Helen Maroulis in her words….

What made you pick wrestling as a sport? How old were you?

I was 7 when I started and I didn’t really pick it. My brother was in wrestling and there were not enough kids his size on the team. He was going to have to quit and my mom looked at my and I was there in practice watching anyways and my mom said take your shoes off and be your brother’s partner. After a few weeks I told them that I am doing what the boys are doing but I don’t get to compete. My father then made a bet that if I won a match then I could wrestle all year and that was the only match I won all year.

How supportive were your parents and friends when you started?

My parents thought for the first year that I was just doing it for fun and would then stop but then they saw how I really liked it. THere is no future in it for you. girls don’t wresle in college and it is not an olympic sport. that summer it became an olympic sport, it became an olympic sport. So then my parents said that you’re still young and by the time you grow up there might be high school and college women’ s wrestling so you can continue to do it. My first coach was always supportive of girl’s wrestling and now I coach his granddaughter. If he had been against it (girl’s wrestling) I don’t think I would have joined.

What resistance did you find? How did you overcome that?

The second year when I moved up there was a ton of resistance. Essentially it was once I started getting good. Winning is when it became an issue….when I was told that girls shouldn’t wrestle and when I was called names and when I was told that I was wrestling for the wrong reasons. None of those comments were there before that. I didn’t let any of that deter me and I wouldn’t want any other girl want to hear those things either. I was determined to do it and I loved wrestling and I kept on pursuing it

Were there any role models that you looked up to?

There were no role models in women’s wrestling but once they made it an Olympic sport, Terry Steiner (Head Coach USA Team) opened up the 2004 camp to the USA team and other women wrestlers. I was 12 at the time and I went to Colorado and lived with the team. I came back and I was different. I was always different as I was obsessed with wrestling but those women I met that were part of the team became my role models. I wanted to be like them.

Did you only wrestle boys growing up and when did you start wrestling other girls?

I only wrestled against guys till my senior year in high school. I was with guys all year round till I was 17.

What is your greatest achievement on and off the mat (not including the first American Gold Medal)?

The Pan American games in 2011 was a huge personal achievement. In the finals, I had to wrestle the world’s silver medalist and multiple Olympic medalist. I was expected to lose. I was 18 at the time. I kept on believing and won. That was the breakthrough. Also, being World Champion from 2015 to 2017.

Off the mat, helping at Beat the Streets (www.beatthestreets.org) and coaching the kids clubs. I like to give back and work with kids as that is special.

What advice do you have for young girls who are thinking about doing wrestling or other male dominated sports?

My advice for girls doing any sport is you should just love it and enjoy. it. Just stick with it. Opportunities will present themselves. When you have the courage and drive to go after it then you’re showing other young girls that it’s okay to do it and that will create that community that you’re looking for. Keep working hard and those opportunities will present themselves. For rugby, wrestling, and MMA those opportunities are there but at the younger levels you may not see it.

What resources are there for girls right now who want to wrestle?

Organizations such as wrestlelikeagirl are available (wrestlelikeagirl.org) along with local clubs.