Feature:

Tai McBride from Jackson is our Featured Wrestler!  She’s a fantastic wrestler and a great person!  She gave very thoughtful and insightful answers.
Tai, I appreciate you doing the interview and wish you the best in the future!!

-Favorite thing about wrestling? 

My favorite aspects of wrestling is the self discipline, the vulnerability of the sport, and all the relationships I’ve made. 

-Favorite past wrestler/coach? 

My favorite past wrestler would have to be Bryce Andonian because he never stops wrestling and every single match is a highlight reel. 

-Goal for wrestling, life, and career? 

While I’m not sure what the future holds for me as a wrestler, it’s my goal to represent the sport in a meaningful way. I hope to be a sports psychologist to assist young athletes reach their full potential.

-If you could teach a younger wrestler one thing, what would it be?

I want every young wrestler to understand that at the end of the day it’s you against yourself. Stop looking at track wrestling profiles because anyone is beatable regardless of their accolades. Have self confidence, eat clean, train hard, and possibilities are endless. 

-Can you tell us how you handled the injury your sophomore year and how that has motivated you the last couple of years?

I was 38-0 for the season and had the first seed heading into state. Accepting that I wouldn’t be able to compete at the inaugural women’s state championship, was nothing short of heartbreaking. I worked so hard for so long, just for everything to be taken away in an instant. Recovery was tedious but it taught me the importance of cherishing every moment on the mat, because you never know when it will be your last time. 

-There are girls that came before you but you are someone that has really helped put girls wrestling on the map in Wyoming. Can you tell us about that and how that has helped to shape you as a wrestler and a person?

Growing up in Jackson Hole, all I’ve ever known is a room full of guys. My family and I spent years traveling across the nation and training with the most elite female athletes in the country, just to understand that I was at a disadvantage living in a small town with very little resources and opportunity. Sooner or later I had to accept that if the sport wouldn’t change, I had to. I shifted my focus to leaving it all out on the mat. I quickly began to catch up to my male opponents and make a name for myself. With that, the wrestling community finally respected me for the athlete I am. My experience has shaped me into the person I am today, because it taught me that nothing in life is given, but earned through hardships and sacrifice. 

GPA: 3.75 

Record: 85-1 (against female opponents) 

Coaches: Ryan Bell, Scotty Shervin, and David Cox.