Irony often rears its head of curiosity when we expect one answer to a question but find the accurate answer is an entirely different one.
Take this example as a case in point.
Where do you think a sizable number of chop sticks are made?
Wouldn’t the initial answer be Made in China? If that is your answer it’s understandable. Is it the accurate answer though?
The informative site newsfeed.time.com educates, “It seems everything we buy these days says “Made in China.” But millions of the Asian nation’s iconic chopsticks are proudly made in the U.S.A.
Two hours south of Atlanta lies the source of millions of Chinese chopsticks. Who would have thought? It’s hard to imagine a place more quintessentially red, white and blue – the town, nestled firmly in the heartland of Georgia, is called Americus.”
Who would have thought?
Time after time Femcompetitor Magazine researches a female submission wrestler’s background and the usual skillsets emerge. She’s trained in MMA; particularly in Muay Thai. That is on so many Fem Competitor’s resumes.
Muay Thai is a combat sport of Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This physical and mental discipline which includes combat on shins is known as “the art of eight limbs” because it is characterized by the combined use of fists, elbows, knees, shins, being associated with a good physical preparation that makes a full-contact fighter very efficient.
Muay Thai became widespread internationally in the twentieth century, when practitioners defeated notable practitioners of other martial arts. A professional league is governed by the World Muay Thai Council.
Given that definition you would think that there would be an army of female submission wrestlers who reside in Thailand but unfortunately that is not the case. Women’s wrestling is not popular there at all. There are the underground female fights but very little that would considered main stream exists.
Reporting from Thailand the respected news source phuketgazette.net shares, “The 2013 Asian Junior Wrestling Championship was held at Saphan Hin’s 4,000-seat Indoor Sports Complex last weekend. Nearly 400 wrestlers from 20 countries competed at Free Style, Greco Roman and Female wrestling. The event was open to 17 to 18-year-old wrestlers, but participants under the age of 17 could compete if organizers received written permission from their parents.
Thailand had over 20 wrestlers at the event but none from Phuket. The majority of Thai wrestlers were from Nakhon Si Thamarat, Rachathani and Bangkok.
Due to poor advertising by the event organizers or a distinct lack of interest in wrestling, the indoor arena at Saphan Hin was full of competitors, coaches, officials and family members, but hardly any fans.”
The Thai Amateur Wrestling Association’s International Coordinator, Achara Pimpang understands that wrestling is not as big in Thailand as in India or Iran.
“When people in Thailand think of wrestling they think the wrestlers will throw chairs and that it is the professional wrestling they see on TV. People in Thailand don’t really know wrestling,” she said.
At that particular event India finished top overall in Free Style wrestling with 68 points and Thailand came in 13th with nine points. Japan and India finished joint top on 55 points overall in Female wrestling, with Thailand’s female wrestlers finishing a respectable 5th on 44 points. South Korea won the Greco Roman wrestling on 57 points, Thailand finished 9th with 24 points.
The Asian Wrestling Championships is organized by the Asian Associated Wrestling Committee (AAWC).
The dynamic magazine blackbeltmag.com featured a story on Felice Herrig, a Former Muay Thai Kickboxer and current Female MMA Fighter.
“Anyone who watched the second season of the Oxygen network’s Fight Girls reality-TV series no doubt remembers Felice Herrig. Now 28 years old, she was 23 when it was filmed and had a mere five years of martial arts under her belt. Nevertheless, she fared well training under Master Toddy and actually defeated her opponent, a Thai champion. When Black Belt caught up with Herrig for this profile, she’d just become the “female starter” on the St. Louis Enforcers team in Chuck Norris’ World Combat League. Soon afterward, she made the jump from muay Thai to MMA, where she’s garnered a pro record of 8-4.”
Interestingly when the question of tough competition came up, here was Ms. Herrig’s view of the Thai Female Fighters. “I loved Thailand. It’s beautiful. They’re so nice there. I didn’t feel that they were as good as they were built up to be. They are pretty stuck in their ways of doing only Muay Thai. Don’t get me wrong: I love Muay Thai, but I love being able to incorporate different fighting styles into my style. I have the boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai. Diversity is a huge advantage.”
In scanning the internet for female submission wrestlers from Thailand, one Fem Competitor stood out named Bree. Her sessionmatch.com promotion shares, “Bree Wrestles truly loves session wrestling and looks forward to a fun match, which may include trash-talking!
If you are looking for an athletic, playful and well-traveled session wrestler who will sincerely enjoy your time together on the mat, Bree is the total package.
Bree is trained in the martial arts traditions of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai and Kickboxing. She has trained around the world, and currently based in South East Asia where her training continues at full force. Growing up as a tomboy, Bree started her fighting early on with boys in her neighborhood, really getting a kick out of watching them suffer and surprising them with her strength. She looks forward to seeing what you have to bring to the mat and figuring out what makes you tick.”
When the discussion of visiting Thailand is brought up, most think about the bustling city of Bangkok. Did you know that the region spoken of here, Phuket is a diamond with a balanced mix of city life and an unspoiled natural paradise?
Shall we travel there now?
Phuket is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country’s largest island, and another 32 smaller islands off its coast.
It lies off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. Phuket Island is connected by bridge to Phang Nga Province to the north. The next nearest province is Krabi, to the east across Phang Nga Bay.
On 26 December 2004, Phuket and other nearby areas on Thailand’s western coast suffered extensive damage when they were struck by the Boxing Day tsunami, caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The waves destroyed several highly populated areas in the region, killing up to 5,300 people nationwide and tens of thousands more throughout the Asian region. Some 250 were reported dead in Phuket, including foreign tourists, and as many perhaps as a thousand of the illegal Burmese workers building new beach resorts in the Khao Lak area. Almost all of the major beaches on the west coast, especially Kamala, Patong, Karon, and Kata sustained major damage, with some damage caused to resorts and villages on the island’s southern beaches.
By February 2005 many damaged resorts were back to business, and life slowly returned to normal. Following strenuous recovery programs, no tsunami damage can now be seen except on the most remote beaches.
Now to explore some of the fun aspects of this jewel.
The global travel site tripadvisor.com smiles, “Thailand’s largest island is an international magnet for beach lovers and serious divers, who enthusiastically submerge themselves in the Andaman Sea. Blue lagoons and salmon sunsets make for a dream-like atmosphere, and indeed, a vacation here can feel a bit surreal. Watersports are the most popular activities, though once you’ve had enough sun there’s still plenty to explore at the island’s aquariums, gardens, and Buddhist temples.”
Not to be outdone, another fantastic travel site lonelyplanet.com donates, “Phuket doesn’t feel like an island at all. It’s so huge (the biggest in Thailand) that you rarely get the sense that you’re surrounded by water, which is probably the reason why Ko (meaning ‘island’) was dropped from its name. Dubbed the ‘pearl of the Andaman’ by marketing execs, this is Thailand’s original flavor of tailor-made fun in the sun.
The island’s sin city of Patong is the biggest town and busiest beach. It’s the ultimate gong show where beachaholics sizzle off their hangovers and go-go girls play ping pong…without paddles. But ultimately the island’s affinity for luxury far outshines its other stereotypes. Jet-setters come through in droves, getting pummeled during swanky spa sessions and swigging sundowners at one of the many fashion-forward nightspots or on their rented yacht. And you don’t have to be an heiress to tap into Phuket’s trendy to-do list. With deep-sea diving, high-end dining, and white beaches all within reach, it really is hard to say farewell.”
Let’s make the most of our trip to Phuket.
Another great foundation site wikitravel.org adds, “Phuket is hot and humid throughout the year. The hot season is generally considered to be from March to early May. During the summer monsoon season from May to October, mornings and afternoons are still sunny and clear, but it tends to rain in the evenings and water clarity goes down. Locals consider November to February the “cool” season, and the weather is quite tolerable, much more so than in the tourism centers around the Gulf coast.
It’s comparable to Florida’s summer weather in temperature and intensity of rain storms: 25-33°C, flying clouds, short and thunderous rainfalls in the afternoons and evenings. Surfing is possible off the western beaches.
Phuket is a melting pot of indigenous Thais, Thai-Chinese, ethnic Malays and even sea gypsies. The majority of the population in the rural areas is Muslim. Outside of the provincial town, the rural folk speak with a thick Southern dialect which is difficult for even other Thais to understand. The provincial town’s economy having boomed over the past decade has led to a lot of the youngsters leading similar lives to those in Bangkok. Altogether, the lifestyle of the urban Sino-Thais in Phuket resembles that of their counterparts in Bangkok.”
What a dream place to visit.
In terms of female wrestling there is hope for the future. According to tigermuaythai.com, “The past few months has seen a spike in females joining the range of classes at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand. More and more women are looking to empower themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally.”
Fortunately if that trend continues, it will eliminate any irony about women’s submission wrestling and the discussion of Thailand.
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Sources: brainyquote.com, Wikipedia, fciwomenswrestling.com, fciwomenswrestling2.com, FCI Elite Competitor, https://femcompetitor.com, photos thank you Wikimedia Commons.
http://www.sessionmatch.com/wrestler/bree-wrestles/
http://www.bookmartialarts.com/all/c/women
http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-sports/Wrestling-action-at-Saphan-Hin/21410#ad-image-0
http://www.tigermuaythai.com/rise-of-females-at-tmt.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g293920-Phuket-Vacations.html
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thailand/phuket-province
http://wikitravel.org/en/Phuket_Island
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KataNoiRegular.jpg#/media/File:KataNoiRegular.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karonbeach_2004.jpg#/media/File:Karonbeach_2004.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phuket_Viewpoint.jpg#/media/File:Phuket_Viewpoint.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nongthoomfairtex.jpg#/media/File:Nongthoomfairtex.jpg
