career at the University of Maine, won the same award in 1994 after leading Lawrence to its fourth consecutive Class A championship.

"Cindy Blodgett, I´ve looked up to her my whole life,´´ said Marshall, "and it´s just a huge honor for me."

Since transferring from Falmouth to McAuley two years ago, Marshall also has been an all-state selection in soccer and a distance runner in track and field.

Kane´s selection as the state´s top male athlete came as pleasant surprise for his coach, Al Kirk.

"He´s such an example for everybody, including the coaching staff at Deering and young athletes around the state of Maine," said Kirk. "He´s one of those dedicated athletes who just go on and on. This is awesome."

Last winter, Kane went 36-0 with 21 pins to capture the Class A state championship at 171 pounds. In April, he pinned all four of his opponents to win the 176-pound division at the National Wrestling Coaches Association´s U.S. Senior High School Open and Scholastic Duals in Delaware.

"I really couldn´t have done anything without my coaches, Al Kirk and Eli Small," said Kane. "I just did what they told me to do, and I won."

The only other wrestler to receive the Telegram award was David Romilly of Wells in 1997.

Kane also played football and lacrosse at Deering and ran cross country.

"(Wrestling) is the hardest, most physical sport you can participate in," said Kane, who reports Wednesday for plebe summer at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. "The training is so much more intense."

For the past six years at this time of year, Ben Kinerson of Kennebunk has gone to the Ocean State Festival in Rhode Island. When that wrestling tournament was cancelled earlier this year, he found a new destination: Nebraska.

Kinerson will among 16 Maine high school wrestlers who will fly out of the Portland International Jetport this morning to participate in the 18th annual Maine-Nebraska Friendship Series, the longest-running exchange program of its type. "I knew it was a really good experience," said Kinerson, the Class B state champion at 160 pounds, "but the tournament in Rhode Island was really important to me."

Kinerson accepted an invitation to join the the ninth Maine team to travel west since the program began in 1985. He paid 4 to spend a week wrestling and touring Nebraska.

"In the past the Nebraska (tournament) has been held the same time as the Ocean State Festival, which I´ve always gone to, and I didn´t think I´d ever be able to make the trip. But the Rhode Island tournament was called off for some reason."

Not every wrestler on the Maine team is a reigning state champion. Kinserson is one of 11 making the trip.

"I chose those kids who I knew could do a good job," said Westbrook High Coach Dennis Walch, coordinator of the program. "They´re not all studs, but they´re good wrestlers and they´re great kids."

While in Nebraska, the Mainers will wrestle in meets in Bennington, Auburn, Kearney and Hastings. They will return to Maine on July 2.

"I´ve never been anywhere near the area, and I thought it would be fun to check it out," said Shoa Clark, a 125-pound wrestler from Portland.

And Clark, a two-time Class A runner-up, has a score to settle. He lost to his lone match last summer when a Nebraska team came east to wrestle in Maine.

"He beat everybody in my weight class," Clark said.

Levin Rollins, a two-time state Class B champion from Camden Hills, wrestled in a national middle school tournament three years ago in Ohio.

"It seems like it might be a great experience," he said, "not just the wrestling, but all around."

Rollins dropped a 3-2 decision to a Nebraska wrestler last summer.

Training sessions for the Maine team took place Saturday and Sunday at Westbrook High School. The high school wrestling season ended last February.

"I´ve tried to do the same things I do during wrestling season," said Clark, who will try to make the wrestling team at Cornell next winter. "I do a lot of biking and running."

"I´ve been lifting weights for the past couple of weeks," said Rollins, "and I´ve been wrestling as much as I can."

The only time Kinerson stops wrestling is in the fall when he plays quarterback for the Rams´ football team.

"I compete in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling during the summer," he said, "and it helps keep me in shape."

The Maine wrestling team:

Skowhegan Area High School's Brandon Hamilton joins an elite squad of wrestlers representing the state of Maine in the 18th edition of the Maine-Nebraska Friendship Series.

Sixteen of Maine's top grapplers will fly to the Cornhusker state for a week of competition and cultural experiences.

The first match takes place on June 25 in Bennington, followed by competition in Auburn, Kearney and Hastings. Between matches, the Maine contingent will get to experience life in the Great Plains region.

The exchange series was founded when Winslow's Wally LaFountain traveled to Kansas City to attend a National Federation rules committee meeting. A conversation with Mick Pierce, a Nebraska coach, was the genesis of the program.

A team from Nebraska visited Maine in the summer of 1985 and the two states have alternated as hosts every year since then. LaFountain served as director for the Maine team for ten years until handing the responsibilities over to Westbrook High School coach Dennis Walch in 1995.

From the beginning, the focus was more on the unique experiences each state offers rather than the actual competition. The Nebraskans have gone deep-sea fishing, visited Acadia, and had lobster bakes among other activities. Mainers have seen rodeos, visited the famed University of Nebraska football complex, and visited Mount Rushmore in nearby South Dakota.

"Everybody wants to know how many matches the Maine kids win out there, but it's really much more about the things our kids get to see and do," said Walch.

Historically, the Nebraskans have won the lion's share of the individual matches. The state has a deeper wrestling tradition than Maine with a greater number of participants at the high school level and numerous college programs.

Hamilton, a two-time Class A state champion went 33-3 his junior year.

"I'm excited about making the trip," said Hamilton. "I know how tough the Nebraska teams are and I'm looking forward to facing some high-level competition."

Hamilton admits to being a bit rusty. He hasn't had any competition since the New England championships in early April.

"I've been playing baseball and lifting weights, but I've only done a little wrestling with my brother, Phil," he said.

A minicamp will be held in Westbrook this weekend to help get the Maine squad ready for the trip.

Farmington native and current Morse High School coach Shawn Guest, along with Marshwood's Matt Rix, will serve as honorary coaches for the Maine team.

WESTBROOK-The objective is to compete against the best and that will be front and center for the Maine wrestlers who are traveling to Nebraska to participate in the 2002 Friendship Series.

The Maine-Nebraska Friendship Series, in its 18th year, is the longest running exchange of its type between two states. The teams have visited each other's state on a rotating basis since 1985. This year the Mainers are scheduled to wrestle at four different sites throughout the Cornhusker state. The first will be at Bennington on the 25th; Auburn on 27th; Kearney on 29th and Hastings on July 1st.

"It's a good group but could be more talented,"Maine team leader Dennis Walch said. "I always want to bring all the top Maine wrestlers. Unfortunately, because of scheduling conflicts and other obligations some kids had to pass on going. Still, the kids who are going are each deserving."

The 16 student-athletes always enjoy an action-packed week, with almost each waking hour involving a scheduled activity. There will be wrestling every other day because the distance between sites requires excess travel. The tight schedules are usually extremely exhausting and it's important for the Maine kids to conserve their energies when ever possible.

"They usually run us around because they want to show us a great time,"Walch said. "Things are further apart (more miles) in Nebraska. Two years ago we drove from McCook to Alliance, after a Sunday afternoon meet, about 5 hours and then woke up and drove to Mt Rushmore in South Dakota the next day. Following the next night's match we drove to the Denver airport and slept the rest of the night on the floor. Fortunately, this years trip is all in Eastern Nebraska."

The roster includes multiple state champions, led by three-time Pat Howard (38-7) of Marshwood. Two-time defending state champions are Brandon Hamilton (33-3) of Skowhegan and Camden Hills teammates Levi Rollins (39-3) and Chris Remsen (36-2).

A glaring problem in previous Series has been the lack of physical conditioning of Maine wrestlers. Hopefully, that shortcoming will hopefully be eased because of the extra competition several individuals have participated in this spring.

Howard, Cody Lightfoot (34-2) of Marshwood, Nick Levigne (30-1) of Westbrook and Ben Kinerson (47-9) of Kennebunk are all members of the Southern Maine Trappers.

"Yes, I do think that my activeness throughout the spring will be very helpful for me,"Kinerson said. "I've also been training for Cadet Freestyle and Greco Roman nationals in Fargo, ND. Its in late July, which is also motive that helps me get ready and stay in shape."

Kinerson was recently a finalist in a national tournament. "I want to be at my best against the guys out at Nebraska,"Kinerson said. "That also helps me push myself. My expectations are to go down there and wrestle competitively against some of Nebraska' best."

The current group certainly has high marks to shoot for based on the 2000 Maine team results that toured Nebraska. Sun-Journal Wrestlers of the Year Jesse Peterson (2000) and Scott Webber (2002) were 6-0 and 5-0, respectively.

The remainder of the roster includes Mike Ames (32-4) of Belfast; Shoa Clark (25-5), Portland; Anthony Cincotta (36-6), Biddeford; James Cotton (23-5), Noble; Chris Tracy (34-2), Westbrook; Adam Chase (31-1), Wells and a trio of Bucksport wrestlers Dave McGuire (38-0), Josh Pelletier (43-5) and Adam Bourgon (39-5).

The coaches are Shawn Guest of Morse and Matt Rix of Marshwood. Guest, a Farmington native, wrestled at Mount Blue.

The philosophy of the exchange isn't solely based on winning or losing matches. It's a great experience, however, there are many more memorable experiences for all. While the wrestling is fierce on the mats, the main purpose is to initiate friendship and develop an understanding of a slightly different way of life.

Given the great geographical and economic diversity of the two states, the Great Plains-Atlantic Ocean, this is truly a great cultural exchange. The various scenery and unique experiences continue to provide the participants with life-long memories.

Previously, 693 Maine wrestlers have participated in 1115 matches. Mainers have also competed against individuals from Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas. Maine held its only lead in total matches won in the late 1980s.

The initial Friendship Series actually was formed when teams from Poland, Austria and the Netherlands toured the Pine Tree state from 1975-77. A Maine team competed throughout Europe in '75.

The Maine-Nebraska exchange was created in April of 1984 when Wally LaFountain, Maine Wrestling Hall Of Fame, attended a National Federation of High School's rules committee in Kansas City. LaFountain met Mick Pierce, who coached at Lincoln Southeast High School in Nebraska. The two decided an exchange program would benefit both states. After the first year of the exchange, Pierce handed the Nebraska program over to Tom McCann, coach at Kearney, Nebraska. LaFountain directed the Maine side of the program for ten years. In 1995, he stepped down, giving the responsibility of the exchange to Walch, long time coach at Westbrook.

I have a conflict of interest. My wife, Jessica Gavora, has just written a devastating and wonderful book, "Tilting the Playing Field: Schools, Sports, Sex and Title IX." Actually, she didn't just write it, she spent more than a year writing it before she signed up as an adviser and chief speechwriter for Attorney General John Ashcroft. During that time, I had no choice but to learn about how colleges across the United States are eliminating men's sports in abject surrender to a feminist quota scheme. More on that in a minute.

Conflicts of interest are a pain for columnists because we often have "conflicts" about the things we care about most. And, because we care about these things our lives overlap with them.

The best, and most tragic, example of journalistic conflict of interest these days is Michael Kinsley. He has Parkinson's Disease. But he still thinks he should be allowed to write about such issues as stem cell research.

"Some might say this is a conflict of interest, and I therefore shouldn't write about this topic," he recently wrote in a Washington Post column. "Ordinarily, of course, like every professional opinion-peddler, I approach all issues from a perspective of utter Olympian detachment. It seems more like a bizarre convention than an ethical mandate that a person's views on a subject should be considered less interesting if his life is at stake."

I agree. But if it's bizarre that a life-or-death concern - what could be a greater conflict? - isn't a disqualifier, then why should much more trivial conflicts be a barrier?

Well, I'm also interested in my wife's book. So let me be honest about the conflict: I want it to sell through the roof. Yes, I want it to make enough money that she'll be able keep me in the style to which I would like to grow accustomed. But I also want it to sell because it's important and timely.

Men's intercollegiate sports are vanishing in this country. According to the General Accounting Office, since the passage of Title IX of the Education Act Amendments of 1972, more than 170 wrestling programs, 80 men's tennis teams, 70 men's gymnastics teams and 45 men's track teams have been closed, that's more than 80,000 slots for men. Today, there is no varsity-level wrestling in the state of Florida.

The anecdotes are endless. Providence College had to abolish its baseball team, after its best season ever, because of Title IX. Marquette University has recently abolished its wrestling team because of Title IX, and the wrestlers are leading a David-vs.-Goliath lawsuit against the federal government.

Why is this happening? Because feminists launched a successful campaign, with the explicit help of the Clinton Administration, to make "proportionality" the only test for whether a college campus is "discriminating" against women.

Here's how it works: If your school is made up of 60 percent women and 40 percent men, then your sports teams have to be 60 percent women and 40 percent men. It doesn't matter if every single woman on campus who wants to play a sport is playing; it doesn't matter if 10 times more men want to play sports than women. At the end of the day, you must have the exact same proportions of men and women as you do on the campus - or you can be sued.

The tragedy is that - propaganda notwithstanding - this results in fewer opportunities for men and for women. Take James Madison University. A couple years ago they hired a "gender equity" consultant, a former veteran of the education department's Office of Civil Rights. He explained to them that unless they had the right numbers balance, they were vulnerable to lawsuits.

So what did they do? They defunded five men's teams and three women's teams. Opportunities for both men and women dropped, but because the numbers of athletes remaining came out to 58 percent women and 42 percent men, they were safe from lawsuits.

Actual discrimination has nothing to do with any of this. It's an ideologically driven numbers game. Feminists at places like the Women's Sports Foundation say the closures are all about men's football sucking up resources. Donna Lopiano, director of the WSF, recently told The New York Times, "Football programs are better funded than most professional sports. Football is pitting the victims against the victims. Until they wise up, men's minor sports will be crying the blues as football keeps laughing to the bank."

This is a bundle of lies. First, college football is usually the only profitable sport at most schools. More important, football has nothing to do with it. At Marquette, for just one example, men's wrestling was eliminated even though it received no funding from the university since 1992 and Marquette has no football team. Yes, college football programs have let minor men's sports twist in the wind, but football hasn't put these sports in jeopardy. Title IX feminists have.

I would find this all outrageous if my wife hadn't written the definitive - and only - expose on the subject. I don't see why I shouldn't say so.

The American penchant for suing the pants off people isn't completely without rational foundation. Some laws, some actions, need to be contested with vigor and spirit.

May it please the court, the National Wrestling Coaches Association, the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association and the U.S. Track Coaches Association have a case that deserves a serious and attentive ear. The coaches object strenuously to the distorted interpretations of federal law that are putting a stop to men's wrestling, gymnastics and track. To this intent, the wrestling coaches last January filed a suit that the other associations have rightly joined.

The present mess proceeds, as messes often will, from good intentions. Congress 30 years ago forbade "discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." Because just about all colleges dine hungrily at the federal trough, the mandate applied to just about all colleges.

There has been an unforeseen consequence: the enactment of a de facto quota system under which college men's teams, many with distinguished histories, are being abolished in order to accommodate women's sports. Title IX, as the law is known, is being read by colleges and universities as requiring athletic "opportunity" in proportion to male and female enrollment. A school can't have 60-80 percent male enrollment in sports programs. That would be discriminatory. Bye-bye, men's wrestling; bye-bye, men's track and field. Among the former programs, 170 have been cut in recent years; among the latter, 45.

It gets worse. Men's track and field at Tulane, Bowling Green and Vermont are out of business forever, as of this month.

Advocates of women's sports have a ready remedy: Cut back football scholarships. This theoretically logical prospect is, with due respect, unlikely. On many a university's public face, football is the mouth and the eyes. Ergo, as they said in old-time academia ...

An irony grabs the spectator right away. Hasn't athletics siphoned off for a long time a sometimes unholy share of college resources? Probably. But that wouldn't be the present point. That point would be the continuing inequity of running the country via governmentally imposed quotas: You get that much, she gets this much, and so on.

Quotas are a new and demented way of doing business in America, dating only from the late '60s and the civil rights backlash against decades of racial discrimination. The federal government decreed, if not always in so many words, that victims of past discrimination -- i.e., blacks -- deserved special treatment.

Soon, women were added to the equation as feminism assumed the dimensions of a civil rights crusade. The quota mentality entered every department of life: individual performance was subordinated to group identity, with the government as guarantor and enforcer. Burdens and opportunities were to be distributed in rough proportion to the size of the group within the population. So now we hammerlock the wrestlers and hamstring the javelin throwers. Let's have some equality around the old gym!

It is odd in this context to watch how a quota system can recoil against once-favored beneficiaries. As Bowling Green's track coach -- a black man -- told National Review's Katheryn Jean Lopez, "You're dropping sports like wrestling and track and field which have traditionally had large numbers of minorities. And you are adding sports like rowing and synchronized skating. You're losing Olympic sports and a great way for minority students to get a foot in the door at schools."

The coaches, in their lawsuit, may be up against it, so ingrained now is our national acceptance of reverse discrimination. On the other hand, that very acceptance bolsters the case for shaking up the citizens of a country tenaciously committed to merit except, you know, when merit gets in some "deserving" person's way.

Determinations of this character aren't the business of government. Excuse me; I mean, of course, the business of free and democratic government, oblivious as humanly possible to the variations among humans; committed to treating all citizens as much alike as possible.

Like a gymnast on a balance beam, the Bush administration is treading carefully as it deals with landmark legislation that has opened up school sports to millions of young women.

While lauding opportunities for female athletes, administration officials, including President Bush, have criticized what they say are adverse effects on male athletes, particularly the "quotas" they believe have led to fewer team slots for men.

That law, known as Title IX, prohibits any school that receives federal funding from gender discrimination. The result: In the 30 years since it passed, the number of women playing college sports has risen nearly five-fold, to 151,000, and rosters of high school female athletes have jumped more than nine-fold, to 2.8 million. The number of male athletes at colleges and high schools has gone up as well, by smaller margins.

But over the same period, many universities have dropped less popular men's teams, such as wrestling and gymnastics. Because of this, the National Wrestling Coaches Association (with several college and sports groups) sued the Department of Education, the agency overseeing Title IX. Supporters of Title IX had feared that the administration would side with the coaches' association. Instead, Justice Department lawyers this week moved to dismiss the case, arguing that schools themselves, not the federal government, have to remedy discrimination.

Title IX supporters are cautiously happy with the administration action, but wary. "It spoke volumes that ... the administration made no defense whatsoever, even in passing, of the athletics policies that are so important to young women in this country," says Marcia Greenberger of the National Women's Law Center.

As a presidential candidate, Mr. Bush said he opposed "quotas or strict proportionality" in school sports. Likewise, while House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R) of Illinois has voiced support for the goals of Title IX, he, too, is troubled by the apparent effect on men's programs.

"The issue is, is there a way to increase women's opportunities without sacrificing opportunities for men?" asks Pete Jefferies, an aide to Mr. Hastert.

All this sharpens the debate over merits of the 1972 law.

"Title IX has been extremely successfully in creating athletics opportunities for girls," says Paul Haagen, a law professor at Duke University. "It has ... fostered a culture of women's athletics. It is extremely unlikely that change would have come so quickly or completely without it."

The problem, as many see it, is that some men-only sports, mainly football, have so many players, and generate so much revenue, that administrators are loathe to cut them.

"From the beginning, the central problem in determining ... an equitable treatment of men's and women's sports is ... football," says Mr. Haagen. "If football is removed from the equation, there is very close to parity."

"There's just no counterpart to men's football," agrees Rick Dickson, athletic director at Tulane University in New Orleans. "And because of that, you have to skew a number of programs to equalize the opportunities." Tulane is cutting its men's track programs while adding another women's sport to comply with Title IX, says Mr. Dickson. "That's unfortunate," he says, "but I don't know how you can argue that it's more unfortunate than the decades of young women who never got the opportunity [to play]."

Some analysts question the motives of those cutting men's teams. "Athletic directors have decided that they don't have the budget or don't want to increase opportunities for women, so they react by taking away opportunities from men," says Carol Barr, a sports management expert at the University of Massachusetts.

Schools can comply with Title IX in one of three ways: by demonstrating substantial "proportionality" so that the percentage of sports slots for women comes close to the percentage of women enrolled, by showing a history of increasing sports opportunities for women, or by meeting the abilities and interests of women athletes.

Critics focus on proportionality, claiming that it amounts to a "quota." But doing away with proportionality, which is what many Title IX supporters fear, and what many critics hope for, could make a big difference in how schools respond to the need for greater equity. This is especially true because proportionality is the only means of compliance that is quantifiable.

"I suspect that any weakening of the proportionality requirement will make it substantially harder to enforce Title IX," says Mr. Haagen.

More fundamentally, questions remain about the level of interest in sports among women. "Even the most well-intentioned college athletic departments can't get women to turn out at the same levels [as men]," says Christine Stolba, a senior fellow at the Independent Women's Forum.

That's nonsense, reply those who see Title IX as providing opportunities to which millions of female athletes have responded. "To punish women who are just as interested in sports as men is bad policy," says Kevin Matthews of the Center for the Study of Sport and Society at Northeastern University in Boston.

For now, some wonder whether the Bush administration, having gone on record opposing a high-profile lawsuit, will try to change the way the law is administered, particularly since the Clinton administration zealously enforced it. "They could roll back the regulations, they could change the policy interpretations," says Arthur Bryant, an Oakland, Calif., lawyer who has argued key Title IX cases. "But at least they're not saying they're going to do any of that now."

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration yesterday asked a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a wrestling coaches association that challenges how Title IX, the law that bars sex discrimination in intercollegiate sports, is enforced.

The suit against the Education Department contends that US rules are illegal, encourage gender quotas, and "mandate the very discrimination that Title IX prohibits." In order to achieve equality, many colleges and universities have trimmed men's sports instead of adding women's teams.

The Justice Department response, filed late yesterday afternoon on behalf of the Education Department, did not address the merits of the coaches' complaint. Instead, the administration made procedural arguments, asserting that the coaches were out of bounds in suing the government when it is universities, for reasons that may or may not involve Title IX compliance, that cut men's teams and cap rosters.

Further, the department argued, "sovereign immunity," which bars the federal government from being sued, applies in this case, as does a six-year statute of limitations on challenges to the 1979 rules.

In a statement, Mike Moyer, executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, called the Justice Department's response "standard legal procedure."

"It in no way diminishes the strength of our position," he said. "We ... remain confident of restoring Title IX to its original intent: fairness for every athlete."

Late last night, Education Department General Counsel Brian Jones said in a statement: "The administration strongly supports Title IX. ... We believe we should strive to expand opportunities for women in a way that does not diminish existing men's teams."

The case, which was supported by a number of other coaching groups and watched closely by women's sports advocates, is the first that attempts to hold the Education Department and its Title IX enforcement policies responsible for the elimination of men's teams.

It also presented the Bush administration with an opportunity to affirm its support for Title IX and the 20-year-old regulations that enforce it. The most controversial is the proportionality rule, under which colleges are required to keep the number of male and female athletes in proportion to the number of men and women in the undegraduate student body.

During the 2000 presidential campaign, Bush expressed his support for Title IX but signaled that he might be sympathic to sports like men's wrestling, which has lost 170 teams in 20 years.

Marcia D. Greenberger, co-president of the National Women's Law Center, said she was alarmed that the Justice Department had not addressed the merits of Title IX in its 40-page brief.

"What is revealing is what the government didn't say," Greenberger said. "It made absolutely no defense of the underlying policies that were challenged by the wrestlers, and it sets off alarm bells as to what the future plans of the administration might be, whether they are keeping their options open to roll back and weaken Title IX enforcement."

Title IX is viewed by most women's rights groups as the most important piece of civil rights legislation in a generation. The number of female college athletes has grown from 30,000 in 1972 to 157,000 today, and the number of women's varsity teams has nearly doubled, to more than 9,000.

The National Women's Law Center argues that the problem lies not with the law, but with universities that eliminate teams rather than cutting idle players or dollars from popular sports such as football and basketball.

The center cites studies that have shown that the majority of schools comply without cutting men's teams or relying on comparisons to enrollment and that men's participation in athletics has increased, as well as women's.

Conservative groups like the Independent Women's Forum say federal regulators have zealously overinterpreted Title IX, creating gender preferences for women and ignoring the different interests and abilities of males and females. They hailed an Education Department decision to review Title IX regulations.

"We absolutely should revisit these regulations," said Christine Stolba, a senior fellow at the forum. "The public has forgotten that Title IX isn't just for girls. Mothers of sons want equal opportunity, too. They want to know why their sons can't wrestle while athletic directors are scouring college cafeterias, looking for girls to do archery."

The Justice Department suit noted that Title IX regulations have been upheld by seven appellate courts. The key test came in 1996, when the US Supreme Court refused to review a ruling by the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston that Brown University was guilty of sex discrimination for cutting financial support to women's volleyball and gymnastics teams in 1991.

Deanna Rix of Marshwood won her weight class at the Women's FILA Junior & Cadet National Championships on 5/16/2002 at Chattanooga, TN.

She wrestled in the 56 kg/123.5 pounds and took a first place by beating Jamie Moehring, Wasilla, Alaska (Team Alaska), 6-0.

Congrats to Deanna for winning this tourney.

Click to view RESULTS

SOUTH BERWICK, Maine - Every year, Marshwood High School wrestling coach Matt Rix holds informational meetings for elementary school students about his youth wrestling program.

During one particular meeting back in 1995, he approached a father and his 11-year-old son and started explaining what the program was all about, and what the sport of wrestling was all about.

Little did Rix know that the lanky fifth-grader would turn out to be one of the best wrestlers ever to come through Marshwood High School in Rix's 20 years of coaching.

Pat Howard, who has been named the Portsmouth Herald's 2001-02 Athlete of the Year for the winter sports season, graduates from Marshwood High School trailing only Dustin Buttrick on the school's all-time wins list.

"I went to that meeting with my dad and I talked to Coach Rix and just fell in love with the sport of wrestling," Howard said. "I went into the sport a little skeptical. Honestly, I was thinking WWF. I had no idea what I was getting into, and once I got into it, it almost came naturally to me."

Howard, a four-year varsity member of the wrestling team, improved each season, including an undefeated senior season of 34-0 in a year that saw him gain his third state championship. The only year he missed out on a state title was his sophomore campaign.

"He's right up there with the best that (have) come through here," Rix said. "He started a little later than most kids, but took advantage of everything our program offers and dedicated himself from November through the summer to wrestling and training hard, and it certainly paid off for him.

What dividends did that training and hard work provide Howard?

How about these for starters:

Jon Kane of Deering, Ben Goulette of Morse and Pat Howard of Marshwood have been named finalists for the John Caramihalis Award presented by the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance for high school wrestler of the year.

Wrestling at 171 pounds, Kane went 36-0 last winter with 21 pins to capture his first Class A championship. In April he went 4-0 to win the 176-pound division at a national meet in Delaware.

Kane will report next month for plebe summer at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Goulette went 28-0 at 145 pounds with 21 pins for his third Class A title. He wasn't taken down all season and gave up only 11 points on reversals or escapes. Next year, Goulette intends to wrestle at the University of Southern Maine.

Wrestling at 130 pounds, Howard went 34-2 and claimed his third straight state title, defeating all of his in-state opponents. Howard, who had a four year record of 154-15, intends to wrestle at Norwich University in Vermont.

The Caramihalis Award carries a $1,000 scholarship. The winner will be announced at the wrestling alliance's Hall of Fame banquet July 20 at the Hyde School in Bath.

Deering wrestler Jon Kane has received an offer from USA Wrestling that he´s had to refuse.

Kane has been invited to the United States Olympic Training Camp July 1-9 at Colorado Springs, Colo. The problem for Kane is a prior commitment.

On June 28, Kane will report for duty at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

"I would have liked to go to the training camp," he said. "It would have been some of the best training I could have done. But at the same time, going to Annapolis is something I wanted to do, too."

Kane became one of the few wrestlers from Maine ever invited to the training center after winning the 176-pound division at the National Wrestling Coaches Association´s U.S. Senior High School Open and Scholastic Duals at the University of Delaware last month.

The national training camp is reserved for USA Wrestling´s "Elite 80," the nation´s top incoming college freshmen wrestlers.

"If you take all the kids who are graduating around the country and you get invited to this, it´s something very special," Deering Coach Al Kirk said. "He´s very deserving of this. It´s quite an honor."

Kane went 36-0 during the high school season to capture the Class A title at 171 pounds. He was named the Maine Sunday Telegram´s most valuable wrestler.

Earlier this year, Kane won appointments to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as well as the Naval Academy. Last month, after visiting both schools, he settled on Annapolis.

"I just felt more comfortable there," he said.

At the Naval Academy, Kane will undergo Plebe Summer, the basic training camp all first-year students must attend.

"I knew at the nationals I would be invited to the training camp if I won," he said. "I´m a little disappointed I can´t go, but not terribly."

Kane will get plenty of chances to wrestle at Annapolis. Wrestling practice will open two weeks after he reports for duty.

"Division I sports are basically year-round," he said. "We will be lifting, running and wrestling in the afternoons."

There are few sports that are considered for one gender only. There are male and female basketball, soccer, swimming and hockey teams. There are men and women playing baseball and softball.

However, there are some exceptions. Deanna Rix, a freshman at Marshwood High School, finds herself participating in a sport that consists mostly of males. She is a wrestler and has been for 10 years.

Rix began her career at a tournament in New Jersey with her dad, Marshwood coach Matt Rix. There wasn’t anyone to wrestle in the 46-pound weight class. Rix, being exactly that weight decided to give it a try and filled in.

She won her match and has continued her winning ways in the sport she loves ever since.

Wrestling mostly guys has not really been difficult for Rix. She has been competing in the area for more than 10 years and has gotten to know many of her opponents.

"Sometimes, I don’t immediately have their respect, not just because I am a girl, but also because of my size," she said. "But as soon as they watch me wrestle, they know why I’m there - just to wrestle - and they are fine."

Rix also has no problems with her own teammates. She is accepted as one of the team, no different from anyone else. In fact, they are protective of her.

"It is like having a whole team of big brothers looking out for me," Rix said.

Standing 5-foot-2, Rix does not have what some picture as the typical build of a wrestler. Instead, she is rather petite. This often causes opponents who haven’t ever faced her to look past her.

"A girl at the nationals looked at me and giggled. She didn’t give me any respect really at all. I think she learned fast when I pinned her," said Rix, grinning. "I’m not very big, so I work hard to make up for it with my technique."

Her dad helps with her technique. He shows her new moves and ways to gain quickness. Rix has to work out, going to camps and weight training, to stay in shape year round. She also has to watch her diet to keep her weight down in the 119 weight class.

Rix has continued her success in wrestling right through junior high and into her freshman year of high school. In junior high, she almost went undefeated. Wrestling in high school is a bit different.

"I’ve had to adjust to a new level of competition," she said. "I’m 15-5, which is pretty good."

She recently placed third out of 26 in a national meet. Rix wrestles freestyle with the Southern Maine Trappers, with whom she will be going to the nationals in May. She will wrestle other girls there.

In freestyle wrestling, there is a lot more contact and fewer rules. Recently, through the Southern Maine Trappers, Rix started a wrestling program for girls. She taught five girls, all first-year wrestlers, some basic moves in order to get them ready for competition.

"They are all wrestling today, and one of them just won," Rix said proudly.

One of the things that makes wrestling meaningful for Rix is she gets to spend so much time with her father.

"It is really special the way I get to share this sport with my whole family," she said.

Though just a freshman, Rix is already planning to wrestle in college.

"It is a long ways from now, but I definitely want to continue," she said. "It is such a big part of my life."

Deering High`s Jon Kane capped a sensational senior season by winning a national wrestling title Sunday.

Kane pinned opponents from Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey and Virginia to win the 176-pound division at the National Wrestling Coaches Association`s U.S. Senior High School Open and Scholastic Duals at the University of Delaware. He also was named the meet`s outstanding wrestler.

"Jon is so proud of his school and state, and I know that motivated him," said Deering Coach Al Kirk. "He wanted to bring something back."

Kane was the only Maine wrestler entered in the competition.

"I give all the credit to God, my coaches and my family," said Kane.

Kane went 36-0 during the Maine high school season and captured the Class A state title at 171 pounds. He was named the Maine Sunday Telegram`s most valuable wrestler.

At the national meet, Kane had to come from behind in all of his matches.

"The New Jersey wrestler actually had Jon down on the mat," said Deering assistant coach Eli Small. "Jon went for an offensive move, and (his opponent) countered, and Jon went down 4-0 at the start of the match."

Before the first period of the semifinal match ended, Kane broke his opponent`s grip and rolled over onto his stomach, according to Small.

"Jon began the second period in the neutral position and started working for points," said Small. "He was hoping to wear his opponent down."

After Kane scored a two-point takedown, the third period started with his opponent clinging to a 4-2 lead. Early in the final period, Kane pulled into a 6-6 tie by scoring two-point takedowns after allowing his opponent to twice score one-point escapes.

"The New Jersey wrestler was pretty worn out," said Small, "so Jon took him down, put him on his back and pinned him with about a minute left."

Last month, Kane finished fifth at the New Englands. John DaCruz of Massachusetts and Brett Schnolnick of Connecticut, the only wrestlers to defeat Kane this season, placed fourth and seventh, respectively, in the national meet.

Kane gave up a two-point takedown in the first period of all his matches.

"Jon is actually ill," said Small. "He`s got the flu, and maybe it took a takedown to get him fired up." Kirk tried to keep Kane focused.

"What I told Jon was to go and wrestle one match at a time, and make the opponent wrestle your way," said Kirk. "I told him to score his points and work for the fall."

Despite being sick, Kane seemed in better physical condition than his opponents.

"Coach Kirk`s philosophy has always been to be in better shape than your opponent," said Small, a former Deering wrestler. "In all of his matches, Jon was catching his second wind just about the time his opponents were running out of gas."