Rather than wrestle a girl in the state championship, this high schooler forfeited

[brooklynite]

Washington Post

To Brendan Johnston, it was a simple choice. The 18-year-old senior wrestler from The Classical Academy in Colorado had never competed against a girl, and faced with the option to do so and potentially move one round closer to his goal of winning a state wrestling title, he instead decided to forfeit.

For one of the two would-be female opponents Johnston refused to face in the Colorado State Wrestling Championships last weekend, it was a frustrating outcome. She said she understood and respected his decision, but questioned why any wrestler, of any gender, would decide to forfeit in a state tournament after making it so far. Johnston cited personal and religious beliefs for not wanting to wrestle a girl.

“My whole thing is that I’m not a girl wrestler, I’m just a wrestler,” said Jaslynn Gallegos, a senior at Skyview High School. “So it kind of doesn’t hurt my feelings, but I do kind of take it to heart.”

...snip...

“There is something that I really do find problematic about the idea of wrestling with a girl, and a part of that does come from my faith and my belief,” said Johnston, who is Christian. “And a part of that does come from how I was raised to treat women as well as maybe from different experiences and things.”

[Croney]

1. I think the F word he's using is just an excuse.

It's not faith but FEAR. Fear of getting beat by a girl. Fear of being teased. Fear of being laughed at. Just plain old fear.

[MineralMan]

2. "Thou shalt not wrestle with girls. It is abomination and anathema to the Lord thy God."

That's the real 11th Commandment, I understand, but there wasn't room on the stone tablets, so it got left off.

I suspect young Mr. Johnston was afraid that his Johnson would react in some embarrassing way during the match. That, rather than his religious beliefs, might be one of the reasons for his decision. Fear of losing to a girl, perhaps, played a role as well.

[gtar100]

9. It was likely on that third tablet that Moses accidentally dropped

on the way back down the mountain. See documentary:

[MineralMan]

10. No doubt.

[underpants]

3. God. The hell wrestlers go through in a season

I’d think being so close to a lifetime goal/title would ..... oh never mind.

Had a few friends in high school who wrestled. Watching them in that sweat box and barely eating anything was brutal to just watch.

[Alpeduez21]

4. 'faith' seems a crutch

to excuse terrible behavior and decision making.

[littlemissmartypants]

7. It's a crutch for a lot of things. nt

[Cartoonist]

5. I was on the wrestling team in high school

This was way before Title IX.
I had a bad record, only one win. I think I was still a believer then. I was still shaped by my Catholic upbringing. I would have found nothing objectionable to wrestling a girl.

I can't think of any teaching that would have caused me pause. I think the previous posters are closer to the truth.

[ExciteBike66]

6. He is only allowed to wrestle boys, this future Catholic Priest! ;) nt

[procon]

8. He says he was raised to treat women well...

does that include endorsing her right to body autonomy? He wont engage in a traditionally male sport that now allows physical contact with female athletes, so what other activities does he consider inappropriate for women?

Darwin was right, it really boils down to survival of the fittest in brawn and brains, or maybe the motto of the TV show, Survivor says it best; “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast”.

[Voltaire2]

11. He's scared of being polluted by contact with her

unmentionable body parts.

[MineralMan]

12. I still say he was worried about an embarrassing event

that a singlet just can't hide.

[Voltaire2]

14. Spontaneous emissions.

[MineralMan]

13. And here's the girl: Angel Rios, the first girl to place in

the Colorado State Wrestling championship. She came in fourth in the 106 lb. class. The boy who forfeited against her also forfeited to another girl earlier in the match, Jaslynn Gallegos, who also reached the podium in her weight class. So, a double-whammy.

[Voltaire2]

15. I've changed my mind. He was scared of getting

his ass whipped by a girl.

[Lordquinton]

16. Sports segregation comes 100% down to men not wanting to be beaten by girls

There's no other reason for it.