Some sports are team sports, and some sports are individual sports — wrestling is a little bit of both.
When a wrestler is training, they rely on their teammates as training partners. Typically, one doesn’t think of training as part of the sport, but in wrestling, athletes work at the same level and intensity in training sessions as they would in a competition.
In order to ensure that every member of the team is ready to compete, each athlete relies on their teammates to elevate their technique and expand their versatility. One member of SFU’s women’s wrestling team, who has become an essential member both in training sessions and in competitions, is 155 lb senior Bailley Halvorson from Thunder Bay, ON.
However, her experience is not limited to the mats. She has also shown resilience in the face of injury, and knows the pain of having to sit by and watch her team compete without her.
During her second competition in the 2013/14 season, Bailley tore her ACL, with minor tears in her MCL and meniscus.Her injuries required surgery, which took her senior season away from her, and left her uncertain as to whether she would ever compete for SFU again.
“After not being able to compete last season, I was devastated because I didn’t know if I was going to be able to obtain a medical redshirt,” she explained, noting that redshirt status would allow her to play in her fifth year. “[However], I ended up getting it, and since then have felt more motivated than I ever have.”
Teammates — both past and present — have expressed excitement in seeing the elevation in Bailley’s performance since returning from knee surgery. However, it is not only her teammates who have noticed a change in her wrestling; Bailey has also noticed a difference since returning to the mats.
“Since returning from my knee surgery, I have felt more motivated than in previous years,” she said.
Being a redshirt senior this year, Bailey discussed her feelings about being one of the captains and leaders of the team: “As a senior I knew I would have to take on more of a leadership role, especially at tournaments [. . .] initially I wasn’t too excited about it, but after our first competition, I really enjoyed my role as one of the captains.”
Now entering her fifth and final year as a university competitor, Bailey recalls her last year of high school and what drew her to SFU. “I remember coming to SFU for my senior high school nationals [in 2010], and getting to see the campus and meet the team.” She continued, “My high-school coach had also gone to SFU, and highly recommended it.”
When Bailley made the decision to attend SFU, she was also deciding to move away from home — over 2,400 km away. Initially she felt nervous, but she quickly found a new home with her teammates.
“We have always had such a friendly and supportive team and coaching staff, which made it very easy for me to adjust even though I was so far away from home.”
Bailley’s teammates have also helped her develop as an athlete, acting not only as friends and teammates, but as teachers.
“I have learned so much from not only the coaches, but also my teammates,” she explains. “Although you are competing against one another in competitions, on the mats you work as a team to help improve one another’s technique and skills. [. . .] Even though we may inevitably wrestle one another in the future, you can rely on your teammates to critique and elevate your wrestling.”
Looking back at how far she has come, Bailley recalls her decision to continue with wrestling after high school, noting that it wasn’t her first sport.
“It’s kind of funny, I swam my entire life, and both of my parents were swimmers,” Bailey explains. “However, I was really slow and enjoyed the dry-land training [. . .] so that, and seeing the SFU campus eventually helped me make my decision to continue wrestling.”
In the end, Bailley reiterated how the individual-team dynamic of wrestling suits her: “I love being in an individual sport because you inevitably control your result; you control how hard you train and whether or not you leave it all on the mat. [On the other hand], as a team — especially in duals — you get to cheer on one another, and want the best for your teammates both on and off the mat.”
FUN FACT:
FAVOURITE PRE-GAME BEVERAGE:
Bailley admits that before every tournament she drinks grape Kool-Aid. Any reason? No, she just likes grape Kool-Aid.
