This June, five Mississippi wrestlers stood in the heart of our nation’s capital, training alongside one of the greatest athletes in wrestling history during a weekend that celebrated not only the 250th birthday of America, but also the remarkable growth of women’s wrestling.
For Addy Valladarez and Raelyn Rocco of St. Martin High School, Izzy Balkin of Oxford High School, Destiny Thomley of Vancleave High School, and Sandy Evans of East Central High School, the trip to Washington, D.C. was much more than a wrestling clinic. It was a glimpse into the future of the sport they love and a reminder that they are helping build that future themselves.
Hosted by Wrestle Like A Girl in partnership with Wrestling to Beat the Streets DC, the special freestyle clinic brought together nearly thirty female wrestlers from across the country for a once-in-a-lifetime training opportunity. The event was made possible through the support of organizations committed to growing opportunities for girls in wrestling, including Wrestle Like A Girl, Wrestling to Beat the Streets DC, MyHouse Sports Gear, the Black Wrestlers Association, HBCU Wrestling, and Resilite Sports Products. Together, these organizations are doing more than sponsoring events—they are helping create pathways for young women to discover what is possible through wrestling.
Wrestling to Beat the Streets DC exists to improve youth development through wrestling by building character, discipline, self-esteem, and opportunity for young people throughout Washington, D.C. Their year-round programming combines athletic training, mentorship, academic support, and leadership development to help students succeed both on and off the mat. Their mission reflects something that those of us in wrestling know well: wrestling is never just about wrestling. It is about building people.
The clinic itself featured instruction from Olivia Rondeau and Olympic Gold Medalist Helen Maroulis, two women whose careers have helped redefine what is possible for female wrestlers.
For many of the girls in attendance, meeting Helen Maroulis was like meeting a living piece of wrestling history.
In 2016, Maroulis became the first American woman ever to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling when she defeated three-time Olympic champion Saori Yoshida of Japan in the Olympic finals in Rio de Janeiro. The victory was historic not only because of the medal, but because it shattered barriers for generations of girls who had grown up wrestling in a sport that often told them they did not belong. Since then, Maroulis has continued to make history as a multiple-time Olympic medalist, world champion, and one of the most influential figures in women’s wrestling.
The significance of that history was not lost on our athletes.
Women’s wrestling has experienced explosive growth over the last decade. More girls are competing than ever before. More colleges are offering scholarships. More states are sanctioning girls wrestling. What was once considered unusual has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the country.
And Mississippi is part of that story.
For years, girls in our state wrestled quietly on boys teams, often with little recognition and few opportunities designed specifically for them. Today, that reality is changing because of athletes like Addy, Raelyn, Izzy, Destiny, and Sandy.
These young women are helping write the next chapter of Mississippi wrestling.
Throughout the clinic, they spent hours learning new techniques, drilling positions, refining freestyle fundamentals, and gaining exposure to high-level coaching that they will bring back to their schools and communities. They asked questions, took notes, wrestled hard, and embraced every opportunity to grow.
As their coach, I watched them do something far more important than learn wrestling moves.
I watched them lead.
I watched them represent Mississippi with confidence, humility, and determination. I watched them step into spaces that previous generations of female wrestlers never had the chance to enter. And I watched them realize that they belong there.
That matters.
Because every generation of wrestlers inherits a torch.
Someone else clears the path. Someone else breaks the barrier. Someone else creates the opportunity. Then the next generation takes that opportunity and carries it further.
That is exactly what these athletes are doing.
The future of girls wrestling in Mississippi is bright not because opportunities are being handed to these young women, but because they are earning them through hard work, discipline, and perseverance. They are proving that female wrestling in our state is not a passing trend—it is a movement.
As America celebrated 250 years of history in our nation’s capital, these five Mississippi wrestlers spent the weekend building a little history of their own.
And if their effort, leadership, and determination are any indication of what is ahead, the future of Mississippi wrestling is in very good hands.
