Another Leisure will take center mat at State wrestling meet

by Marianne Gasaway

In recent years the name Leisure has become synonymous with the Iowa State Wrestling Tournament.  Afterall, Clear Lake’s Ryan Leisure won three titles before graduating last May.  This year, the spotlight on the center mat at the Wells Fargo Arena will shine on Mallory Leisure when the State Meet pageantry begins at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 15.

Mallory, the younger sister of Ryan, who now wrestles at Iowa State University, has been chosen by the Iowa State High School Athletic Association to sing the National Anthem at the opening session of the tournament.  The honor is a bit of an encore for Mallory, who last year sang the anthem at the start of the State Wrestling Dual Meet.

“I love to sing and I love the environment (at State wrestling), so I’m excited to be doing it,” she said.  “I’ll be a little nervous, but wrestling has always been part of my family and I’ve been around wrestlers my whole life.  I have been going to the State meet for years.  It’s not a scary place for me.”

The high school junior also has good reason to feel confident in her singing ability.  She has twice been

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chosen for participation in the elite All-State Music Festival as a Soprano II and often sings at CLHS sporting events.  Most recently, she sang the National Anthem at the Sectional wrestling meet hosted by Clear Lake.  She even sang Saturday at the start of the Yellow Bass Tournament on Clear Lake.

The long audition process for All-State inclusion has also helped to prepare Mallory for her State Meet solo.

“There’s a lot of pressure going through All-State auditions, but you have people with you; you are auditioning with your friends.  On the mat, you are by yourself.  It’s all on you,” she said, recognizing the same pressure applies to the wrestlers who step onto the mats with their fate in their own hands.

“Ryan tells me he could never do it (sing a solo at the State Meet) and that I’m the one with the talent— all he has to do is go out and wrestle,” she chuckled.

Mallory, who also is a member of her church choir at St. Patrick’s, and an occasional vocalist with the Zion Lutheran Youth Group, said she considers singing to be a stress reliever and she will likely stay involved with music throughout her life.

“I would love to be in a college choir someday, but I will probably keep it a hobby rather than a profession,” she said.  She has her eye on a career as an oral surgeon right now.

Mallory said she feels honored to be one of the 26 vocalists chosen from a field of 44 candidates to sing at the State Meet.

“I hope to put my own flair on it— personalize it,” she said.  “That should be easy to do.  It’s a fun place for me to be.”

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