#TeamUSATuesday: Women's Freestyle National Team member Amy Fearnside

Amy Fearnside is the current No. 3 at 50 kg on the Women’s Freestyle National Team. This is her second time making the National Team. Amy took some time out of her training to answer a couple questions for us. 
What is your favorite movie?
The Man in the Iron Mask
Who is your favorite musical artist?
My cousin Caitlin Sierra, check out her Spotify! I also like Philip Wesley; he’s a pianist.
What is your favorite food?
My homemade protein ice cream. I can make any flavor I want, mint chocolate chip, cookie dough, chocolate chunk... I have a machine in my room that makes it. Inside the center, I mix the ingredients together myself and pour them in, adding the protein power.
What is your favorite sport to watch other than wrestling?
Hockey. I think that’s a really fun one to watch. My favorite team is the (San Jose) Sharks because of where I was born.
Did you play any other sports growing up?
I tried almost all of them. I did volleyball, flag football, fastpitch softball, gymnastics, ballet and swimming.
Who is your favorite wrestler to watch either past or present?
I always liked watching BJ Futrell. He was very powerful and never stopped wrestling. He kind of reminded me of the energizer bunny.
What are some of your other hobbies off of the mat?
Rock climbing, coffee shop hopping, writing, and playing the piano. I started playing at nine but stopped when I was eleven. I started again when I was in high school, around 15 years old.
What is your biggest fear?
The fear of the Lord.
Do you have any plans once your wrestling career is over?
I would jump into port ministry and/or competitive rowing, or pursue a career in radiology. I was a radiology and exercise science major, so I’d be working in the medical field probably.
How did you first get involved in wrestling?
I used to think it was an accident, but it was meant to happen. I stumbled across it when I was trying to convince a friend to join the team my sophomore year of high school because he wouldn’t stop talking about it for a week. I got fed up and took him into the wrestling room to push him through the door, but I ended up staying because he didn’t have a partner his size.
I didn’t know anything. The team captain tried to hand fight with me really hard to see if I would quit maybe, or maybe he was trying to set the standard or get me to ask whether or not this was for me. I ended up throwing him on accident, and it was that “aha” moment. This was for me. I really liked it, and it gave me a sense that I can protect myself. I felt really empowered and loved it. I stumbled across it, but I fell in love with it.
When did you start wrestling freestyle?
I started doing freestyle when I entered college at the University of Jamestown when I was 18.
Was it a tough transition?
It felt like I was being rewired entirely. I was ok with that because I wanted to wrestle so bad. There is a point where you start to like it more. I liked folkstyle for the longest time. It took me three years until I was like no freestyle is the way to go.
Your weight class (50 kg) is an Olympic weight class. Do you think this gives you an advantage over athletes who are changing weights this year for the Olympic Games?
Yes and no. I think there’s pros and cons to both to be honest. Either you have video footage from the weight class or you have to study footage for a whole new weight class. If you can get comfortable with the weight cut, it can be an advantage. Honestly, it’s all about adapting.


How is an Olympic year different from a normal year?
It only feels like a special year, but the work that I’ve put in for this Olympic year started two years ago. I didn’t start after Worlds this year. A lot of people are ramping it up, but I made a new standard of normal a long time ago. I’m just staying the course that I’m on. The only difference is that there’s more tension in the room, but that’s normal. It’s still fun to be around my teammates and laugh and joke with them and let off steam and be silly. I still enjoy them as my friends, but there is an understanding that we all have dreams on the line, and we’re all going to fight for them. I intend to fight for mine.
You were Jacarra Winchester’s training partner at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Jacarra ended up taking gold. What was that experience like?
My job at the time was to serve and support her the best way I knew how. I served her in a way that I would want to be served one day when it’s my turn. It was cool going through that process with her. I remember I lost my mind when she won. Not because I was surprised, but because my prayers were being answered before my eyes. It was finally time to celebrate years of work…
Being in Nur-Sultan, supporting Jacarra was a vicarious moment for me because I got to watch her go through it and know that she’s my partner, and I’m not far from reaching those goals either. Jacarra was a World champion before the medal, and after the medal, she was still Jacarra. We both agreed that a gold medal was a wonderful thing as long as it doesn’t become the only thing
You wrestled in the Bill Farrell International a couple weeks ago. You had a couple tough matches and took two criteria losses (5-5 and 7-7). What were your takeaways from that tournament?
I have never felt so good at a tournament before physically. I was ready. The weight cut went so well. The warm up went so well. Everything was perfect. I think the thing that would have made the difference was really opening up and giving myself permission to win.
I need to expect more from myself and not expect things to be so close. I thought about that a long time, and I realized the best me has yet to be shown. I know it’s in there because I’ve seen it before. I just really need to open up and allow myself to be my best.
What was the best advice you’ve received in your career?
You reap what you sow. I ask myself what I’m looking to harvest later on and what will I do today to gather that. It’s not just knowing that reaping yields fruit, it’s applying that in the back room and making it happen with the expectation that there will be a time when I’m reaping that harvest.


What advice would you give to a younger wrestler?
Have fun. They say the happiest wrestler is the one that wins, but whether the outcome happened the way you wanted to or not, you still had to go through what you had to go through anyways, so you might as well enjoy it. I want them to focus on the joy of the sport, the problem solving and the character building. If you’re not happy, it’s not going to help you learn.
What motivates you during a tough training session?
I go through hard practices all the time, but the really hard ones that make your lungs feel like they’re exploding and your head is spinning and there’s chaos all around you when you’re exhausted and your legs are burning and maybe your injuries are straining, I have to look at it like this is my new standard of normal. There’s some calm in the middle of that chaos that I’m going to live in, and I’m going to press into that peace inside that keeps me calm.
I just understand that there’s a refinery process that has to happen, and in life I have to go through things that I can’t avoid. It makes it a lot easier when I change my perspective. Gratitude has really changed my lens. It leaves no room for complaining because it’s impossible to do both simultaneously. I think it can be summed up with Hebrews 12:2.
What is your best wrestling memory to date?
The first thing that comes to my mind is seeing my teammates on the turf outside, dancing behind the strength and conditioning coach. They were all being so dorky. Six of them all at once dancing behind the couch when he’s not looking. My girls do that all the time; they’re always singing. I look forward to seeing them all the time. I wasted money on a Netflix subscription because they’re more fun to watch than anything.
The Fearnside File
Birthday: March 24, 1994
Hometown: Morgan Hill, Calif,
High school: Live Oak
College: University of Jamestown
Residence: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Club: Titan Mercury WC
Twitter: @afearnsi
Instagram: @afearnsi
• 2019 Poland Open champion
• 2019 Canada Cup champion and Outstanding Wrestler
• Runner-up at the 2019 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament
• Fifth at 2017 U23 World Championships
• 2014 World University Championships silver medalist
• Four-time WCWA All-American