I am proud of Helen Maroulis

2011 World Championships - Istanbul, Turkey - September 15, 2011

I have countless emotions after a long, hard fought day of wrestling. I don't know where to begin. Helen Maroulis wrestled today and, as her personal coach, she's the reason I'm here. The ultimate goal was to win a medal (a gold one). It didn't happen this time, but I've never been more proud of her than I am right now.

Helen wrestled her heart out today. Literally. She gave everything she had. I believe she left it all on the mat and took the ultimate risk: putting everything on the line. She fell just short of her goal to win a medal at the world championships when she was defeated in the bronze medal match. It completely broke her heart, and it broke mine, too.

Helen is a once in a lifetime athlete. She's the kind that every coach dreams of working with, but doesn't get the chance to because they're so rare. Physically, she has as much, if not more, talent than anyone in the entire world at her weight class (I have testimonies from others to back this up), but that's only a small portion of what makes her special. Her eagerness and readiness to learn and grasp new concepts is also something that separates her from others. However, the thing that makes her great, and many others don't get the opportunity to see, is that intangible thing I refer to as the soul, or who she is at the core. You're going to get to see it soon, though!

Deep down inside this promising athlete is a little girl who is beginning to understand fully who she is and who God has created her to be. Over the past few years she has been growing into an amazing woman by overcoming complicated obstacles and struggles by confronting them head-on. She is destined for greatness in wrestling, but that's only a small portion of what she is going to do with her life. I believe with all of my heart that she is going to change the world for the glory of God! It's already budding and she's on the verge of a breakthrough - physically, mentally and spiritually. She's honing many nuances to the tactical and technical aspects of wrestling and is constantly making strides in the right direction on the mat. What's more is she's taking gigantic leaps in her faith and understanding of who she is. This excites me immensely. Our theme for this tournament was "identity before activity," and for her to know what to do, she must first know who she is.

Losing stung her today. And it should have. We talked through the emotions and arrived at a very productive place. She'll never forget what this feels like and it certainly adds a little fuel to her fire. She got a taste of the success she aspires for and never wants to feel what she's feeling tonight ever again. These are all positive takeaways from a rough situation and she's handled them like a real woman of God. She's come very far in many areas in spite of the pain she experienced today.

The reason I was thrust into the middle of this move of God is to be the guiding mentor/coach that helps point her to the Truth. My role is to help her realize the prodigy inside of her and to help her know how to love and be loved. I'm extremely proud of her and believe in her more now than I did yesterday. Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done.