More on Boys Wrestling Girls--A Gentleman Refuses to Wrestle

Last year during the Iowa High School State wrestling championship a young man, Joel Northrup, refused to wrestle a young lady and in so doing he forfeited a chance at the state title.  The story can be HERE.  The article begins this way:

DES MOINES, Iowa -- After a standout season in which he went 35-4, Joel Northrup had every reason to dream of winning an Iowa wrestling championship this year, but he gave it all up before his first state tournament match Thursday.

Northrup, a home-schooled sophomore who competes for Linn-Mar High School, said his religious beliefs wouldn't allow him to wrestle Cassy Herkelman, a pony-tailed freshman from Cedar Falls who is one of the first two girls to qualify for the tournament in its 85-year history.

Northrup issued a statement through his school expressing his "tremendous" respect for what Herkelman and Ottumwa sophomore Megan Black achieved this season, but he said didn't feel he had a choice.

“

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 other high school sports in Iowa.

”-- Joel Northrup

"Wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times," Northrup said in a statement released by his high school. "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 other high school sports in Iowa."

Boys Wrestling Girls

John Piper has a great article on boys wrestling girls in competition.  What I love about Pastor Piper is that he is able to put into words a biblically informed argument that makes sense.  We all know something is wrong with the idea of boys competitively wrestling girls.  Some may try to ease the queasy feeling but it's still there nonetheless.  Piper's article can be found HERE.