FLEX magazine bikini contest winner and amateur figure competitor Brandy Leaver isn't afraid of the path less taken.
Of all the lurid female confessions that could launch two hours of very bad cinema, "I was a high school wrestler" is particularly unsettling. So, imagine my pain when I conjured the image of Brandy Leaver in an ill-fitting singlet, her head gear askew, a hibiscus wilting behind her ear as she circled an acne-riddled boy in a dank gymnasium. But that's what happened, because the statement is true.
"My first year, I wrestled boys because there weren't enough female wrestlers," she says, the sangfroid of Aloha in her voice. "My second year, there were enough girls to start our own team." She didn't lose many matches, either, and at one time set a school record with an 11-second pin. Her favorite hold was the fireman's carry.
If wrestling weren't enough of a disconnect for you, once the singlet was stowed for the year, Brandy picked up a shot put and discus; her personal bests were 36 feet and 141 feet, respectively. Although she ran the 4×100 relay and the 100-meter dash as well, her specialty was definitely in the heaving of metal objects.
But all this beauty and brawn isn't void of brain. In middle school, Brandy attended a French private school on scholarship for two years, then in high school was class president and president of her French club.
For the rest of our interview with Brandy and another handful of jaw-dropping outtakes from her photo shoot with us, pick up the March issue of M&F, on newsstands now.
And to drop Brandy a question directly, you can check her message board thread here.
