Quotes from the champions at the Women's World Team Trials
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by Gary Abbott
48 kg/121 lbs. - Clarissa Chun, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
"It feels great. I am excited. It was a huge incentive that the tournament is in Japan because my personal coach is one of the team coaches."
"I didn't know if I wanted to wrestle here until I lost in the bronze medal match at the Olympics. I made plans to go to Japan and then home to Hawaii. I had to get back into training without taking a whole lot of time off."
"This tournament shows me that there is still a lot for me to work. I was nervous coming in. People would think I have the most confidence coming here from the Olympics. I am usually the underdog. Coming into this tournament, I am on the other side. I put pressure on myself. It was a tough tournament. Everybody wants to make a World Team."
"I want to be called a World champion. I want to add to my list of achievements. I can't want to wrestle the best in the world, and this time come out with a win."
51 kg/112.25 lbs. - Helen Maroulis, Rockville, Md. (New York AC)
51 kg/112.25 lbs. - Helen Maroulis, Rockville, Md. (New York AC)
"That experience at Junior Worlds helped me a lot. Going to that event opened my eyes a lot to the international level of competition. Now I have a little bit of an idea what to expect when I go to the World Championships."
"I had some tournaments earlier this summer that I didn't think I did that well in, and I wanted to show that I've improved. I got my focus back when I came here. I just had to wrestle aggressively and give it my all."
"My goal is to progress toward making it to the Olympic Games in 2012. Going to the (USOEC), it is a big step I felt I needed to take to get ready for that."
55 kg/121 lbs. - Tatiana Padilla, Azusa, Calif. (Sunkist Kids)
"Finally! It feels good to take first. I have taken second at the World Team Trials and third at the Olympic Trials. It feels great to be No. 1 on the ladder.
"The only thing I have problems overseas is my confidence. If I go in there confident and aggressive, I can do well."
"I feel I wrestled well. I was aggressive most of the time. There were a few matches I didn't attack as much as I'd like. In the last match, I slowed down a little but I pulled it out."
59 kg/130 lbs. - Deanna Rix, River Falls, Wis. (New York AC)
"I just needed to stay focused. Alaina (Berube) is my training partner and we work out everyday focusing on what we need to do."
"It was hard coming back after the Olympic Trials. I wanted to finish the season with a great tournament."
(on winning the final period from the defense in the clinch)
"We have worked in the clinch. I stayed calm. I felt very comfortable in that position."
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Alaina Berube, River Falls, Wis. (New York AC)
"Finally. I made it. It has been a long process since 2004. I thank my coach Kevin Black for helping me focus on certain aspects of my wrestling. It made me solid."
"I think it is confidence and solid technique. There are certain things that my coach has worked with me on that has helped me to finally do this."
(about going to World Championships with her training partner Deanna Rix on the team)
"It will be awesome. I couldn't have asked for anything else. I am so excited."
67 kg/147.5 lbs. - Elena Pirozkhov, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
"It is very exciting. It hasn't sunk in yet. I wrestled all right, but I was a little tentative. I didn't take as many shots as I liked."
(about winning the University Worlds this summer)
"That was my first big win. In the finals, I had a Russian girl who was third in the world last year. That helped me tremendously."
"I want to keep training, working on my shots and getting prepared to wrestle. It will be my first time at the World Championships. It is exciting to me."
72 kg/158.5 lbs - Stephany Lee, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
"It feels awesome to finally make the team. I felt good today. I stayed solid out there. Against (Iris Smith), I kept in my stance, and wouldn't let her get tieups to control me. I kept my head where it needed to be."
(how her University World title prepared her for this)
"It really helped me bounce back after the Olympic Trials, where I had a bad tournament. Going to Greece helped me to concentrate and get my focus back. I got the chance to go to the World Team Trials, and now try to win another gold medal. I am going there to win."
"It feels great. I am excited. It was a huge incentive that the tournament is in Japan because my personal coach is one of the team coaches."
"I didn't know if I wanted to wrestle here until I lost in the bronze medal match at the Olympics. I made plans to go to Japan and then home to Hawaii. I had to get back into training without taking a whole lot of time off."
"This tournament shows me that there is still a lot for me to work. I was nervous coming in. People would think I have the most confidence coming here from the Olympics. I am usually the underdog. Coming into this tournament, I am on the other side. I put pressure on myself. It was a tough tournament. Everybody wants to make a World Team."
"I want to be called a World champion. I want to add to my list of achievements. I can't want to wrestle the best in the world, and this time come out with a win."
51 kg/112.25 lbs. - Helen Maroulis, Rockville, Md. (New York AC)
51 kg/112.25 lbs. - Helen Maroulis, Rockville, Md. (New York AC)
"That experience at Junior Worlds helped me a lot. Going to that event opened my eyes a lot to the international level of competition. Now I have a little bit of an idea what to expect when I go to the World Championships."
"I had some tournaments earlier this summer that I didn't think I did that well in, and I wanted to show that I've improved. I got my focus back when I came here. I just had to wrestle aggressively and give it my all."
"My goal is to progress toward making it to the Olympic Games in 2012. Going to the (USOEC), it is a big step I felt I needed to take to get ready for that."
55 kg/121 lbs. - Tatiana Padilla, Azusa, Calif. (Sunkist Kids)
"Finally! It feels good to take first. I have taken second at the World Team Trials and third at the Olympic Trials. It feels great to be No. 1 on the ladder.
"The only thing I have problems overseas is my confidence. If I go in there confident and aggressive, I can do well."
"I feel I wrestled well. I was aggressive most of the time. There were a few matches I didn't attack as much as I'd like. In the last match, I slowed down a little but I pulled it out."
59 kg/130 lbs. - Deanna Rix, River Falls, Wis. (New York AC)
"I just needed to stay focused. Alaina (Berube) is my training partner and we work out everyday focusing on what we need to do."
"It was hard coming back after the Olympic Trials. I wanted to finish the season with a great tournament."
(on winning the final period from the defense in the clinch)
"We have worked in the clinch. I stayed calm. I felt very comfortable in that position."
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Alaina Berube, River Falls, Wis. (New York AC)
"Finally. I made it. It has been a long process since 2004. I thank my coach Kevin Black for helping me focus on certain aspects of my wrestling. It made me solid."
"I think it is confidence and solid technique. There are certain things that my coach has worked with me on that has helped me to finally do this."
(about going to World Championships with her training partner Deanna Rix on the team)
"It will be awesome. I couldn't have asked for anything else. I am so excited."
67 kg/147.5 lbs. - Elena Pirozkhov, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
"It is very exciting. It hasn't sunk in yet. I wrestled all right, but I was a little tentative. I didn't take as many shots as I liked."
(about winning the University Worlds this summer)
"That was my first big win. In the finals, I had a Russian girl who was third in the world last year. That helped me tremendously."
"I want to keep training, working on my shots and getting prepared to wrestle. It will be my first time at the World Championships. It is exciting to me."
72 kg/158.5 lbs - Stephany Lee, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
"It feels awesome to finally make the team. I felt good today. I stayed solid out there. Against (Iris Smith), I kept in my stance, and wouldn't let her get tieups to control me. I kept my head where it needed to be."
(how her University World title prepared her for this)
"It really helped me bounce back after the Olympic Trials, where I had a bad tournament. Going to Greece helped me to concentrate and get my focus back. I got the chance to go to the World Team Trials, and now try to win another gold medal. I am going there to win."
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