Ocean City’s Flynn turned in one of best track careers in Cape-Atlantic League history

By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher When Bridget Flynn entered Holy Spirit High School as a freshman, she had no idea how her athletic career would turn out. She didn’t have a long list of goals she wanted to achieve. The Margate resident just knew she liked to run, and figured she would go out for the Spartans’ cross country team. Little did she know at the time that the passion she had for simply lacing up the running shoes and hitting the streets, beach or boardwalk, something that came naturally to her, would set the foundation for the rest of her life. Four years later, and having finished her career at Ocean City High School after transferring as a junior as part of the school choice program, Flynn has left her mark as one of the best distance runners in Cape-Atlantic League history. And, more importantly, her track career acted as a springboard to an Ivy League education, as she will head to New Hampshire at the end of August to begin her college track days at Dartmouth University. Ocean City girls track coach K.C. Greene still marvels at what Flynn was able to accomplish during her high school career. She went undefeated in the 800 meters and 1,600 meters during her entire CAL track career. That means not only dual meets, but she also was the overall league champion in both events, all four years. “She’s kind of a shy kid, so she doesn’t really like to talk much or be interviewed much. But she had a phenomenal career. For four years she never lost an 800- or 1,600-meter race,” Greene said. “She’s very passionate about the sport and she’s very determined. I think, in her mind, she hates to lose even more than she loves to win. And she doesn’t lose that often, for that reason. She practices hard. To be good at running it pretty much has to be your life. You have to think about it 24/7 and train your body toward that one race that might only happen once or twice a week, and she does that.” Having Bridget Flynn as the anchor runner helped make Ocean City one of the best relay teams in the state for the past two years. (Photos by Ben Hale/Benjamin Hale Photography) “I didn’t really realize it was happening until my senior year, that I had never lost a race in the league,” Flynn said. “Winning states with my 4×8 team this year was really fun, and winning sectionals in cross country was fun because that was a goal we had set as a team.” Team concept That’s the thing about Flynn. In sports such as cross country and track, which cater so much to the individual, Flynn drew the most pleasure from being able to win with her teammates. She is one of the more shy athletes on the track and cross country teams, and rarely shows emotion when she wins races. “In an individual event, I get more nervous because there is more focus on me as an individual. Relays are more fun, and being an anchor I get to watch my teammates run first, and if they run well it really motivates me to run my fastest to win the race for them,” Flynn said. “She’s always positive about everything and never says a discouraging word even when others don’t do as well as they wanted. She is quiet, though, so she doesn’t really say a lot. But she’s fun to be around and be on a team with,” said classmate and relay teammate Cierra Granger. “I think she definitely understands how great her high school career was, but at the same time she’s very humble and isn’t the type of person to feed into the hype and get a big head because of her talents. However, I know she is thankful for everything she has, and never complains. She’s not one to brag even when she wins titles. She always remains humble, which I admire because most people would be the opposite.” As dominant as Flynn was in the individual events (consecutive Cape May County and South Jersey Group 3 titles in the 800 and 1,600, and Cape-Atlantic League champion all four years in both events), she really shined in the relay events along with Granger and juniors Devon Grisbaum and Rachel Stremme. That quartet broke the county record in the 4×4, won distance, sprint and 4×8 relays at the Woodbury Relays this season, and won the South Jersey and Group 3 titles while establishing school and meet records. Granger said what made that relay team so successful was the chemistry they were able to cultivate from being together as a group for the past two years. “It was great to know that she had the ability to make up ground or close the gap if we needed it, but at the same time, we all had to pull our weight because we wouldn’t want to put that pressure on her. If we didn’t get off to a good start or one of us had a bad race she wouldn’t get mad, she just rolled with the punches,” Granger said. “It was definitely helpful for all of us to have each other. I know that I, personally, benefitted from being a part of the team and I think we all kind of fed off each other’s good energy and success. “It feels good knowing that, ultimately, we were more than teammates, we were more like family. It was good having a teammate who was so successful, but even as she was more successful than I was, she valued me as someone who contributed to her success. We all had a very special chemistry.” Bad form As successful as Flynn was during her high school career, ironically she has what her coach describes as terrible form. She doesn’t have that smooth, effortless stride that a lot of great distance runners have. Her elbows jut out as she runs and at times she looks as though her body isn’t doing what she’s telling it to do. But, as Greene said, you don’t go trying to fix something that isn’t broken. “A lot of running isn’t so much athletic ability as it is mental fortitude. You have to be able to mentally push yourself through these various thresholds of pain. If you were to look at Bridget and didn’t know who she was you might think maybe she’s not the greatest runner in the world,” Greene said. “I’ve told her this a thousand times over the past two years that she’s one of the ugliest runners I’ve ever seen. I expected to get some kind of call from the coach (at Dartmouth) wondering why I never did anything about this. “But I got to the point where I had to tell myself, whatever she’s doing, it’s working for her and if I were to change her form it might not work as well. So I got to the point where I just left it alone.” Flynn admits she has an odd running form, but it worked for her. During her four-year high school track career she went unbeaten in the Cape-Atlantic League in both the 800 and 1,600 meters. “I’ll see what my college coach does with that since my form is so bad. My arms fly everywhere,” Flynn said. “I really don’t notice it, but when I watch it on video it looks terrible. Every time I try to run normally it doesn’t feel comfortable.” More than a runner What separates Flynn from a lot of other high school athletes is not only her dedication to her sport, but also her ambition in the classroom. She finished with a 4.2 grade-point average (4.0 is straight As, anything higher means straight As in honors classes) and put together an academic resume that was good enough to get her into the Ivy League. “It’s very impressive that she was able to go undefeated at CAL events all four years, and in two events, that’s kind of unheard of and it’s awesome. Also, her ability to juggle her three-season running career while being a distinguished honors student is just amazing,” Granger said. “It shows that she is very disciplined and dedicated to everything that she does and that’s a wonderful way to live life
. “She also comes from a great family who supports her through everything. They are at every meet, cheering not only Bridget, but the entire team. It’s really special when you get to be around people like that.” Flynn said that the devotion it takes to become a top-notch runner instilled in her the discipline it takes to also be an honors student. “It was tough to balance it all during the year, but I think it was worth it. You definitely have to get used to it. I would be up at 5:30 every morning doing homework. You definitely have to balance it and do homework on the bus and stuff like that,” Flynn said. “I think (sports and academics) are related. You have to be very self-motivated to get all the running and the schoolwork done. It takes a certain type of person to be able to balance all of that. My parents didn’t really push me that hard to get it all done, I guess that’s just my personality.” She had considered such schools as Boston College, Penn State, William & Mary and Cornell before settling on Dartmouth. Greene said he thinks the small-college atmosphere will suit Flynn well. “I thought that was an excellent choice for her. Academically it’s an excellent college, but it’s not too big of a college that she’ll feel lost,” Greene said. “The team structure is smaller and because of that she’ll get more individual attention than if she went to a big Division I school. They have a very successful women’s program and I think she’ll do very well there.” Leaving a legacy It may be a long time before anyone does what Flynn did the past four years in the Cape-Atlantic League, and her four straight league titles in two events will be her crowning achievement. “She doesn’t show a lot of emotion, but that was a goal she set when she was a freshman. And for a young kid to maintain pursuit of a goal like that for so long, and to finally achieve it, that was phenomenal,” Greene said. “I don’t know if anybody has ever done that in any event, to never lose even in a dual meet for the span of four years. I’ve been coaching at Ocean City for 20 years and I don’t ever remember anybody having that kind of a record for all four years.” Flynn said getting the two races out of the way at the league championships at Egg Harbor Township High School was more a relief than anything else, a burden that was finally lifted off her shoulders. “I wasn’t really nervous for it because I was pretty confident that I could do it. I guess just getting it over with was a relief because it was something I was thinking about,” Flynn said. Having had some time to reflect on her high school career, Flynn said she is beginning to understand just what it will mean for her as she begins to write the next chapters of her life. “I’ve been really lucky. Without running I wouldn’t have the Ivy League education,” Flynn said. “Running has been much more than just races for me. “I’m a little sad, but I’m excited for next year and the next stage of my life.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]