She’s seen the looks. She’s heard the whispers. She’s answered their questions over and over. Yes, Bailee Flaherty wrestles. In a high school sport dominated by boys, she has worked hard, trained harder, and proved that she belongs there – not because she is female, but because she’s earned it. For the past year, Bailee has devoted her time and energy to being the best wrestler in her weight class for both Lowndes High and the South Georgia Athletic Club’s Devil Dogs.
As a fan of younger brother Ryan, who has wrestled four years, Flaherty began to take an interest in the sport several years ago. When she first asked her parents, Kurt and Kelli Flaherty, if she could wrestle, their response was, “No.” But over time, they realized her interest was genuine, and she began the training process. She took gymnastics from second through sixth grade, and ran track in middle school, both of which would help prepare her for her sport. In March 2013, Flaherty officially made her move into wrestling, first with a regimen of conditioning: running, calisthenics, and endurance and strength training. The next month, she and her parents spoke with Devil Dogs coach Jason Griner, who convinced them to give it a try.
After weeks of practice with her local club, Flaherty competed in two tournaments in Atlanta. Thinking she had not done well, she actually impressed other coaches and wrestlers who thought she had wrestled several years. That experience gave her the confidence to move on to Body Bar, a national free style women’s tournament in Orlando, Florida, where she earned third place.
Entering her freshman year at Lowndes High last August, Flaherty was eager to represent her school on the wrestling team. With 83 students competing for 40 available spots, she knew she had to be at her best. After a week of intense conditioning and wrestle-offs under the guidance of coach Spencer Graybeal, she waited anxiously for the final roster. She had promised herself that if she didn’t make the cut, she would simply work harder. But she did make the team in the 126-pound class, a position she proudly says she earned.
Though there were a few skeptics at first, Flaherty knew that she belonged on the roster. At her second tournament at Kennesaw Mountain, she lost her first match, but secured a win in less than a minute in the second match. In a third match, she found herself working against a 16-6 deficit. Her opponent went to run the half, and the referee was ready to count back points, when all of a sudden she popped her arms out from a take-down, turned the young man over, and stuck him for the pin. This move would prove to be a turning point in her career. At the last high school tournament, Flaherty had a close match with a wrestler from Tifton, who was in the lead. He went to “go shoot” when Flaherty sprawled and landed on top of him, and held him for the last few seconds. With that move, she earned the win, a great finish to her freshman season.
After the high school season, Flaherty traveled to Greenville, South Carolina, in February to compete in the “War of the Roses,“ a national tournament for folk style, girls only competition. In March, she traveled to Mariette for another “War of the Roses” tournament. At both venues, she placed second, excellent finishes considering she had only wrestled free style for four months. In April, Flaherty competed in Oklahoma City in the Girls National Folk Style Tournament as a member of Team Georgia.
Now training in both free style and Greco Roman, Flaherty is looking forward to wrestling at Body Bar in Irving, Texas, and later in Fargo, North Dakota. The Fargo tournament is considered a major event for prospective collegiate and Olympic hopefuls. In the fast growing sport of women’s wrestling, she is working hard to make both of these dreams a reality.
Feature type: Special Features/ Bonus: Special Feature
Athlete: Bailee Flaherty
Head Coaches: Spencer Graybeal, Lowndes High and Jason Griner, Devil Dogs
School Name: Lowndes High School
City, State: Valdosta, Georgia
Byline: Geraldine Herring, Guest Columnist for In the Game
Title: “Making Her Move: Lowndes Wrestler Takes the Mat”
