Where it all started...
[Note: AJ may not have been the first school to put girls
on the mat. However, it appears they by far had the most female wrestlers.
More information is expected soon.]
Andrew Jackson Fundamental Magnet School - Chalmette,
Louisiana
Coaches at Andrew Jackson when the teams had girls: Jim
Ballantyne, Rick Zimmer, Cody Hesser, Eric Desormeaux, Mike Hesser, Jimmy
Monaghan.
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On February 1st, 1994, the article to the left appeared in the
Times-Picayune. It is about Jessica Bayard, an Andrew Jackson
eighth-grader who, among about 15 other girls, decided to join the
wrestling team earlier in the school year. The article was about
her first non-forfeit victory. She thought she would quit after
the next season because they boys would be too strong. She didn't.
Jessica and several of the other young ladies continued wrestling
through high school. Among those, a few competed at a national
level including one, Kellie Odinet, who competed in the Amateur Athletic
Union (AAU) Open Greco-Roman national championships - the first girl
ever to qualify for that event. The following year the AAU held
girl championships and shortly thereafter the United States Girls
Wrestling Association (USGWA) started holding tournaments for the young
ladies of the sport. |
From 1993 to 2005 as many as 17 girls were members of Andrew Jackson
wrestling teams which were coaches by stellar members of the Louisiana wrestling
community.
Below are some photographs compliments of Cody Hesser:
Other Andrew
Jackson Girls (with some Andrew Jackson boys and Allie (a girl who
competed on a team from the Northshore):
Sara (Albarado) Hogan, Erin Ballantyne, Kaylie Barthelemy,
Kelsy Barthelemy, Jessica Bayard, Brooke Costello, Morgan Hannigan,
Whitney Nussbaum, Kellie Odinet, Ashley (Oltmann) Lopez, Hope (Schenck)
James, Colleen Vosbein |
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| Allie, Hope,
Brooke, Kaylie and Kelsey at the USGWA Championships in
Michigan in 2004 |
Brooke and Hope at
the USGWA Championships in Michigan in 2004 |
Brooke, Hope and
Allie at the USGWA Championships in Michigan in 2004 |
Hope and Whitney |
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| Jessica and Kellie |
Sarah and Morgan |
Erin Ballantyne
and Ashley (Oltmann) Lopez |
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| Morgan and Colleen |
Ashley (Oltmann) Lopez |
Brooke Costello |
Colleen Vosbien |
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