A healthy community among other things involves a social group with similar values, a sense of belonging, a personal investment in one another and emotional support.
This was warmly on display when a writer from Female Competition International (FCI) had an opportunity to visit a Sacramento area high school wrestling meet that included strong participation by both girls and boys.
During the course of that day, FCI had a chance to meet twin sisters Haley and Kylie Beecher along with some of their family and friends. The two talented competitors attend El Dorado High in Placerville, California; a school rich in tradition with over 100 years of graduating students.[adToAppearHere]
Mr. Matthew Barnes is the Principal at El Dorado High (EDHS) and according to zoominfo.com, a business to business information provider for over a decade; Mr. Barnes holds a Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Alaska; a Master of Arts Teaching from Lewis and Clark College in Portland with secondary endorsement in Language Arts and Social Studies; and a BA in History from the University of California at Berkeley. He holds an Administrative Credential and a Teaching License in Language Arts and Social Studies.
A visit to the school’s website shows a student body that is engaged, excited and cooperative with one another under Mr. Barnes direction.
It’s very encouraging when a school supports a girl’s wrestling program and under the steady leadership of Coach Dave Pimentel, the girl’s program is growing and headed in the right direction. This is Coach Pimentel’s ninth year coaching wrestling at EDHS; three of those years as the Cougar’s Head Coach.
Mr. Pimentel has a track record of great success leading the boys as well, coaching one charge that finished sixth in the United States his junior year and another student athlete who won the USA Wrestling Frosh/Soph State Championships.
There’s an interesting story behind how the girls wrestling team was formed. In speaking with FCI Coach Pimentel explains, “In December of 2013, mid-way through the wrestling season, a few girls approached me about starting a “girls wrestling team”.
They liked the thought of wrestling, but didn’t want to wrestle boys. I told them it was too late for that season, but we could put the feelers out to see how much interest there was within the school for a girls’ team. Approximately 15 girls expressed interest, so this season I decided to give it a try.[adToAppearHere]
The first two girls to commit were Haley and Kylie Beecher.
Lead by Jessica Killian, a junior transfer with a few years of experience, our newest athletic team on campus is making waves. We started at some small tournaments just to get the experience, and the girls all got medals. Two of the last three tournaments have been much bigger. No Guts, No Glory (12/29/14) had 34 schools represented, and our little band of 5 Cougars finished with 3 medalists, and 10th place as a team. Last Saturday we were at the Lady Tiger Invitational at Tokay High School, which had at least 3 teams ranked in the top 10 in the state. Three of our girls placed in the top 6 there.
For a first year program, with four out of five girls with no previous experience, we are doing quite well.”
FCI would agree and admires the team’s strong work ethic. Haley and Kylie are appreciative as well sharing, “We appreciate the Coach and EDHS for giving us the opportunity to have a girls wrestling team and for supporting us.”
The twins reflect what FCI has been preaching to our readers in that girls who wrestle often have a well-balanced life. In Haley and Kylie’s case, they also participate in Cross Country and enjoy spending time in activities with their family.
They reflect upon that as well. “It is very important to have our parents support us. Without them it would be very difficult. Our parents support us in everything that we do.”
Since January of 2013, FCI has been publishing articles about the great female wrestling programs of the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA). Since this is our first journey attending and reporting on an event in the high school female wrestling world, a brief explanation about our innovative concepts might be helpful.
The concerns about women’s wrestling in the past generally centered around excessive eroticism, MMA cage violence or over the top characters in the lady pro ring. FCI writes articles about the competitors and their community. We ask that the articles are posted on the Social Media. In return we take those numbers and are currently approaching Fortune 500 Corporations to advertise on our web sites and at future dignified female wrestling events that will take place in expansive Dojos.
At the end of 2013 our readers totaled 4,500. By years end in 2014, readership had climbed to 47,500. In 2015 we are pacing to soar over 100,000. If we are successful, the benefit to the professional female wrestlers of the future is that they can receive compensation and wrestle in a dignified environment where their family and friends can attend.
At this point, FCI would like to express appreciation to the city of Placerville for being supportive of El Dorado High School. Our articles on female wrestlers have spanned the globe including Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, England, France, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, Greece, Senegal, Canada, Japan and the United States, to name a few.
We would now like to briefly introduce our readers to Placerville, California.
The city of Placerville smiles at cityofplacerville.org by educating us. “With an abundant labor pool, diversified economy, and a high quality of life, the City of Placerville has become the central hub of the Western slope of El Dorado County.
Opportunities abound for both job seekers and innovative entrepreneurs in around Placerville. With it’s desirable climate, low crime rate, and small town charm, Placerville is a wonderful place to work or start a new business.”
The sound information source Wikipedia expands, “Placerville is the county seat of El Dorado County, California. The population was 10,389 at the 2010 census, up from 9,610 at the 2000 census. The discovery of gold in nearby Coloma, California by James W. Marshall in 1848 sparked the California Gold Rush.”
FCI has been inspired and encouraged by meeting some members of the El Dorado High Girl’s Wrestling Team and community.
As Mr. Lindsay Edward Fox, an Australian billionaire, successful family and businessman stated, “Community involvement serves to reinforce the notions that you are not alone and that support and understanding are available.”
Female Competition International is confident that dignified women’s wrestling has a bright future.
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Sources: http://cougar.eduhsd.k12.ca.us/ cityofplacerville.org, Wikipedia, brainyquotes.com, zoominfo.com, fciwomenswrestling.com. Photos courtesy Wikimedia and the Beecher Family.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cougar_closeup.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Cougar_closeup.jpg
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