One of Sam Barlow’s many athletically gifted and skilled wrestlers is Taylor Ward, a freshman at Barlow who has already held a considerable role in bringing attention to the wrestling community. One of the things that makes her stand out is her consistent performance on the mat; she has a well-developed style that matches perfectly with her mentally and physically. This year, she went to nationals, placing 6th at nationals for 15u girls (girls under 15 years old and older than 14).
When asked how Ward feels about her performance at nationals, she responded with “I think I wrestled well, I ended up wrestling nine matches that day, and won five in a row in the backside of the bracket which is very hard especially in the backside of the bracket,” in other words, her specific bracket layout ended up being a pass through the first round due to no opponent which sent her into the second round of the bracket and ended up winning.
Her third round, however, ended up being her first loss to the athlete who won nationals. She then said that five matches on the backside of the bracket, the last win on that side was a blood rounds match. A blood rounds match is the match that decides whether or not you place; it’s the match with the most pressure that demands the most grit and determination to get through.
When asked about her thoughts on the wrestling community here at Barlow, she responded, “I feel the Barlow community is a great community where all of the athletes are included and respected, and all the coaches are supportive and there for their athletes throughout life and wrestling.” She shows that she loves and cares for the sport that runs far deeper than getting her hand raised; she loves the family and the friends just as much as she likes the feeling of raising her hands.
