Each spring , we get a few calls from parents asking if we allow girls to attend our Intensive Camps . “ Of course ,” we answer , “ it ’ s just that your daughter may be the only one .” Typically , we host one or two girls at each Intensive Camp , which is the kind of ratio that doesn ’ t even merit the word “ minority .” High school freshmen at our camps are a minority — these girls are completely on their own , surrounded by hundreds of alpha-male type adolescent boys day in and day out . That they make it through camp is a testament to each of them — to their dedication and passion for the sport — despite being so outnumbered and lacking the gender-centric social support system that the boys depend on . In a sport that ’ s still heavily male-dominant , surviving the most difficult wrestling camp in the country is the ultimate Q . E . D . for many of them — proof that they can not only beat girls , but that they can compete with the boys as well . As you might expect , many of the girls that do decide to attend our Intensive Camps are good … really good . In each of the last two years , one of our female Intensive Camp graduates has gone on to wrestle as part of Team USA at the Cadet World Championships — Alex Liles , a 2014 graduate of our 28-Day Intensive Camp wrestled in Sarajevo , Bosnia , last summer , and Macey Kilty , a 2015 graduate of our Iowa Intensive Camp , competed and won the bronze medal this summer in Tbilisi , the capital of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia . Both of these accomplished girls have Olympic aspirations for 2020 or 2024 , and we would love nothing more than to see them competing
Kilty works on a roll-through tilt during a technique session at the 2015 Iowa Intensive Camp .
on the world ’ s biggest stage . This story will focus on Macey Kilty , one of the most fearsome competitors we ’ ve seen in recent years at our camps .
At our Iowa Intensive Camp in June of 2015 , we became acquainted with Kilty , who at the time was a 13 year-old incoming freshman — yep , you read that right — at Stratford High School in Stratford , Wisconsin . Though successful in middle school wrestling — she went unbeaten as an 8th grader — she was still a relative unknown in the wrestling world coming into our camp . Despite her small stature , it didn ’ t take long for us to discover that she was a giant on the mat . Each practice , she sparred whenever she could with the top wrestlers in her group — in group 1 , that meant she usually ended up with Iowa state champion Brock Henderson ( remember him ? If not , flip back to page 11 ) or the group ’ s eventual Black Hat winner , Cael Carlson , a 2016 state runner-up from Willmar High School in Minnesota . J Robinson Camps Executive Director Ty Eustice , who at the time was the Director of Wrestling Operations , has talked about seeing Carlson visibly frustrated by having to deal with Kilty ’ s relentless style . Henderson told me during our conversation that training with Kilty was more physically and mentally draining than with any other wrestler at camp . “ I knew I was there for 10 days , and even though some guys were saying that an easy way to get a positive was to wrestle against easier kids , I knew I wouldn ’ t get anything out of camp that way , so I tried to wrestle the best kids that I could ,” Kilty said . Eustice also recalled that during the last hard practice of camp , a wrestler from another group rolled up on her ankle from behind , causing it to bend in a unnatural direction . She had to be carried to the trainer ’ s table , and there was serious concern that it might be a severe injury . Though she thankfully avoided structural damage , she was in intense pain . But she found the courage to finish the practice and celebrate with the rest of camp .
Now 15 , Macey ’ s passion for wrestling began at an early age around the time