Girl Power: Tween Wrestler Pins Her Skeptics to the Ground

She's 94 pounds. She has her male opponents quaking in their wresting boots and she even has a signature move: the cheeseburger.

Twelve-year-old South Carolina wrestler Genesis Patterson might not look like her other competitors on the mat, but that might be exactly why she keeps winning.

"I just want her to tear those boys apart," laughs her super-supportive mother, who often wields a camcorder at her matches, according to WIS-TV of South Carolina. "She's strong, she's quick, she's got technique."

The spindly Irmo Middle School student didn't initially set out to conquer the mat, but got dragged into the sport when her older siblings began taking lessons. But now she's a star on her school team — and her male opponents are stunned when she routinely kicks their butts.

Although female wrestling has quietly existed in the US for years — and was even introduced as an Olympic sport back in 2004 — it is rare for a wrestler like Genesis to begin competing so young, in middle school, and against the boys. According to a PBS special titled Girl Wrestler, about 5,000 female wrestlers currently compete in the US, versus about 250,000 boys. The United States Girls Wrestling Association was founded in 1998 and tracks female wrestling meets around the country, although they are typically female-to-female wrestling matches and involve young ladies older than Genesis.

Irmo wrestling coach Kyle Kimrey admits he was hesitant when Genesis expressed interest in joining his previously boys-only team, but once her saw her talent, he quickly came around.

"If you see her wrestle you're excited she's wresting for you because she's pretty good and pretty strong too," he said.

For her part, the cool, confident Genesis is matter-of-fact about what appears to be her natural talent on the mat.

"They (the boys) usually think they're going to beat me most of the time, but afterwards they probably don't," she said.

Also, as per her first name, it appears that wrestling is only the beginning of Genesis' master plan for her athletic career. Her ultimate goal?

"Gymnastics, and try to do Olympics for that," she declared.

If she dominates gymnastics the way she has wrestling, I think potential opponents around the world should watch out.

Image courtesy of Thadius856 and Parutakupiu via Wikimedia Commons