MacDonald seeking eighth Canadian crown
Jessie MacDonald heads to this weekend’s senior national wrestling championships in Saskatoon gunning for her eighth Canadian title.
That’s an impressive winning percentage considering the 34-year-old St. Catharines resident will be making her 11 appearance at the nationals. But no matter how much things have changed in her wrestling career, a lot has stayed the same.
“I was talking to my mom last night and we were talking about how everybody gets nerves,” the Brock Wrestling Club member said. “In my opinion, if you don’t have nerves, it is because you are not prepared.
“As soon as you care about something and you have invested your time, you have nerves.”
She describes it as fight or flight.
“You can use it to your advantage or it can hold you back and make you crumble,” said the former world champion and two-time world bronze medalist.
She feels that she is at a point in her career where the nerves are an energizing source.
“They are something that motivates me and I recognize that’s what I finally need to get out there, step on the mat and perform.”
MacDonald is the favourite in the 50-kilogram division, but she’s taking nothing for granted.
“Domestic, international, anything, at the end of the day it is two bodies and each opponent wants to win,” she said. “I never take anybody lightly, I go out with a game plan and I execute that game plan.”
The 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medalist is feeling good heading into the tournament.
“I am healthy right now which is key for me,” she said. “We have been working on important technical elements in my matches and I’ve seen high growth in the last couple of months in the areas we have been working on.”
She describes herself as extremely excited.
“It is the beginning of the whole Olympic cycle and I feel ready and I have no regrets heading into these nationals,” MacDonald said. “I am excited to go after it, I’m excited to wrestle my best and just be the best wrestler I can be on Saturday.”
MacDonald wants to win the Canadian title and then go to world championships and qualify her weight class for Canada for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The top six wrestlers in each weight class at the worlds quality their countries for the Olympics.
“I obviously want to be the one that does that,” she said. “I want to get Canada its spot and then (Olympic) trials will be in December in Niagara and I have to win those trials to represent Canada.”
So far in 2019, she has won the Guelph Open and the Dave Schultz Memorial International in Colorado.
Brock head coach Marty Calder describes MacDonald as “solid” after she missed the European tour with a “little tweak.”
He feels she has looked great in the last month.
“All the pressure is on her because there is a gap between her and all the other wrestlers in her weight class, but she needs to be ready and she is.”
Calder doesn’t envision her underestimating any opponent.
“We expect her to go into this weekend and ramp up for the worlds.”
