SHS Alumni Becomes National Figure on New Televised Athletic Competition
Written by Holli Welcker, No Bio on Tuesday, January 8, 2019
SHS graduate Bridger Buckley from the class of 2014 was shocked and amazed to discover that he would be one of the first competitors on the new NBC televised large-scale physical competition The Titan Games featuring celebrity Dwayne Johnson.
Buckley is a native of Snohomish and is currently a senior majoring in business finance at Washington State University. He participated in high school football for all four years as well as track, wrestling, and basketball outside of school. During his senior year, Buckley was a co-captain of the football team and led the league in tackles. It was in high school where Buckley began to get serious about football and he went regularly to the weight room before and after school.
“I love Snohomish and everything it stands for,” said Buckley. “[I love] all the people and the community there. It’s been so supportive about everything in this whole process, so it’s been really awesome to come from a town like that. I’m still best friends with a lot of the people I grew up with.”
Buckley went through a long and extensive process to compete for a spot on The Titan Games. He applied immediately after seeing a post on Instagram advertising the show. Buckley was asked to provide his background and an example of overcoming personal challenge in essay format. He attributed his athletic resolve to his experience as an overweight child and his mental fortitude to a car accident that occurred a couple years prior. He also included several photos and a video. After submitting his application, he was asked to complete a Skype interview with one of the producers. During July 2018, he flew down to California participate in a workout combine where he was selected to return in September to film the series.
“One of the biggest things that I’ve learned is to be confident in myself and knowing all of the training is going to pay off,” said Buckley. “Just seeing all the other competitors initially, I was pretty intimidated, just like most people would be, I think. But then I realized that I was chosen for a reason and that I put in all the hard work. I loved meeting all the people and experiencing their stories as well because they had some incredible stories as well.”
Buckley was also thrilled to meet one of his Hollywood idols, Dwayne Johnson.
“I’ve looked up to him for a long time…it was all-round pretty awesome.”
The Titan Games was produced with the partnership of Johnson, Dany Garcia, and NBC. Created with the intention to motivate global audiences to reach their potential for greatness, Johnson hopes to produce a new breed of heroes with the grand prize being set at $100,000.
Buckley’s episode will be airing this Thursday.
