Review Fix chats with “American Women in Amateur Wrestling, 2000–2022” author Jason Norman.
About American Women in Amateur Wrestling, 2000–2022:
Throughout the new millennium, the number of women interested in amateur wrestling has skyrocketed. From grade school to college, girls and women have been strapping on their head guards and singlets to grapple with their dreams of success on the mat. However, the sport and its participants have not always had an easy time.
This book documents the growth of female amateur wrestling in America, and the difficulties and victories it has faced, from removal from the 2013 Olympic Games, to missing the 2020 Games altogether due to Covid-19. The work chronicles the bravery of the women who have led the sport and sets out their performances in the 2021 Olympic Games. With 50 photographs, it also features interviews with the female wrestlers who continue to challenge an often-suppressed field, hoping eventually to leave their mark on the American sports world.
About Jason Norman:
An award-winning journalist and lifelong wrestling fan, Jason Norman teaches college English in southeastern Virginia.
Find Out More About the Book Below:
Review Fix: What inspired this book?
Jason Norman: Finding out that Heaven Fitch’s state tournament win in NC had made worldwide news. Also, I did some research and was surprised to find out that no one had written such a book yet. There were books on virtually every other women’s sport, even boxing and cagefighting, but nothing too extensive on wrestling.
Review Fix: What was the reporting process like?
Norman: Easy and tough at the same time. People were very receptive and helpful, but the pandemic kept impeding me. I had always intended to finish the book with the 2020 Games, but they kept moving back. I salvaged this by writing a chapter on how lady wrestlers dealt with COVID.
Review Fix: Any stories that didn’t make the book that you can share?
Norman: Yes – in my second book, which focuses on wrestling before 2000, and is 95% done!
Review Fix: If you had to pick your Mount Rushmore of female wrestlers from this time, who would they be?
Norman: Tamyra Mensah-Stock, Adeline Gray, Helen Maroulis, Sarah Hildebrandt
Review Fix: Based on your work, what’s the future of women’s amateur wrestling look like?
Norman: Outstanding – numbers are going up every year.
Review Fix: What did you learn from all this work?
Norman: Quite a bit about what a family wrestling is, and how hard people have worked. I wasn’t fully aware that the Olympics had tried to remove wrestling, mainly because of how quickly the community came together to put it back. I was also surprised by all the issues, both mental and physical, that female wrestlers have faced, and still do today. But mainly I was inspired by how quickly this sport has exploded across America and the globe, and will continue to do so.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Norman: My next book on female wrestling. It will focus on the pre-2000 happenings, along with chapters on female co-ed high school state champions, getting wrestling sanctioned, the world championships, so much more. Tricia Saunders, perhaps the sport’s first trend-setter, will also be a major focal point.
Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?
Norman: Stay tuned – more is coming soon!
Review Fix: Where can people find out more about you?
Norman: Normanwrites.wordpress.com
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