She’s kissed a pig, chased a greased pig in mud, and snared and milked a goat.

     Now she has even resorted to rasslin’.

     On Friday, Mrs. Newsome arrived in the Tift County school’s gymnasium on a motorcycle and dressed in black biker clothes.  She had died her hair, caked on makeup and donned fake tattoos.

     “Motorcycle Mama” was there to keep her promise to wrestle an opponent in front of the student body in World Wrestling Federation-style clothing if they met their accelerated-reader program goal.

     “I love these kids and decided to reward them for working so hard,” Mrs. Newsome said. “I challenged the kids and they met that challenge.  I’d rather have them turn to books than drugs.  We need to build memories and they won’t forget this.

     Mrs. Newsome had arranged to wrestle Billy Wayne Franklin of the World Wrestling Council, but he never showed up.  Library aid Carolyn Wilson took his place.

     Mrs. Wilson, a.k.a “Tiger Woman,” had a clear size edge over the 5-foot, 3-inch, 155-pound principal.

     “Since she threatened the kids to read all year, I kind of felt like someone from the library should be the one to whoop her,” Mrs. Wilson said.  “She was a lightweight.  She begged me to let her knock me down.”

     After Mrs. Wilson entered the ring to the song, “Eye of the Tiger” played by the school band, Mrs. Newsome strutted out to “Born to be Wild.”  Several body slams by Mrs. Wilson early in the match gave the crowd what they wanted and prompted “medics” to be called to tend to Mrs. Newsome, who was eventually declared the loser.

     Mrs. Newsome, who lets the pupils choose something for her to do each year if they meet their reading goal, conceded defeat.

     “She wupped me good,” Mrs. Newsome said. “Iwas tired out, but I had a ball.  She flipped me up and then down, and I couldn’t stop laughing.  I have the best job in the world.

     Before the wrestling match, the school’s pupils marched through  town with banners displaying the name of  a book they had read in order to earn points.  They also dressed like book characters.  Mrs. Newsome was driven through town on a motorcycle in her grappling outfit by gym teacher and coach Randy Paulk, who also officiated the wrestling match.

     “I’ve been looking forward to this all year,” 13-year-old student Justin Carter said.  “I wanted to see Mrs. Newsome get wupped.”

     “I’ve been in trouble a few times this year, so I wanted her to get a taste of her own medicine.  She’s strict, but a good principal.”

     Before she left, Mrs. Newsome said that she overhead students talking about her and assistant principal Dee Dee Collins mud-wrestling next year.