Mahlum is looking forward to giving back

When Bridger Mahlum was 3 years old his parents were told that he was autistic and that he would likely never graduate high school, but little did doctors know that he would do more than just make it through — he would earn good grades in challenging classes, he would serve as student body president and be a standout athlete in cross country and tennis.

"I was lucky to have the kids that I did around me," Mahlum said of his Bigfork peers. "They made it so much easier. I'm lucky to have everyone around me supporting me in all that I do."

Mahlum had been living in Missoula when he was diagnosed, and, after he was cured at age 7, his family moved to Bigfork and he enrolled in the first grade. Now after 12 years in Bigfork schools, he is leaving the people that help him 'start his life all over again" and going off to Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

"It's a relatively small school, yet they are still big into sports and I'm really into school spirit," Mahlum said of his future college.

One of the biggest things that attracted Mahlum to Wake Forest is that it was the first top 30 school to make the SAT optional.

"I liked how they were going to value you as a person and not just a number," Mahlum said. "I really like how they went above and beyond to look at your character."

Mahlum took his SATs, which he said he did well on, but purposely didn't send them in with his Wake Forest application to see if the school's claim was real, which he realized it was when he received his acceptance letter. He said he had a good feeling about his chances when his 20-minute interview with the admission's department turned into a 45-minute conversation.

At this point, he has declared political science as his intended major, but he isn't sure that he'll end up graduating with that degree.

"I'm going to college with an open mind," Mahlum said. "I'm open to the craziest ideas and just letting my life write itself."

Mahlum has already wrote himself a nice beginning to his story, which includes a spectacular senior year filled with sports and academic achievements. As student body president, he took it upon himself to re-ignite the school spirit at BHS by giving his peers motivational speeches on the importance of showing pride in one's school and by leading by example including during Homecoming when he put on the Vikings mascot outfit and rode into the gym on the back of shop teacher Steve Melkioty's motorcycle.

"I think it defines a school," Mahlum said. "You aren't going to learn as well if you don't enjoy being at school. Also, I think a crowd can help a team in a close game."

It is Mahlum's belief that it is how a student chooses to apply himself or herself that determines what he or she gets out of school. Again, Mahlum led by example and became the first student at BHS to take an AP class through the Virtual High School program. He took AP U.S. government and politics. The subject of civil service is an important one to Mahlum.

"Doing my best to help other people — that's the overall goal for me for my life," Mahlum said. "It is the sentence I try to live by."

Some of that comes from his four-year-long battle with autism in which several University of Montana college students volunteered their time to work with him on learning basic skills like counting and walking up and down steps. He also acknowledges the tremendous sacrifice that his parents and eventually his younger brother, Colter, made to get him through the difficult time.

"For them to go out of their way to help me have a life, I can't thank them enough for that," Mahlum said. "I don't know where my life would be without them. I was helped through the beginning of my life and now it's my turn to give back."

Mahlum also uses his experience with autism to keep a grounded perspective on his life.

"It's a miracle that I got through that, so now matter what failures I have, I can always look back and think if it wasn't for that miracle I wouldn't be in this position to even have the opportunity to fail," Mahlum said.

That outlook came in handy during the Class B State Tennis Tournament when he lost to Mission's Spencer Ahlborn, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, in the championship match.

"I was a mess afterwards, but it didn't take me long to put it all in perspective and focus on my high school career as a whole and not just that one match," Mahlum said. "It was a good match regardless. The pressure was on and I think I thrived off of that. It was just so neat to have people come from all over the state to watch me play that one match. That made me feel better than any medal could."

What also made Mahlum feel better was the first-place team trophy he and the other Vikings earned at the state tournament.

"Really going in there I thought that was the most important thing," Mahlum said. "I had my own personal goals, and, yes, I wanted to win the singles championship, but even more important was getting that team trophy. That's something I always dreamed about. It's the closest I will ever get to hoisting up a Wimbledon Cup."

The Bigfork senior credits his coaches for his steady improvement over the years.

"Paul squared has been great," Mahlum said of BHS co-head coaches Paul Sullivan and Paul Wallin. "I can't thank them enough for giving me a tremendous high school tennis experience. Paul Wallin has known me since I was a small fry and he has had an integral role in shaping my tennis game. Paul Sullivan has been a great coach this year and he had a such a big hand in helping me come back in the semifinals game. My appreciation for them is beyond words."

Mahlum first began working with Wallin when he was in the fourth grade when he was teaching tennis lessons at the Montana Athletic Club, which Mahlum's parents own.

"It was definitely a blessing that Paul was an employee at the club," Mahlum said. "My dad put me out there to try a different sport and I didn't blame him because he was such a good coach."

Mahlum said that it was easy for him to stay with the sport because he was never pushed to compete or to practice by his parents or Wallin.

"They got me to self-motivate, which makes it more of a treat than a job," Mahlum said.

He said he grew to love the sport because of its combination of mental and physical requirements.

"The concept is simple, but it's a mental chess match," Mahlum said. "When you evolve in the sport, it becomes so much more."

According to his coach, evolving is exactly what Mahlum has done over the past 10 years.

"Bridger's progress in the game of tennis probably mirrors his maturity as a person," Wallin said. "Bridger has, in the last few years, developed an insight into the nuances of the game. As a young player, he knew very few speeds other than 'hit the ball hard.' He now plays defense and offense on the same point, letting the pace and placement of the ball dictate to him what is available with regard to shot selection. He has always been a team leader. As a sophomore he embraced the role of leader even though his age didn't thrust him in that role."

The now 19 year old still has the same love for the game he did as a kid and his competitors and spectators at his matches notice and comment on his sportsmanship as much as his skill level.

"The big thing with tennis for me is to keep the integrity of the game," Mahlum said. "A lot of kids are snooty about it, but despite the stereotypes, it is a gentlemen's game."

It is that passion that has made him decide to stay with the sport he has grown up with.

"I'm not done. I'm not putting down my racquet," Mahlum said. "It's been too much of my life to just quit. If Wake has an open tryout, I've decided I'll be there. They're a top 20 team so getting on would be like winning the lotto, but I'll give it a shot."

Mahlum is no stranger to new competition. After playing in Class A for three years, he faced several players this year he hadn't previously gone up against as Bigfork moved into Class B. He said he actually enjoyed the switch, though.

"What a great experience it was playing in Class B this year," Mahlum said. "Everyone thinks that there isn't as much competition in Class B, but I think there was great competition. I'm really happy that I got to end my high school career with the Class B tournament. It was a great tournament. It was a neat surrounding. It was so quaint. Everyone just felt like family there, even strangers. It was fun to have it not be so snooty the way it is with some of the Class A schools."

In addition to being a standout tennis player, Mahlum was also a member of the middle school and high school cross-country team since the seventh grade when physical education teacher Sue Loeffler urged him to sign up.

"I had no idea what it was," Mahlum said. "It's a really tough sport. It really brings out what's inside of you. In tennis you get breaks in-between points, but in cross country you just have to keep going. It brought out a lot of character in me and it made me a man."

Mahlum knows that many people look at cross country the way he once did, but he urges them to give it a chance.

"Cross country is under rated," Mahlum said. "I don't think people give it a lot of thought. It's a lot of running, but you feel so accomplished when you're done. You don't know what you can do until you try."

For Mahlum, it wasn't a love of running that kept him in the sport, it was a love of his team and coach.

"I think having the teammates to push me and to have Mrs. Loeffler push me made me stay with it," Mahlum said. "It was a good release for me too. If I was all stressed out, I knew I had that to go do. It was an accomplishment thing too. I could always say I ran five miles in practice today."

Mahlum placed 22nd at this year's Class B State Meet. He placed eighth at divisionals.

As Mahlum prepares for his next adventure he can't help but be a little melancholy.

"I'm a little sad to leave everyone behind and be without those that have always supported me," Mahlum said. "It's a little scary, but I'm more excited than anything. I like challenges and moving to a new state all the way across the country for four years is more than a challenge. I'll always have this place to come back to because nothing can compare to what Bigfork has done for me."