fciwomenswrestling.com article, wikimedia photo
Mr. Thích Nh?t H?nh is a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist. As of this writing research indicates that he lives in the Plum Village Monastery in the Dordogne region in the South of France, traveling internationally to give retreats and enlightening talks.
His quote regarding our view of time made me ponder my mild obsession with the sensuous barefoot female wrestler from the 1970’s, Ms. Vicki Williams.
He was quoted as saying, “Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones.”
I agree with everything that our esteemed philosopher just said except in my experience when it comes to women’s wrestling, it’s not fear that keeps me focused on their past accomplishments; it’s appreciation and I will concede also sadness and melancholy since we will never see any of them compete again and some have passed away.
I first saw Vicki Williams wrestling in the 1970’s on television and in that time period, women so seldom wrestled that it was a superb delicacy to watch this beautiful feminine blonde woman in energetic exchange in the squared circle.
She was always in the fight but could never get past The Fabulous Moolah. No shame there. Few could.
She was the good girl in every way and played her role so well that it actually didn’t seem like one. It was more like Vicki Williams really behaving like the Vicki Williams that people in her real life would know her as.
Vicki standing beside the legendary Joyce Grable
Time passed and I would finally catch her again on video in the cult classic Wrestling Queen which starred the late Canadian blonde bombshell Vivian Vachon. The opening sequence had Vivian capturing Vicki helplessly in a folding pin with her beautiful legs and bare feet searching for the sky.
Even in defeat, Vicki was very erotic.
As a part of a Jim?Crockett?Promotions‘ card, Vicki once again faced The Fabulous Moolah for the World Women’s Championship, losing to Moolah on July 30, 1976 at the Richmond?Coliseum before an audience of 11,000 people.
That same year, she was the third runner-up for Pro?Wrestling?Illustrated‘s Girl?Wrestler?of?the?Year award, losing to Sue?Green.
The team of Williams and Joyce?Grable won the NWA?Women’s?World?Tag?Team?Championship from Donna?Christanello and Toni?Rose on October 15, 1973 in New?York. It was October 1975 that Rose and Christanello once again regained the title from Grable and Williams.
In August 1979, the dynamic team of Grable and Williams defeated The Glamour Girls (Leilani?Kai and Judy?Martin) to begin their second reign as NWA Women’s Tag Champions.
Our beautiful legend first began wrestling in 1970. Do you remember what the world was like in 1970? Let’s briefly walk back in time, not with sadness but with remembrance and affection, laced with nostalgia.
In 1970 the average cost of a new house was $23,450. The average Income per year was $9,400. The average monthly rent a mere $140. The cost of a gallon of gas was 36 cents. How about this one? A United States postage Stamp was only 6 cents.
In terms of what was happening around the globe, Paul McCartney announced that the Beatles have disbanded. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ) begins operation. Approximately 100,000 people demonstrate in Washington DC against the Vietnam War. America lowers the voting age to 18 from 21 when President Nixon Signs the bill into law. California becomes the first US State to adopt “No Fault” Divorce law. Sadly and stunningly National Guard Troops fire on and kill 4 protesters on May 4th at Kent State University.
Ms. Williams was born in Savannah Georgia.
As is our custom at Female Competition International (FCI), we often remind our readers that women’s wrestling is not just about what happens on the mats. It’s a great sport with female members that have taught us important life lessons, educated us and guided our hearts and minds on a tour of the world.
Let’s travel to Vicki’s home town.
The informative site savannahga.gov ponders, “If Savannah’s Trees Could Talk…They’d tell you about pirates, cotton, and a revolutionary town plan dating to 1733. They’d tell you about a citizenry that treats hospitality as an art form, of a St. Patrick’s Day celebration that defies description, and of a city’s beauty so profound that it stopped even General William Tecumseh Sherman in his tracks.
And then those same trees – an urban canopy unequalled in the United States – would offer a more recent story. They’d tell you about things happening on the Coast that are transforming Georgia’s first city into one of the most dynamic and creative economies in the southeast.
Behind Savannah’s historic facade are vibrant, forward-thinking residents, a progressive government, and an innovative business community.”
USA Weekend Magazine declared Savannah one of the “top 10 Most Beautiful Places in America.
Life is divided into three terms – that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future.….William Wordsworth
The educational and widely respected information source Wikipedia lays a nice foundation and walks us back into the past. “Savannah is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia.
A strategic port city in the American Revolution and during the American Civil War, Savannah is today an industrial center and an important Atlantic seaport.
Each year Savannah attracts millions of visitors, who enjoy the city’s architecture and historic buildings: the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America), the Georgia Historical Society (the oldest continually operating historical society in the South), the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences (one of the South’s first public museums), the First African Baptist Church (one of the oldest African-American Baptist congregations in the United States), Temple Mickve Israel (the third oldest synagogue in America), and the Central of Georgia Railway roundhouse complex (the oldest standing antebellum rail facility in America).
Savannah’s downtown area, which includes the Savannah Historic District, the Savannah Victorian Historic District and 22 parklike squares, is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United States (designated by the U.S. government in 1966).”
More invitations come forth. The relaxed site savannah.com shares, “With its pedestrian-friendly layout and innovative urban design, Savannah serves as a balm for the senses. The city inspires visitors with its emerald tree canopy, quaint cobblestone streets and majestic architecture. Take the time to wander off the beaten path and experience the history, beauty and charm of this beloved coastal city. Home to one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the world, Savannah really comes to life in the spring when the azaleas reach their full bloom, blanketing the city in an explosion of color.”
Research has indicated that Ms. Williams now retired, has joined the church and no longer wants to associate with the female wrestling community.
That has always sent mixed emotions through me. Make no mistake about it, this is an article developed with love and appreciation for Vicki Williams. Having said that, Mr. Hahn’s indication that a focus on the past can be associated with fear comes to the fore.
When Vicki feels that way, mostly what I feel is deep sadness. No anger at all. It’s just sad to think that someone who was once an important part of our community; one that we both loved, no longer wants to be associated with us in any way.
I suspect some of it was due to the eroticism but as I learned from going to my high school reunions, the past is what you choose to see. All of our pasts are filled with questionable events and people. The question is what do you choose to see as the most prominent part of those memories?
Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.….Bill Keane
Here is what stood out to me the most.
The people of my youth were the people who I did the most memorable things with when I was naïve, vulnerable and full of innocence and life. Those powerful experiences occurred before the often necessary concrete walls of self-protection, skepticism and duty were permanently erected.
When I look at Ms. Williams contemporaries, Pittsburg’s Donna Christanello (her niece is Angie Minnelli) being trained by the legendary Fabulous Moolah, wrestling the down to earth Texas beauty Susan Green and teaming with the spectacular Joyce Grable and making memories that will never be repeated that affected the lives of many in general and in particular the hearts of people around the world……
How can you be ashamed of that?
Why would you want to erase something that will make you immortal as long as civilization exists?
From the corporate to elite high school sports and organized religious communities, I have walked in many worlds. I can honestly say that no world has brought me as much enjoyment and pure unbridled fun as the women’s wrestling world.
It’s not my place but I hope one day Vicki Williams changes her mind.
When she’s ready, we in the female wrestling community will always welcome her back with warm open arms.
~ ~ ~
Some may find other women’s wrestling sites erotic in nature. If you are offended by depictions of women wrestling in erotic situations, please exercise caution in visiting women’s wrestling sites.
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Sources: brainyquote.com, Wikipedia, fciwomenswrestling.com, fciwomenswrestling2.com, FCI Elite Competitor, https://femcompetitor.com, photos thank you Wikimedia Commons.
http://gulfcoast.prorasslin.net/gcwa-wrestlers/lady-wrestlers/vicki-williams/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vicki-Williams/494826673879810
http://www.obsessedwithwrestling.com/profiles/v/vicki-williams.php
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/527695281309065956/
http://womensprowrestling.blogspot.com/2008/10/women-wrestling-vicki-williams.html
https://en.wiki2.org/wiki/Vicki_Williams
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1970.html
http://www.infoplease.com/year/1970.html
http://savannahga.gov/index.aspx?nid=452
