The Fighting Cholitas

I just saw a great short documentary on the Independent Film Channel. (I know what you're thinking. Think it. I don't care. I watch IFC and the Sundance Channel too. okay.)

I digress. The film is called "The Fighting Cholitas". Cholitas are female wrestlers from Bolivia. They dress up in traditional Bolivian costumes, get into the ring with other Cholas and wrestle. The women are mothers and housewives who work as weavers and shop owners. But on Saturday night, they put on their traditional Bolivian outfits, go to the arena and wrestle. The picture above is from a BBC article Women wrestling sweeps Bolivia.

The women wrestlers or luchadoras are serious, disciplined athletes, train rigorously, and wrestle because they love it. To them being a luchadora is a vocation, they can not not do it. As one of the women said,"it's 80% real and 20% fake." The film showed a match between two Cholitas and there was nothing fake about that contest. Another contestant said something to the effect that since the women can't beat up their husbands, they go to the arena and beat up another Cholita. After hearing that, I decided that I didn't need to search for a life partner amongst the luchadoras of Bolivia.

I am fascinated with women's wrestling for nearly 20 years. In the 1930s Kansas City's own Mildred Burke became America's first professional "lady wrestler." In the late 1930s she would tour the country and have matches with other lady wrestlers including Gladys 'Killem' Gillem. Mildred and Gladys came to Bakersfield several times and wrestled in Strelich Stadium.

I enjoyed the film and hope everyone gets a chance to see it. The Fighting Cholitas is being shown on IFC. The film has a myspace page with a trailer and also times when it is showing on IFC.

Capitano Tedeschi

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