Haylee Weatherspoon, a senior from Eagle Rock high school, competed in the Olympic Trials for flag football, according to her coach Julie Wilkins. She competed from March 20–23 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wilkins said. Weatherspoon’s moment in the spotlight at the Olympic Trials is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication as an athlete, and Wilkins said this is only the beginning. Wilkins said she has coached Weatherspoon for four years of basketball and two seasons of flag football, and she is impressed but not at all surprised by Weatherspoon’s success.
“I knew her speed and agility and her tenaciousness,” Wilkins said. “When we started playing flag football, I was like, ‘Oh, this is Haylee, this is her world.’ She’s her best motivator, you don’t have to motivate her, she will figure it out on her own. She’s that kind of player.”
Wilkins said she was approached about starting a flag football team at Eagle Rock High School in the Spring of 2023. Initially hesitant, Wilkins said she eventually decided that if anyone was going to start the program, it should be a woman who knows what being a female athlete is like. According to Wilkins, when the time came to recruit athletes for flag football, girls from the basketball team were excited to join. Weatherspoon was one of the recruits and has had a positive impact as a leader and mentor to younger athletes on the team, Wilkins said.
“We’re coming from a small school — we don’t get to recruit kids. We’re not a private school, we’re a community school and for Haylee to make it this far — she inspires everybody,” Wilkins said. “People see that, they see her work ethic, they see that even if she’s this good, she’s very humble. You will never hear her say she’s the best — she is a role model.”
As student athletes, Wilkins said the girls on the flag football team have to stay committed to training and must be comfortable with giving up holiday breaks and much of the summer for training. According to her, in order to be a successful football player, athletes have to be willing to improve their footwork, catching, ability to score and overall fitness. Weatherspoon has always been dedicated to doing that, Wilkins said.
Weatherspoon said playing flag football is an activity that she is passionate about and that it is a perfect outlet for her competitive side.
“Playing sports gives me something to do and is what I look forward to all the time,” Weatherspoon said. “It’s fun to play with all different levels and see everybody working hard. We all have the same goal and having fun as well as working hard on our team is really important.”
According to Weatherspoon, the Olympic Trials were an educational experience for her as an athlete aspiring to play professionally. At the trials, Weatherspoon was one of the youngest athletes and competed amongst people who were in their 20s, 30s and even 40s, according to Weatherspoon.
“It was a good experience. I was glad to learn from all the top talent around the country; a lot of them play for all-women’s leagues,” Weatherspoon said. “I don’t play for all women’s, so it was definitely nerve-wracking — everybody knew each other already — but it was a good experience to meet new people and new talent and see the competition, the best in the country.”
Weatherspoon said she started playing sports around 3 years old, mostly participating in basketball, gymnastics and a boys’ flag football team that practiced in a park. After playing flag football competitively in high school for only two seasons, the rapid success has been a whirlwind, Weatherspoon said.
“I think after I started going to flag football camps and winning titles like MVP, I realized this is bigger than just me. I’ve got a lot of opportunities to represent places,” Weatherspoon said. “This has opened a lot of doors for me because of how fast it’s growing. It’s definitely fun to be a part of.”
According to Weatherspoon’s parents, Barry and Maria Weatherspoon, raising their daughter and witnessing her athletic success is the highlight of each week.
“We wanted to set up Haylee and her brother when they were young to pick the sport they liked, so we would put them in every sport,” Barry Weatherspoon said. “When your kid is young, it doesn’t necessarily mean your kid is a three-sport athlete, because at the park every two months there’s a different sport.”
Starting from a young age, both Weatherspoon and her brother gained a passion for flag football, and Weatherspoon learned to play with the boys, Barry Weatherspoon said. According to Maria Weatherspoon, getting her daughter involved in sports was important for encouraging her to stay out of trouble and find a passion.
“I believe we both have taught her that being a good loser and winner is important,” Maria Weatherspoon said. “Enhancing her ability to have good sportsmanship will help her in life and as an athlete.”
Both Barry and Maria Weatherspoon are excited to see their daughter excel to this level and look forward to watching her as an athlete in years to come, they said.
“We’re just so proud and happy that she has the ability and the mindset that can take her however far she wants to go,” Maria Weatherspoon said.
Contact Olivia Correia at ocorreia@oxy.edu
