Poise and girls
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| Alex T. Paschal/SVN Amboy wrestler Tanner Berogan (left) and Erie-Prophetstown wrestler Megan McCullough say they want to be treated just like boys by their competition. |
BY BRIAN WEIDMAN
SVN SPORTS REPORTER
bweidman@svnmail.com
AMBOY - The shouts are always similar.
"Come on Tanner, get up," hollered one fan.
"Get your arm out of there, Tanner," implored another.
"Work it, Jordan. Be smart out there," pleaded the coach of the other wrestler.
These were the sounds heard during the 125-pound third-place match at the Amboy Fresh-Soph Wrestling Invitational, where Rockford Lutheran's Jordan Semevolos was a technical fall winner over Amboy's Tanner Berogan.
The unusual aspect of the match - Berogan is a girl, one of two in the competition at Amboy. Erie-Prophetstown's Megan McCullough was the other. Each of the freshmen earned fourth-place medals at the tourney.
The beginning
Berogan's father, Gary Lutz, helped start the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation club team in Amboy three years ago.
She wanted in on the action, against her father's objections.
"He didn't believe in girls wrestling," Berogan said, "because he thought his daughters should be ladylike."
Berogan persisted and competed on the team as a seventh and eighth grader. A broken collarbone put her on the sidelines as a sixth grader.
"I was like, 'Dad, you have to let me wrestle," Berogan said. "At first he said no. When it came to the first practice, he said, 'Tanner, I thought you wanted to wrestle.' He told me if I quit, he'd never let me do another sport ever again.
"I can honestly say wrestling has been an adventure I'd never give back. I have no regrets."
McCullough has been around wrestling nearly her entire life. Her father, Tod, has been the head wrestling coach at Erie-Prophetstown for 11 years, and he's also involved in the school's youth program.
This season, Megan McCullough is filling a needed spot for the Panthers, who otherwise wouldn't have a competitor at 103 pounds.
"She came out to help me, her dad, and to help our team because she knew we didn't have a 103-pounder," coach McCullough said. "If she wasn't in the lineup, then we'd have to forfeit that. The goal in the beginning was to put her out there and take forfeits to help the team. It hasn't turned out that way. She's had to wrestle most every meet."
Perception
Opponents of Berogan and McCullough, some may argue, are put in a no-win situation. They're supposed to win, and if they do, what was accomplished?
"I've had it happen where they think they're better because I'm a girl," said McCullough, whose record is 9-11 with six of the wins via forfeit. "They wrestle different than they would somebody else."
When she's on the mat, Berogan simply wants to be treated like any other wrestler.
"I definitely want them to give it their all, because that's going to make me better in the long run," Berogan said. "I wouldn't appreciate them as a person if they took it easy on me. That's not what the sport's about."
Semevolos has now defeated Berogan twice this season. His approach to their matches was music to Berogan's ears.
"To me, it was just another match," Semevolos said. "I wanted third place, and she was who I had to beat."
Injury concerns
The physical nature of wrestling raises the question of potential injuries. Berogan has been injury-free since suffering the broken collarbone as a sixth grader.
"It's always in the back of my head," Berogan said, "but it's something I try not to think about."
"I've thrown Tanner against some pretty tough kids, and she doesn't back down," Amboy coach Sam Jones said. "She knows the consequences. If she gets hurt, she gets hurt. That's just part of the sport."
McCullough has thus far avoided wrestling injuries.
"That's possible an every sport," said McCullough, who also participates in volleyball, track and cheerleading at Erie. "You've just got to take the chance."
"When Megan decided to come out, my wife and I were blaming each other for it happening," coach McCullough said. "I said, 'You could have always said no.' She said, 'Well, you could have always said no.' Our biggest concern is that she doesn't get hurt. Right now at that weight, I don't see a whole lot of problems."
Teammates
McCullough's primary workout partner, 112-pounder Brett Schipper, concedes little when they scrap in practice.
"Yeah, it's different than a guy," Schipper said, "but to me, she's just another teammate. We push each other to make each other better. She's pretty tough and she stays up with us."
"I'm just glad she's out there helping us out," said Brad Stewart, another teammate. "Because there's a lot of teams that don't have wrestlers. She can get forfeits for us, and she tries her best. That's all we can ask for."
For McCullough, her wrestling teammates have become like an extended family.
"They're kind of like big brothers to me," McCullough said. "They treat me the same."
Berogan gets the same treatment at Amboy.
"It took them a while to warm up to me, but now, I could not be part of a better team," said Berogan, who noted her practice partner, Laramie Potts, is her best friend. "I have so much support from them and I love them for it. My coaches are great, too."
Jones, in his fourth year as head coach at Amboy, initially made one change in practice when Berogan joined the team, but that was quickly scuttled.
"At first, I had to tell the boys to watch their mouths," Jones said. "Then she came to me and said, 'That's all right with me. I can handle that.' I haven't changed anything with practice. She gets right in there and works with the boys."
Incidents
Berogan hasn't had an opponent refuse to take the mat against her because of her gender, but her younger sister has. Last year, as a seventh grader, Taylor Berogan had an opponent at an area tournament purposely injure himself rather than compete against a girl.
"He was scratching his arm in the bleachers and he told the ref he couldn't wrestle because he had some kind of disease," Tanner Berogan said. "It was a sight to see."
Jones noted the only problem he's had was at Peru St. Bede, which has a rule that girls must wrestle other girls. At that event, there was another female wrestler close to Berogan's weight class, so they competed against each other.
In her young wrestling career, McCullough hasn't encountered the problem of a male opponent who refused to compete.
"I'd probably be offended," McCullough said. "I'm out there, so I don't see why they couldn't try."
Coach McCullough acknowledged he could see how some opponents may be uneasy about the situation. At the varsity level, his attitude is he has to do what's best for his team.
"If it wasn't a varsity competition, I'd give my jayvee guys the option," coach McCullough said. "I'd say it's up to you. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, that's fine. I would hope their coaches would make the same consideration."
Coach McCullough said one coach's words particularly touched him in regards to his daughter.
"Randy Swinford from Princeton, after his kid beat Megan, she went over and shook Randy's hand, and he said, 'I've got three daughters and none of them would have done that for me,'" coach McCullough said. "He was just impressed that she'd step on the mat and try."
