A Session with Vanya
By Monk Fan 



It seems like Chicago is disproportionately underserved with session wrestlers
relative to New York and Los Angeles, given the size of the metro areas. Part
of being in the staid Midwest, I guess. Thankfully, I just had the opportunity
to wrestle a woman who is helping to correct this imbalance, Vanya at Worship
Our Feet in downtown Chicago.

A quick exchange of respectful emails and I had a session set for the
afternoon after I first contacted Vanya. When we chatted by phone an hour
before the session, Vanya was breathless (WOF is located in a walk-up, and she
had just arrived), laughing and solicitous of the kind of session I desired. I
confirmed that my interests were in semi-competitive wrestling (I don't
believe Vanya does fully competitive sessions) and suggested that we start
slowly with her putting me into holds and work up to a more active session.
When she asked how I'd like her to dress, I replied that she should wear
anything in which she was comfortable wrestling.

When I arrived, I found that Vanya was comfortable wrestling in a black bra
and thong, which certainly was all right with me. She also wore a light black
knee brace, which she said was due to an old gymnastics injury she had
aggravated on a recent run. While we chatted and stretched, Vanya's
personality emerged; smiling, up tempo, enthusiastic and fun. Vanya had
described her physique as more womanly than cut (it would be ungentlemanly to
discuss her weight without her permission, but let just say that it is
well-distributed over her six-foot frame), and she was right about that. As I
would soon learn, it was more than adequate for the task at hand.

I'm 5'6", 157 pounds, 45 years old, a regular exerciser in decent shape for my
age. I have about 4 years of session wrestling experience, including multiple
sessions with Cynthia (the Raven Iron Maiden) here in Chicago and Lady
Victoria. I enjoy both semi-competitive and fully competitive sessions.

The room WOF uses for wrestling is acceptable, slightly larger than an average
hotel room in which I'd had sessions. The mat placed on carpeting is adequate
as well, although knee pads aren't a bad idea as the mat isn't huge and will
move around some. Vanya said there were some tentative plans to upgrade and
secure the matting and move it to a larger room, which would be an excellent
addition.

The session began as planned, with Vanya securing holds and me attempting to
escape from them, sometimes with success but most often not. Vanya's leg
strength was excellent, no doubt a product of the dancing career we discussed
between falls. She moved easily among holds, often focusing on combinations.
Highlights included a reverse head scissors/chin lock combo that I couldn't
have escaped from unless and until she dozed off, a figure- four headlock that
left me croaking like a frog, and a camel clutch that she had to throttle back
on a bit so I could appreciate its full effects before submitting.

Vanya's inner thigh strength is especially outstanding. I felt the cords of
her inner thighs bouncing around my head more than once, and I had to ask her
to step back the pressure quickly when one scissors caught me just along my
jaw line. When I stood up in an attempt to escape a body scissors Vanya had
applied from the ground, she also demonstrated an uncanny ability to hang
indefinitely with her legs around my waist, which she also attributed to her
dancing experience. Vanya was quick and unhesitant to reduce pressure on her
holds if I asked, a reflection of her experience, sensitivity and
attentiveness. I generally had the power to escape from full body pin
attempts, but often wound up submitting to a hold secured during my escape.

As the session evolved and Vanya grew more comfortable and familiar with my
style and abilities, I became a bit move offensive in my approach and tried
for some submissions if I was able to escape from or avoid the initial hold. I
secured a few submissions with body scissors, but only after Vanya had
struggled both to avoid and then to endure and escape the hold. My attempts to
secure higher body submissions were largely fruitless, for reasons including
Vanya's request that I avoid any chokes or neck holds due to a prior bad
experience with a client, her absolutely stunning long, curly red hair that
made any attempts at headlocks seem futile (her attempts to put her hair up
were equally futile, but that was a pleasure, not a problem) and her
impressive upper body flexibility. At one point, I attempted to gain a
submission from my back by securing both her arms behind her, and after an
extended effort on my part, she quite correctly pointed out that my shoulders
had been on the mat for about 20 seconds. Fall to Vanya.

Our conversations during breaks were a pleasure. Vanya is funny, open, quick
to smile and with the directness one would expect of someone in her business.
Our falls often ended in laughter or smiles with compliments on a victory. Our
breaks between falls were generally quite short with no stalling on her part
and I found her endurance very good. Vanya was generous with her time both
during and after the session, when she asked with genuine concern and interest
about my family (remembering part of the conversation in responding to my
thank you email).

In sum, I couldn't have been more delighted with my session with Vanya. She is
highly recommended for semi-competitive sessions and, based on my experience
and her background, I'm sure she'd be excellent in a fantasy session as well.

Monk Fan (f/k/a Bird Lives)