I'm not gay, I just sodomize other boys (Wrestling story in NY Times)

If a kid was taught to touch the anus -- let alone penetrate it -- then he has a rogue coach. If a kid isn't taught to do it, then he is either taking the move too far on purpose, or misunderstood what he was told to do.

As the follow-up story the Bee did explains, one of the problems with the "butt drag" is that there's no common definition for it the same way there is for a single leg takedown. It doesn't show up in technique manuals. It's passed around from coach to wrestler, wrestler to wrestler, etc. But every variation I've ever heard of it does not involve touching of the anus, let alone penetration.

Any coach who is teaching that is going to get labeled as a dirty coach. Any kid who is taking it that far is going to get labeled as a cheap-shot artist. Anyone who tries what the Fresno Bee described in its original story on the mat better be damn well prepared to throw punches in the middle of a match cause he should expect one across his jaw in short order.

 

A university wrestling coach once told me that ringworm was a problem for his team.
"It never goes away," he said.

 

Picked up a skin fungus wrestling as a HS freshman. It shut our entire team down for a week. I still have flare ups of the shit, too ... on my face, chest and legs ... everything that wasn't covered by the "standard wrestling uniform." Thing that we always found funny is that we were the shitty school from the white-trash ghetto and we picked the crud up at the swanky high-end school in the nice part of town.

As for shoving your fingers up somebody's ass, I'm not surprised. There's an absurd subculture in wrestling of guys who obviously get some pseudo-sexual joy out of the shit. That somebody would take it far enough to shove his fingers up another guy's ass is just the next logical step. I was lucky to be in the heavies, as all the guys who wrestled in our weight range seemed normal. We would mix weights in practice and the 168s and 178s would come up and wrestle some of the light heavies — I was about 195 at the time — and those guys were strange. I was a sophomore and some of our seniors seemed to enjoy rubbing up against us a bit too much and leg riding when it really wasn't something that needed to be done. And, at the time, you didn't really think it was sexual, but looking back, it pretty clearly was.

But as franticscribe said, should that shit happen, you are no longer wrestling and it's time for a message to be sent. I see no way that happens "accidentally." No way, no how. I do not care if you are in practice or with the spotlight down and the gym packed, somebody shoves their fingers up my ass and it's on WWE style ... chairs, biting, kicking ... anything I can get my hands on before the cops mace me to get me under control.

It seems like people no longer have respect for the trust that has to exist for sports to be worthwhile. You don't throw at somebody's head, you don't take them out when they are driving to the hoop and you have no chance, you don't cut block their knee, and you most certainly do not shove your fingers up another dude's ass.

 

I hope that when I cover the prep wrestling state championships this year I have a chance to ask a kid about the "butt drag" move he used to win a state championship!

I will not, however, shake his hand before the interview.

Having covered the last four state championships, I have to say that wrestlers are some strange dudes. I admire their dedication, but they are some strange dudes.

 

If I'm a wrestler and someone sticks a finger in my ass, then I'm going to start throwing punches.

Disqualifications be damned, I'd get one good hammer to the face in before his coach makes it out to the mat.

 

Am I the only one disturbed by the victim's father saying that if charges weren't pressed they'd have a "Columbine situation?" While the charges might have been proper, that's an awful comparison and thought and he certainly should be more worried about his own son's mental health first and foremost. That's a crazy quote.

 

No. That jumped out at me too.

 

Further thoughts: I can't think of many wrestling coaches who would do a drill like that one where there would be such mismatches in weight class and experience. Any time I can recall seeing more trained seniors wrestling newer wrestlers, they were always well supervised by a coach and there'd almost never be a situation that was a mismatch.

Also, yes, I have seen the subculture about making weight and I'm happy to see that some associations have tackled that issue.

 

What if he gave you one of these:

 

Wrestling can be an odd sport filled with strange dudes. And as a basketball player we had a rivalry with our school's wrestlers so I really disliked the sport in school. And covering most wrestling matches was excruciating. That said, two of the most exciting events I ever covered were wrestling matches. The team portion each time was about 60-6. But each time, top-ranked kids at like 171 - their schools were in different classes - battled. There was actually a week's worth of anticipation each time. And the gym was packed, but completely dead for the early matches. Then the place went nuts when these two guys came out to do battle under a spotlight. Both were complete studs and both won multiple state titles in Minnesota, which is one of the best states for high school wrestling. It really did feel like an epic event. And both times the older kid won with a takedown in the final three seconds.

As far as I know, no penetration either time.

 

The extreme weight loss thing used to be a huge problem. Kids died. Recently, a bunch of state associations have adopted measures to help prevent it. From what I know, it seems to be working.

Cutting weight isn't nearly as big a deal, or as much of a health risk, as it used to be. A buddy of mine is a HS wrestling coach, and he hasn't had any problems with it. Then again, his team blows.

 

Is that also taught, or is that just one of those other things that happens? "When you're in that close contact, sometimes a guy's mouth is going to end up on another guy's johnson. Part of the sport."