Cody Thorn
What was supposed to be a big trip this summer for Hailey Delgado never happened.
The El Paso Eastwood freshman was set to attend the U17 World Championships earlier this month but a combination of factors meant it didn’t happen.
She wasn’t alone though. Six other girls and coaches on the USA team didn’t attend the event either.
“It was pretty tough for a couple of days but after taking it through with my parents it was a better option concerning the safety,” Delgado said. “I realized it was the right decision.”
The biggest reason was the proverbial rather be safe than sorry.
The event, which ran from Aug. 19-25, came during a time of strife between Israel and Iran and there we threats of an attack.
Different governments even issued a travel advisory to Jordan due to the threat of terrorism, civil unrest and demonstrations.
Her dad, Tony Delgado, said they had flights planned to attend but it was canceled due to Iran missile attacks. When air space opened up, only Jordanian Airlines was flying into Jordan.
The Delgados had secured a flight there but were on a standby list for a flight out.
“We basically had 12 hours to decide but the news did not sound good last Thursday with all reports saying Iran would attack at any moment so erred on the side of caution,” he said.
With that tournament aside, it has been a successful summer for Delgado.
Since April, she’s placed first in six tournaments, winning the Greco and Freestyle title at the Texas USA Wrestling finals in 16U in May. She took first in I17 in the Women’s National Championships in Spokane in April.
In June, she attended the U17 Pan-American Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, taking second place.
She also worked in two camps at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“It was a good summer; a lot of training and a lot of working hard,” she said.
Now with high school underway, she’s doing morning practice and morning lifts for the Troopers. She’s slated to be Eastwood’s 100-pound wrestler this winter and obviously an early favorite to win a state title.
Before she takes the mat for the Troopers, she has a few more tournaments she will attend.
She will take part in the 12th annual Who’s #1 at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown starting on September 29.. Then Delgado will take part in the Super 32 Challenge in October in Greensboro, North Carolina.
