Wrestlewomania!

Women in Bolivia have found a new way to escape the poverty-stricken reality of their daily lives: wrestling. . . . Carmen Rosa, master of the ring and winner of 100 bone-crunching bouts in Bolivia's colorful wrestling circuit, she is actually dressing for a night of mayhem. With loyal fans screaming out her name, she climbs the corner ropes high above the ring, bounces once for momentum and flies high, arms outstretched for maximum effect. To the crowd's delight, the dive flattens her adversary, María Remedios Condori, better known as Julia la Paceña (Julia from La Paz). Similar to the Afghan women who found exercise to be emotionally and personally empowering, the women in Bolivia are pushing gender boundaries and re-defining themselves. Married, with two children, and the successful owner of a jewelry business, Ms. Choque recalled her husband's skepticism, seeing her come home bruised and battered. But when he saw how much she liked her hobby, he started attending all the bouts and now supports her tough training regimen, which includes a weekly hike up a 15,000-foot peak. "I want to do this as long as I can," she said. "It's my life, la lucha libre." As someone who used to avidly support Texas backwoods wrestling--Xtreme Wrestling, anyone?--I think this is fantastic! What couldn't be right about this: wrestling in traditional Bolivian garb, women's empowerment, and extraordinary health benefits?