SPORTS

Lauren Wolfe puts a hold on an opponent.

ROBERT ELLENSTEIN

Special to The Jewish News

auren Wolfe has all the
attributes of a normal
14-year-old girl. She
plays violin in the orchestra,
is treasurer of her eighth
grade class at Okemos'
Kinawa Middle School and
regularly attends Hebrew
school.
Lauren also plays basket-
ball, soccer, volleyball, soft-
ball and runs long distance.
Since her bat mitzvah last
June, she's been involved with
the Greater Lansing Temple
Youth organization.
And Lauren also is one of
the top mid-Michigan wrest-
lers for her weight division.
That's right, wrestling.
Lauren regularly hits the
mats against male athletes in
a male-dominated sport. But
don't tell that to Lauren.
"I don't think of it as a guy
wrestling a girl, I think of it

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as two wrestlers," Lauren
said. "Some of the guys are
intimidated by it. Some of
them go in laughing. But
most of them are pretty good
about it."
Most wrestlers are forced to
take Lauren seriously. Com-
peting in the 95-pound divi-
sion, Lauren finished the
season 16-0, something un-
precedented in Okemos. And
with her sights set on the
high school level and the
100-pound weight division,
she may only have just begun.
"Being undefeated was a
goal from the beginning of
the season," Lauren said. "I
set my own goals — a lot of
them are similar to my
brother's!'
Her brother is Rustin Wolfe,
a freshman wrestler at the
University of Wisconsin. He
culminated a fine career at
Okemos High School by
finishing fourth in the state
in his weight division last
year. Rustin in hoping to earn

a varsity spot on the Wiscon-
sin squad next season.
"I watched all of his meets
through middle school and
high school," Lauren said.
"He taught me some of his
moves and I learned from
watching!'
Wrestling is not an easy
sport to master. While many
people focus on the physical
side of it, many coaches agree
it is the psychological edge
which gives wrestlers an ad-
vantage. Athletes are grouped
according to weight and are
judged by points awarded to
them following an offensive
attack.
Lauren and Rustin do not
monopolize the Wolfe family's
hold on the sport. Brother
Kyle wrestled for Okemos
High School before gravitat-
ing to baseball, and 10-year-
old Kami recently began com-
peting in wrestling.
"Kami hasn't had too much
success but she's still in the
beginning," said Gail Wolfe,

auren Wolfe is a nice, normal
Jewish girl.
But don't cross her
she'll pin you.