The Amarillo wrestler
- About 5000 girls wrestle in high school in the US. It is nearly five times as many as a decade earlier.
- Caprock High School in Amarillo has one of the best girls wrestling team in Texas.
- Maci Alvarado, a high school senior, struggled to keep out of trouble. But she is about to reach her goal and go to college thanks to wrestling and a man: her coach Scott Tankersley.
Texas is proud of its Lone Star and of its independence. Texas is also proud of its symbols, of its cowboy roots and of its economy. From May 7 to May 11 2007, Swiss Public Radio and the.point.is. showed another side of the Lone Star State. You can download the podcasts from Swiss Public radio’s website. They will be available on tpinews.com soon. Check jean-cosme’s blog too.
Friday May 11 2007, last stop in Amarillo, in the North of Texas. We meet Maci, a high school wrestler, and her coach Scott Tankersley.
Synopsis
Somewhere in the North of Texas, along the famous Route 66, lies Amarillo. This town lost in the middle of never-ending plains, seems to be waiting for something to happen. Looking at the desert downtown, it is hard to imagine 180 000 people living here. The town’s economy is largely based on agriculture and on the meat industry but opportunities for young people are scarce. Amarillo is also one of the main hubs for girls wrestling. Caprock High School recently won first place in the Texas State championships.
Maci Alvarado, 17, is a senior from Caprock and a wrestler. Her mother is in prison and she recently got into trouble herself. She was involved in a fight and is on probation for a year. But she is about to reach her goal and go to college thanks to wrestling and a man: her coach Scott Tankersley. The latter scouts poor neighborhoods, looking for troubled girls. He tries to help them go back to school and to express themselves on the wrestling mat. The coach explains he is doing this because he had to overcome his own obstacles: Scott Tankersley is deaf.
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