Editor’s note: This is a regular feature profiling senior athletes at Bryant High School.
NAME: Levi Brady
PARENTS: Tina and Ritchie Brady
SIBLINGS: I have an older brother, Jacob Brady. He’s 20. And a little sister, Sarah, and a little sister, Naomi, who are 14 and 12, respectively.
FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: My favorite subject that I’m taking now would have to be Physics but that I’ve ever taken, was Human Anatomy. I loved that class.
FAVORITE SPARE TIME ACTIVITY: I really like to read but I’m getting behind in that lately. I’m working through a Robert Frost poem book.
FAVORITE FOOD: Biscuits and gravy, but I cannot have that during wrestling season.[more]
FAVORITE MUSIC ARTIST OR GROUP: My favorite ever would be the Beatles but, currently playing, the Glitch Mob.
FAVORITE MOVIE: The Star Wars trilogy, the original trilogy, not the newer three.
FAVORITE TV SHOW: Bones
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A KID? Those red plastic firemen hats. I used one from when I was about six months old to six years when they made me take it off.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL? Right now, I’m going to UCA, bought and paid for, but if I get into the honors program I’m going to be trying for their physical therapy schools.
OTHER THAN YOUR PARENTS, WHO’S HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE? HOW? Probably my older brother Jacob. It’s not really as much in a competition with him but he set the bar pretty high as what you need to do school and athletic-wise and it’s just gives me something to strive after. I love him to death and he makes me want to do better.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT WRESTLING? It’s an individual sport but you do it for the team. In football and all that, you can screw up and nothing really happens, no real consequences, but in wrestling, when you step on the mat, it is only you and the person beside you. And you are supporting your entire team by how well or how badly you do.
WHAT’S YOUR WEIGHT CLASS? 170.
WHAT’S YOUR APPROACH TO A MATCH? My coach doesn’t really like it but I call it an aggressive defense. I generally wait them out and make them angry on something until they take a bad shot or they set themselves open for a shot from me to take. I’m really trying to assert more shots into that but my general idea is to go six minutes with them and beat them in the third round.
WHAT’S BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT TO THE SEASON SO FAR? The new coaches we’ve got and the new teammates that I’ve had. I legitimately see a program being built and that was what I was looking for in my senior year.
WHAT’S IT GOING TO TAKE FOR THE TEAM TO BE SUCCESSFUL THE REST OF THE SEASON? It’s really just going to take suck it up and put your nose to the grind wheel. It’s not a fun thing to do. You don’t enjoy it when you’re out here. You honestly just want to wrestle but the aspect of being able to just wrestle takes a lot of hard work.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST CONFIDENT IN YOUR ABILITY TO DO? Basic defense; whenever they shoot, I score; whenever they try to switch on bottom, I score; whenever they mount on top, I score — aggressive defense.
WHAT DO YOU WORK HARDEST TO IMPROVE ON IN PRACTICE? Shots. I have not shot for three years and I’ve come up against an opponent that I cannot beat with my defense. He kills me on ground game and I have to shoot.
WHEN YOU’RE THROUGH WRESTLING AT BRYANT HIGH SCHOOL, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL LOOK BACK AND REMEMBER MOST FONDLY ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE? I’ll remember the people the most. There’s seniors last year that just made me laugh every practice. There’s people this year that I had never met before and I consider close friends. But the people, Conner (Goshien), Brad (Blend), Zach (Simmons) that went through it all with me, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget them.
