she was in kindergarten . Her younger brother went out for wrestling before she did , but after watching him at a practice one night , she asked her dad Pat if she could try it too . Pat , reluctant at first , finally relented , as parents of pesky , persistent young ones tend to do . From the start , she overflowed with natural talent , picking up technique easily and
ALREADY PHYSICALLY AND TECHNICALLY DOMINANT , KILTY ’ S PERFECTIONISM , AND HER DESIRE TO FURTHER MATURE HER PHYSICAL AND MENTAL APPROACH DOES NOT BODE WELL FOR FUTURE OPPONENTS .
quickly gaining an understanding that she was just tougher than any of her opponents . That self-assuredness has had a positive impact on the mental aspect of her wrestling career as well . She wins not just by working her opponents to the point of physical exhaustion during the match , but also by focusing on beating her opponent mentally before the match even begins . “ I believe in my training and I work really hard ,” she says . “ Not a lot of people that wrestle do the same thing as me . No one works as hard as me or trains as intensely . If I can go through that , I can beat anyone when I step on the mat .” She has also been able to draw on her experiences from the JROB camp to help her get through the intense physical workouts she goes through as part of her continuing Team USA training . “ When I go to practice now , it ’ s not as hard . The JROB practices are the hardest I ’ ve ever been to , so now I have a great mindset going into practices , and I know I can go 100 % the whole time .”
Much of Macey ’ s personal philosophy — her intensity , focus , and physicality — is influenced by her coach , three-time Olympian and 1996 Greco-Roman silver medalist Dennis Hall , who now trains young wrestlers out of his gym in Stevens Point , Wisconsin , 40 miles southeast of Kilty ’ s hometown of Stratford . In his day , Hall was known for his relentless attacking style and for physically willing himself to victory over opponents . Watching Kilty wrestle , it becomes clear that he has built , or at least honed , those same types of traits in her . Hall ’ s extensive experience on the international stage also allows him to connect with wrestlers like Kilty who have those same lofty aspirations . As part of her Team USA training , Kilty also finds time to work with Kevin Black , a former standout wrestler at the University of Wisconsin who now coaches at River Falls High School in Wisconsin while moonlighting as a Team USA Women ’ s Olympic Coach , as well as the main training coach for Kilty ’ s wrestling idol , 2016 Gold Medalist Helen Maroulis . Kilty sees a lot of Maroulis ’ influence in her own style . “ We ’ re kind of wired the same way , I think . We both train really hard physically , but also spend a lot of time on the mental side of the sport ,” Kilty says . After talking with Macey , it becomes clear that she values the mental side of the sport even more than the physical . Superior athletes are able to rely on their natural gifts to succeed without having to sharpen their physical and mental approach to their sport . Already physically and technically dominant , Kilty ’ s perfectionism , and her desire to further mature her physical and mental approach does not bode well for future opponents .
In addition to her work with Hall and Black , Kilty trains in a physical development program called Spike , which is a core workout system that helps develop fast-twitch muscles , foot speed , and hand-eye precision . The system is a key component in the training of two-time U . S . Olympian Ben Provisor , himself a native of Stevens Point . Another goal of this training is to help her improve her ambidexterity . A righthand dominant wrestler , she has at times struggled to be effective when initiating offense with her left hand . Kilty also travels to Stevens Point Area High School to practice with senior wrestlers Brady and Dylan Koontz , both 2016 Wisconsin state champions . Finally , she likes to drill with Stratford teammate Jeremy Schoenherr , a two-time state champion , 2015 JROB Black Hat winner , and the person who convinced Macey to attend our camp . “ He really motivated me to go to the camp ,” Kilty said . “ He ’ s a lot bigger than me , so live wrestling is hard , but I like to drill with him and we learn from each other .” This season , however , Kilty won ’ t be joining Schoenherr on the mat for Stratford . Instead , she will skip the high school season in order to continue her Team USA training . In order to pursue her goal , she has come to an arrangement with Stratford High School allowing her to complete the majority of her coursework online . Most days , Kilty gets in a morning cardio workout before heading to the high school — she still goes to the building to provide some structure to her educational schedule — to do her online classes and attend one or two elective classes with other students in the early afternoon .
One group of people who aren ’ t disappointed to see her forgo this high school wrestling season are her would-be competitors at 106 across the state . In February of 2016 , she became only the second female in the history of the state of Wisconsin to advance to the finals of the WIAA State Tournament . The only female competitor in the field , Kilty was under a microscope from the outset , with cameras from news stations from every corner of the state fixed on her
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