User:Drake1969/sandbox

Comment: legacy.com, genealogy.com, Wikipedia and IMDb are not reliable sources. Theroadislong (talk) 17:01, 29 June 2020 (UTC)

Born Richmond, VA, U.S. Nationality American Other names Sandy Lee Manley, Gremlina Occupation Wrestler, Wrestling Manager Years active 1988–present Notable work G.L.O.W.: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (1987–1988), AfterGLOW (2014–present) Husband Robert A. Manley (2007–present) Children None

Sandy Lee Manley (née Yelinek) (born June 16, 1964), best known as "Gremlina", is an American wrestler and manager for G.L.O.W. Her career began when she wrestled alongside and managed Daisy on the hit TV series G.L.O.W.: The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling in 1987. She was active on G.L.O.W. for season 3 of the series (1987-1988).

Early life edit

Sandy Lee Yelinek was born in Richmond, Virginia, the daughter of Henry Yelinek Jr and Sandra Dagrosa, as an only child. She was born with a chromosomal abmormality called Turner's Syndrome, and as such her height stands currently at 4ft. 9in. tall.

Sandy was adopted by her paternal grandfather Henry Yelinek Sr. and her step-grandmother Mary Maxie Yelinek, along with step-brothers Raymond and Frank Yelinek (1). Henry Sr. was a former NASCAR racer during the golden years of the sport and owned his own mechanics shop in Richmond, VA. (2)

Early career edit

During her college years, Sandy majored in Mass Communications at VCU and had taken an interest in photography. As part of her course, Sandy was invited to assist in taking magazine shots (uncredited) of professional wrestlers during their televised and "off-camera" matches (commonly known as "dark matches"). This allowed her to meet and work closely with several of the headline talents of such organizations as the NWA, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, and other associations in the various arenas on the media circuit. In 1984, Sandy moved to New York, NY to pursue an accounting career and worked at companies such as Douglas Elliman, Gibbons, and Ives, as well as Young And Rubicam. In New York, Sandy at times went to Madison Square Gardens for WWF, and attended the very first Wrestlemania. Casual acquaintances allowed her to become a handler for the wrestlers in travel and accommodations, in such a degree that she was treated as part of the wrestling family and gained background knowledge of the sport and its participants. Sandy moved from New York to Baltimore, MD sometime in 1987 to pursue other careers.

GLOW Wrestling edit

Sandy, her former boyfriend at the time, and a girlfriend were watching an episode of G.L.O.W. in its second season, and an ad for female wrestling talent was shown. Sandy's friend decided she wanted to try out for the series, so she, Sandy, and her boyfriend made the journey from Baltimore, MD to Commerce, GA in 1987 for the show. They arrived at a late hour and nearly missed the event, but met with the director Matt Cimber and writer Steve Blance. With frayed nerves, Matt Cimber brushed off her friend, and Sandy reacted with aggressive stature and an obscene gesture. The director was so impressed with her spirit that he hired her almost immediately.

Gremlina and Daisy edit

Sandy was trained by Colonel Ninotchka and worked alongside such girls as Roxy Astor, MTV, Sunny the California Girl, Jailbait, Dementia (II), Cprl. Kelly (II), Mt. Fiji, Liberty and Justice, The Farmer's Daughters, and Hollywood. Sandy, now GREMLINA, was given the title of manager and paired with one of the tallest girls in the series, the 6ft. 2in. Daisy. Gremlina would lead her charge out to the ring for matches and employ her for muscle during the fights, often screaming at the top of her lungs to yell out commands. Gremlina's appearance was fashioned similarly to the popular movie Gremlins, with a snake-skin one-piece leotard, a black cover one-piece on top, and white hair with a black stripe (with hair designed by Tracee Meltzer - Roxy Astor). Her hair was trailed behind her down to the floor before it was decided that it would be too awkward, and dangerous, to trip over.

Gremlina and Daisy toured with the G.L.O.W. show until family situations, along with a knee injury, forced Sandy to leave the show in 1988. (3) Sandy eventually found her way back home to Richmond sometime in 1992.

Marriage and life after GLOW edit

Years after G.L.O.W. was in syndication, Sandy met and married her second husband, Robert Allen Manley, while working as a fiscal technician for VDOT. (4) (Citation for first husband omitted) While in her hometown, Sandy had a life-threatening experience with Hurricane Gaston (5)(downgraded to Tropical Storm), when parts of Richmond were flooded. Sandy had her vehicle swept off a back road into a swamp during a heavy surge, but was rescued by local police before the current pulled her under. Her story and other stories like hers were documented and aired on the popular TV shows Storm Stories and ABC Prime Time. Another brush with dangerous weather involved her and her husband nearly being trapped in their house when a large tree snapped in high winds and fell on the roof. The high back porch caught most of the weight of the tree and kept it from flattening the house down to the foundations.

Years later, Sandy's husband posted a request on Youtube and other social media about his curiousity for videos of Gremlina's wrestling matches, and Daisy, who lives in California, reached out to her. Seeing that there was still an interest and an established following of the original G.L.O.W. series, Sandy reconnected with many of her GLOW sisters and started reaching out to TV and science fiction conventions. Today, Gremlina enjoys meeting and engaging with her fanbase, and has also been active in the indie-wrestling group VCW (6) (Vanguard Championship Wrestling) headed by Travis Bradshaw. As a sidenote, her husband Allen has taken up the additional role as Security Guard for VCW, as well as personal security, management, and handler for Gremlina's appearances. Gremlina's friend and fan, Brandon Harlow, assists with arranging convention appearances and accommodations as needed.

Documentary and "AfterGLOW" edit

An award-winning documentary about the show, GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, was produced in 2012. Although Gremlina was not featured in the actual filming, several of her pictures as well as a bonus "trashcan match" is featured in the Bonus Materials. The documentary sparked a renewed interest in GLOW and, in 2013, Matt Cimber started working on a new wrestling program called Femme D’Action starring new wrestlers as well as some of the original GLOW wrestlers in different non-wrestling roles. With renewed interest in GLOW, Tracee Meltzer contacted Sandy with ideas about the possible success of an "AfterGLOW Fan Party” (7), where fans could meet and associate with all the girls in attendance. Sandy agreed with her that her concept would be a hit, so Tracee started a Kickstarter campaign and called it AfterGLOW. With fundraising surpassing the $5000 goal, Meltzer's plan was born.

Several of the original wrestlers from GLOW reunited for the first ever Q-&-A stage show called “The AfterGlow Fan Party” on Saturday, October 25, 2014 at the Acme Comedy Theater in Hollywood. (8) Johnny C, the original ring announcer from GLOW emceed the event. The wrestlers in attendance were Daisy (Helena LeCount), Dallas (Debi Pelletier Miller), Godiva (Dawn Maestas), Gremlina (Sandy Manley), Jailbait (Trisha Casella), Little Egypt (Angelina Altashin), Major Tanya (Noelle Rose), Matilda the Hun (Deanna Booher), Melody Trouble Vixen (Eileen O’Hara), Roxy Astor (Tracee Meltzer), and Sunny the California Girl (Patricia Summerland).

After the success of the first AfterGLOW Fan Party, Tracee Meltzer continued with the AfterGLOW brand and has used that platform to bring recognition to the original GLOW brand. As Roxy, she organized AfterGLOW events for fan meet-and-greets as well as set up three successful AfterGlow cruises full of activities. Unlike other fan meet-and-greets, Meltzer has designed events where the fans have an opportunity for one-on-one, individual experiences as opposed to just waiting in line for an autograph and pictures. As Gremlina, Sandy attended all of the cruises to visit her friends and fanbase, and has supported Tracee in every way possible. (9)

Cauliflower Alley Club edit

As of 2020, Gremlina has attended three Cauliflower Alley Club events in Las Vegas, NV, which honor wrestlers, boxers, and actors in the ring of history as a not-for-profit event. In 2017, all the GLOW Girls were given "The Ring Of Friendship" Award for their contribution to the sport of Women's Wrestling, and becoming the first full group to ever receive the award in total. (10)

Current Life edit

Sandy continues to live in Richmond, VA with her husband, and works with a chemical company in the financial department. She also regularly attends conventions like Rhode Island Comicon and Galaxycon (11) as Gremlina, carrying her signature whip and signing autographs with her fans. Gremlina also continues to work with Roxy Astor and AfterGLOW as needed, helping to keep the brand fresh, enjoyable, and exciting.

Gremlina has been featured in several local publications about her experiences, and has appeared on several radio talkshows and blogs. In addition, she also has a pechant for paranormal and forensic TV series, and often attends events with Raphael Savino of RTL Paranormal (12), and has worked alongside Joe Chin of Ghost Hunters International on hunts before.