Fitzpatrick family leads the way as BHS seeks two state titles this weekend
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff writer
For as long as anyone can remember in the Fitzpatrick household, the children have been involved in a myriad of activities.
Jordan, the oldest and now a freshman at Belmont University, danced. Her youngest sister followed in her footsteps, and then took to gymnastics with the middle sister, Jenna.
And Tom and Carrie Fitzpatrick’s only boy, Brody, followed in his father’s footsteps – wrestling. Of course, their own sports didn’t keep the sisters from being his wrestling partners at times. It’s no wonder then why the family’s home in Burlington has welcomed, amongst other things, a wrestling mat and a balance beam (not to mention the family footstools being turned into vaulting platforms).
Now, though, as Brody, Bailey and Jenna have reached high school, they have given their parents a new dilemma – how to properly divide their time.
“I don’t think I’ve ever missed a state meet of theirs,” said Tom.
That streak will be broken Friday and Saturday, as Brody heads to Madison as Burlington High School’s 138-pound wrestler for the Demons in the WIAA Division 1 state team wrestling tournament – and Jenna and Bailey head to Wisconsin Rapids for the WIAA Division 1 state gymnastics meet.
All three athletes are favored to bring home some hardware. The wrestling squad has been riding a hot streak, and should compare favorably with the teams in its half of the bracket. The Burlington/Badger/Wilmot gymnastics team, meanwhile, has been on top of the state rankings all year and has broken the state scoring record three times in the last month.
In short, all three athletes are looking for state titles this weekend.
“I think we’ve got a pretty good shot at winning,” said Brody, whose team will face Holmen in the opening round Friday night at 7 p.m. “We all wrestle hard and go out and try to kick someone’s butt.
“(We) can all beat anyone,” he added. “(If) we all do our part, we’ll win all three duals.”
Jenna and Bailey, meanwhile, will be competing for individual state medals Friday beginning at 5:40 p.m. They will join their teammates Saturday morning at 11 a.m. with a shot at the school’s first-ever state gymnastics team title.
Perhaps the toughest task will be that of their parents, though. Tom – a former state wrestling champion in his own right – will be in Madison with Brody, thanks in large part to being an assistant coach on the BHS wrestling team. Carrie, meanwhile, will try and keep track of the wrestling meet through trackwrestling.com while in Wisconsin Rapids supporting her two daughters.
The family’s text-messaging plan will get a workout, though, as Carrie will try and keep everyone abreast of the situation in Rapids.
“It’s always going to be tough,” Carrie said of having to split the support. “But like they are, we’re going to be focused on where we’re at.”
Tom added, “If I’m not there watching them, I’ll be there in spirit.”
Of course, for the three high schoolers, there’s a little added incentive. If both teams bring home state titles, it’ll be, “Oh, party!” Jenna explained.
And, perhaps, that new family dog, the kids have requested. Tom and Carrie are putting the nix on that idea, though, mainly because the three kids aren’t home enough to take care of a puppy.
But as Jenna Fitzpatrick said, “Winter sports are over now!”
Not quite yet. Not until after the Fitzpatricks take Madison and Rapids by storm this weekend.
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