Season 2 Episode 9 | 14m 46s | Video has closed captioning.
WATCH First Match and VOTE now at the PBS Online Film Festival http://www.pbs.org/filmfestival/videos/first-match/ Fourteen-year-old Mo is the only girl on an all-boy wrestling team. Despite her practice and training, her first high school wrestling match introduces a new challenge. A short film by Olivia Newman.
Aired: 05/20/14
[Crowd cheering] -Shoot, shoot, shoot!
-Get it, get!
Good job!
[All yelling] Oh!
[Whistle blows] All right!
Mo starts at 112 tomorrow.
BOY: Damn, son.
-Hey, winners never quit!
-Quitters never win!
COACH: [Blows whistle] All right!
Hit the showers, you stinks!
BOY: Whatever, bro.
You really got robbed.
It's not even fair -- like, how am I supposed to wrestle a girl?
How's he even gonna let her start tomorrow?
COACH: You're wrestling Conrad Schultz tomorrow.
You know who that is?
He's quick.
Got to watch that outside single.
BOY: She shouldn't even be on the team.
[Boys' voices fade] [Door closes] Look... worrying about other people ain't gonna help you win.
Keep your mind focused on the match, understand?
All right.
Go lose three pounds.
[Boys laughing] GIRL: He was just like, "Hey, babe, what do you have on?"
GIRL #2: He said the same exact thing to me.
He's so stupid, like, he wouldn't assume that we'd be talking about this?
He was trying to be smooth.
I'm like, "You're not cool."
He probably forwarded us the same thing.
-You know you got lucky, right?
-How you figure?
'Cause no guy's gonna go all out on a girl, come on.
He can't even beat me.
Yeah, 'cause you cry every time I cross face you.
You call "time" every time I get you down.
Whatever, million dollar baby.
Yeah, whatever.
What a [bleep].
MAN: All right, just stack it against the back wall, all right?
To the -- left side, left side.
All right, the rest of the garbage, just put it out front, okay?
MO: Dad?
There an emergency?
No.
What I tell you about coming round here when I'm working?
I got to talk to you.
So what you sweating so bad it can't wait till I get home?
Coach wants me to start tomorrow.
Start?
I thought you was just working out with them.
Yeah, well, Jahari got injured, so we wrestled off for his spot.
So?
So I beat the other kid.
You beat the other kid?
Well, I tell you what, you got some good genes.
I got to drop three pounds, though.
Please.
I dropped 12 pounds once in a week for city finals.
-For real?
-Yeah.
Should have seen the look on that guy Redman's face.
It was hilarious.
Three pounds -- that's just water weight.
Just got to use the plastic.
So will you come tomorrow?
Monique, you know I got to work.
Who do you think pays for that metal mouth?
Yeah, well, you could just come for my match and then go to work.
DAD: What you even need me there for?
I don't know, give me pointers.
The kid from Steven's supposed to be ripped.
That's what you got a coach for.
Yeah, well, even coach says you could show me a few things.
Your coach don't know [bleep] about me.
Hey, amigo, there's more bags here!
Let's go!
You bust your teeth tomorrow, I don't want to hear it.
I'm not paying for that [bleep] twice.
I'm better than you were, you know.
-Is that right?
-Yeah, that's right.
Come tomorrow if you don't believe me, I'll prove it.
[Pop music on TV] Woman: Four decadent flavors, 60 calories.
[Indistinct TV conversation] [Nail clipper clicking] [Beeping] Arms.
Nails.
BOY: Come on.
What if I touch her in the wrong place or something?
Just go easy, it'll be a quick win.
[Murmuring] MAN: They must be desperate, huh?
BOY: Mo!
Mo!
COACH: Hey, Mini!
Let's go, come on!
All right, guys, we're gonna start a little out of the weight order this afternoon.
We're gonna go with 190 up to Jay, and then back to Kevin, and then to Mo.
-We all set on that?
-Yes, sir!
All right, let's put our hands in.
One, two, three.
Winners never quit!
ALL: Quitters never win!
COACH: Let's prove it!
Let's go!
[Whistle blows] [Whistle blows] COACH: All right, remember what we talked about.
This kid's like a spider.
You leave that leg out, he's gonna grab it.
BOY: Hey, give her the Saturday night ride!
Hey, where's your head at?
Where's your head at?
Go on, get in there.
Let's go, Mo!
Keep head position and hand-fight hard!
WOMAN: Let's go, Conrad!
REF: All right, let's have a good match, guys.
Let's keep the wrestling in the center of the ring.
[Door opens] BOY: Come on, Connie.
Make it quick!
REF: Shake hands.
[Whistle blows] [Crowd cheering] -One, two... -[Buzzer] Three!
Time!
Three backs green.
Very nice.
Nice takedown.
Just don't get to your back so easy.
Keep fighting for that inside position.
REF: Bottom set?
Set... [Blows whistle] [Crowd cheering] Easy, easy!
[Panting] One, two, three, four, five... Nice, nice, nice!
Free the hands, free the hands!
Turn and face!
[Cheering] Yes!
That's my girl!
Lift the head!
Lift the head!
MAN: Blood!
Blood time!
Ref, blood!
Ref, blood!
Blood!
[Blows whistle] Blood time, red!
Run the clock!
COACH: What?
Are you serious?
You got to be kidding me!?
You're calling that?
He was already down!
Shoulders on the mat!
REF: Coach, she wasn't... COACH: You knew that.
You saw that.
That coach is making a bum rap.
Might as well send my boys home.
Unbelievable -- after the fact!
REF: Can you put five on the clock, please?
COACH: He's making them calls?
REF: Coach, she's got her period.
COACH: After the fact.
All right, it's a crap call, Mo, but you got to get cleaned up.
You got everything you need?
You got five minutes.
Hey.
Hey... you can do this.
[Knocking on door] Who's there?
[Crowd chanting "Conrad!"]
[Team chanting "Mini Mo!"]
[Pounding on mat] [Cheering]
