February
off the mat after checking in for their 112 pound
match. Leaving Cassy Herkelman to win by default.
When it became apparent that his opponent in the state tournament wrestling match would be a girl., e would be facing off against a girl, Joel Northrup, forfeited his match to her. As a Christian, Joel is serious about his faith, and so he could not in good conscience wrestle with a girl due to the manner in which a wrestler must grapple with their opponent. If only we had more boys raised to respect the fairer sex as much as Joel has been. His parents are homeschooling him. but he has been allowed to wrestle with the Lin-Mar of Marion Iowa. So Cassy Herkelman of Cedar Falls was able to win her first match at the Iowa State High School Athletic Association State Wrestling Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2011.
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Cassy Herkelman, top, of Cedar Falls and Joel Northrup, right, of Linn-Mar of Marion, check in for their 112 pound match.  After signing in, Joel looks to his coach (above)
 Referee, Eric Eckerman, raises Cassy Herkelman's arm as the winner of her 112 match after her opponent, Joel Northrup of Linn-Mar of Marion walked off the mat and would not wrestle her.
Her opponent, Joel Northrup of Linn-Mar of Marion, declined to wrestle her. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cassy and Megan (Black, the tournament's other female entrant) and their accomplishments. However, wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times. As a matter of conscience and my faith, I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most of the high school sports in Iowa."His coach Doug Streicher did not speak with the media after the match. The other girl, Megan, lost her match in 52 seconds to the boy she wrestled.
As for Cassy Herkelman, she was prepared to wrestle whom ever she was signed to wrestle. She knew the moment she won her chance to go to the state that the battle was all up hill, but so far she has been giving it all she has. Below is an excerpt from an article about her winning the match that sent her to state.
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About Me: I am a born again Christian who enjoys talking religion and politics. I have always believed that it is the Christian's obligation to understand the workings of our government as well as they do the precepts of God. Jesus tells us to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves". (Mark 10:16) So it is with this understanding that I approach life. I was born in the Midwest, and while I may have grown up in Northern Minnesota, I have earned my degree in knowledge and understanding from the many regions of America and Europe that I have either lived in or visited as an adult.
This is exactly why, if there is enough of a demand to have women's wrestling, there must be women to wrestle woman.
Men and women are BUILT DIFFERANTLY.
Kudos to the brave young athlete who was willing to take a loss rather then to risk hurting the young lady or touching her in a manner that he feels is inappropriate for a young man to touch a young lady.
I thought the Athletic Director spoke well.
Yes, you are correct Toby. I have heard many say the SD left them proud for the way he handled the situation with the media. This young man may have lost his chance at a trophy, but his trophy will be hi integrity and self respect. A trophy very could end up in a box in the attic one day, but Joel will always have respect from his peers for what he has done.
Excellent decision and handling of an awkward and ridiculous situation that this young man was put in. I agree wholeheartedly with the above 2 comments. This is an Eric Liddell-Chariots of Fire type decision that I believe will be remembered for many years to come.
God bless you and your family for responding in a way that should make all Christians and homeschoolers proud.
Are Christian men really that screwed up when it comes to women? I take it that the principles of freedom and equality between the sexes means NOTHING to you and your kind. A fundemental assumption that women are waek and inferior to men, so they must be protected and treated as though they are fragile and incompetent. That must be why your kind feel the need to get in the way of a woman's personal medical decisions with their doctors. Women are too emotional and incapable of making good decisions. That is why they must be forced to carry a child to term, even in the case of rape or incest, and even if it may injure or kill the mother. Funny how that concern ends at DELIVERY of the child.
You people are crazy and have no place in a civilized society.
No, it is called respect for women. Something liberals have none of. Liberals, especially unGodly liberals have no respect for women, or babies. Yet you seem to find compassion and respect for murderers and abortionists.
I would never think about wresting with a woman. yes, I do know there are women who can handle themselves. In a world of Christians, women would not need to learn how to defend herself because no one would be harming her in any way. However, in a Godless world that you desire women need to do things they should not have to do to defend themselves against aggressive men like you who thinks so little of life that you would have a baby ripped from the womb in the name of choice. Well, what about the babies choice?
Men like you make me sick. Your perverted way of life has made it so women are treated and act like men, and babies are murdered in the womb while murdering rapists are paroled from prison for a second chance.
Mr. Berfel,
This has nothing to do with abortion. I think you're just pitching a fit because this kid cited his faith as part of the reason for forfeiting the match.
Wrestling a female conflicted with this young man's personal convictions. He has no disrespect for other female athletes, he is simply uncomfortable wrestling females. The kid has a point too. Due to the nature of the sport, perhaps it isn't best that males and females share a contact sport, especially in those hormone-riddled teen years.
It takes a lot of nerve to turn down a dream because it conflicts with your morals, and clearly this kid has it in spades. I'm an atheist, and faith or no, this kid's got integrity.