fciwomenswrestling.com article. Copyright photo.
Mona Wales has a long string of wrestling matches but is something missing?
This is a first.
In an industry that is often counter culture, income retrieval creative, art oriented and innovative, I often write about unique competitors but I have to admit, I’m not sure that I’ve met anyone in the women’s submission wrestling world and certainly not in the more traditional one quite like Mona Wales.
If you want to be truly successful invest in yourself to get the knowledge you need to find your unique factor. When you find it and focus on it and persevere your success will blossom.……………Sydney Madwed
Within minutes of her interview I could sense she was going to take me all over the lake at 100 miles per hour by water skis with only one hand allowed on the rope.
She did.
We spoke about travel, sort of; and we spoke about interesting cities, kind of; and we spoke about countries without borders, somewhat. One thing that was firm in our discussion was that she did have a sports background rowing crew.
Intriguing.
I’m not sure that I have ever met a female submission wrestler that rowed crew.
Always a fantastic information source, Wikipedia shares, “Rowing, often referred to as crew in the United States, is a sport with origins back to Ancient Egyptian times. It is based on propelling a boat (racing shell) on water using oars. By pushing against the water with an oar, a force is generated to move the boat. The sport can be either recreational – focusing on learning the technique of rowing, or competitive – where athletes race against each other in boats.
There are a number of different boat classes in which athletes compete, ranging from an individual shell (called a single scull) to an eight person shell with coxswain (called a coxed eight).
Modern rowing as a competitive sport can be traced to the early 18th century when races were held between professional watermen on the River Thames in London, United Kingdom. Often prizes were offered by the London Guilds and Livery Companies. Amateur competition began towards the end of the 18th century with the arrival of “boat clubs” at the British public schools of Eton College and Westminster School. Similarly, clubs were formed at the University of Oxford, with a race held between Brasenose College and Jesus College in 1815.
At the University of Cambridge the first recorded races were in 1827. Public rowing clubs were beginning at the same time; in England Leander Club was founded in 1818, in Germany Der Hamburger und Germania Ruder Club was founded in 1836 and in the United States Narragansett Boat Club was founded in 1838 and Detroit Boat Club was founded in 1839. In 1843, the first American college rowing club was formed at Yale University.
The International Rowing Federation (French: Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron, abbreviated FISA) is responsible for international governance of rowing and was founded in 1892 to provide regulation at a time when the sport was gaining popularity. Across six continents there are now 118 countries with rowing federations that participate in the sport.
Rowing is one of the oldest Olympic sports and has been competed since 1900. Women’s rowing was added to the Olympic program in 1976
Today, only fourteen boat classes are raced at the Olympics, across men and women. Each year the World Rowing Championships is held by FISA with 22 boat classes raced.”
Thank you Wikipedia.
With Mona there is this business about her won loss record that I would like to peek at here.
During her interview I gave her permission to name drop in terms of who she has wrestled. She gleefully provided me with a long list of well-known female wrestlers including champion Isamar and the widely respected competitors Wenona, Daisy Ducati and Penny Barber.
Another person standing on the side asked her how many of the long list of matches had she won and she replied with a smile “none.”
I sat there puzzled. Did I hear that right?
None? Like never none? Like zero? Like not once? Like not ever? Like Nunca? Absolutely strike outs all? Really?
She has to be kidding.
It’s not due to her form. She clearly knows how to apply the holds. She loves to impart information regarding technique and strategy so it can’t be because of a lack of knowledge.
Sherlock Holmes, where are you?
Let’s deduct by looking at other competitors that lose often. In the wrestling world we call them jobbers and trust me, here I won’t name drop.
Mona would say something that day that I have heard a number of those girls say over and over and what is that?
They wrestle for fun.
Therein seems to be the key.
As my high school football coach used to say to us, yes the sport should be fun but how can you have any fun if you’re not winning?
Do you want to know something?
I like Mona. You would too if you met her. As they said in the 1960s, she’s one groovy chick. She hails from the San Francisco bay area.
She is also gorgeous in person; almost stunning as she is tall. She’s extremely intelligent, personable, knowledgeable about the women’s wrestling game, experienced and has a sense of humor and depth in thinking. In terms of what male customers like, she is also very feminine with an underlying detected desire to be dominated.
Maybe.
What is often the desire of a producer is to have an event where like competitors are grouped together with similar skill levels because things can get unpredictable as it did for Mona the sunny afternoon that I was there.
She would wrestle three matches that day including one with a virtual newbie.
Pop quiz class. How many matches of the three do you think Mona won that day?
Hey Now! Don’t change your answer. You were right the first time.
Before the match began, the teacher in her began to reassure the newbie that everything would be fine and she continued by speaking about the holds and potential strategy to apply.
Once the wrestling started I think you know what happened. Mona got Kasmooshed! The newbie was either the fastest learner in San Jose or Mona was up to her old tricks. Once again she was in over her beautiful blonde head of hair and neck with excruciating choke holds.
All kidding aside, this writer hopes that Mona continues to wrestle but in terms of training, see the sport in a different light.
She has the looks, possesses hand bags full of charisma, is blessed with great height and clearly is athletic.
As I stated earlier, in the women’s submission wrestling world, Mona Wales is unique.
With more applied training, hopefully one day her wrestling will be unique as well and help answer a question that puzzled me.
Would Mona wail less, if she won more?
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Sources: brainyquote.com, Wikipedia, fciwomenswrestling.com, Ms. Wale’s photos copyright https://femcompetitor.com, thank you Wikimedia Commons for rowing photos.
