Team USA Media Summit: Burroughs, Maroulis, Bisek, Gray take center stage in LA
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by USA Wrestling
VIDEO: Team USA Media Summit Wrestling Press Conference
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Four of USA Wrestling’s top stars, Jordan Burroughs, Adeline Gray, Helen Maroulis and Andy Bisek, were featured as part of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Team USA Media Summit, which is hosted prior to every Olympic Games.
These star wrestlers joined Olympians and top Olympic hopefuls from the other Olympic sports for a series of interviews, video shoots, photo shoots, demonstrations and other public relations opportunities for the Olympic family and brand in the United States.
As part of the Media Summit, the wrestlers held a major press conference, hosted by USA Wrestling’s Richard Immel, where they gave statements and answered questions on a variety of topics concerning wrestling and their own lives.
Burroughs is the veteran of the group, having won a 2012 Olympic gold medal and three World medals heading into this Olympic year. He was also named USOC Male Olympic Athlete of the Year after a stellar 2015 season. Burroughs talked about taking on the role of leader and ambassador for wrestling in recent years.
“In 2011, when I made my first World Championships team and won the World championship in Istanbul, Turkey, I was kind of thrust into the position of ambassador for the great sport of wrestling. I wasn’t prepared for it. Afterward, it became an immediate process of, if this is a word, ‘groomification.’ I had to be groomed into this position to put myself in the spotlight and to be comfortable with it and to understand that the weight of the wrestling world was on my shoulders and I was depended upon to make it cool on the grassroots level, the youth and scholastic level and now, on the international level. With each quad approaching, I think the job becomes bigger, more responsibility, more awareness, more expectations and more pressure. But also we become better athletes, more mental toughness, more preparation, more confidence in our abilities. Now, the only thing left to do is win. We’ve done all the work, we’ve prepared to this point, now we just have to execute.
Gray, a three-time World champion and five-time World medalist, explained the goal of the current U.S. women’s wrestling stars to become the first Olympic gold medals for the United States in women’s freestyle wrestling.
“The United States does not have an Olympic gold medalist yet for Team USA. The opportunity to go in and become the first gold medalist will just be icing on the cake for wrestling in the United States for women. It is really groundbreaking what we are able to do and opportunities are really budding and opening up for college scholarships, for women getting to travel and make National Teams. We are really ready for that Olympic gold medalist, and I would love to fill those shoes. I am hoping there are multiple of us. I have a very strong team heading into Rio. Helen (Maroulis) and are among the favorites to go in and win gold,” said Gray.
Maroulis, a 2015 World champion and three-time World medalist, talked about her involvement in promotion and helping women’s wrestling grow. She was an international ambassador for women’s wrestling in 2015 during United World Wrestling’s Super 8 campaign, and has been an active and vocal leader for providing opportunities for girls to wrestle.
“I have been wrestling since I was seven years old. When I first started, I didn’t have the same opportunities that the guys had. I had to grow up wrestling on a boys team. As the years have progressed, I saw so much growth and change. I have been a part of multiple campaigns that have been a part of promoting growth in women’s wrestling. It would be incredible right now to say after this Olympic quad that not only did we have six gold medalists for this women’s team, but also to say we are getting women’s wrestling added to D-I college schools where girls growing up can not just have opportunities to wrestle in the Olympics but to also get an education and wrestle as well. That has been really dear to my heart. I am hoping my Olympic journey can kick start into the future and really grow women’s wrestling,” said Maroulis.
Bisek, a two-time World medalist, is the top American hopeful for a gold medal at the Olympic Games. He is a leader in helping invigorate the U.S. Greco-Roman program and bring new talent into the specialized discipline here in our nation.
“Greco-Roman is using attacks just using the upper body. You can’t go and grab legs or use your legs to trip them in any kind of way. I am trying to lead the charge. We had a number of years where we hadn’t gotten any medals. After five years with no medals, I was able to take third in 2014 and then took third again last year. I am excited to be that guy. I think there are a number of athletes right there ready to follow and it is exciting,” said Bisek.
All four athletes fielded a variety of questions from media in attendance, and the full press conference can be watched in the link at the top of this article.
Burroughs, Gray, Maroulis and Bisek will be competing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team for wrestling at the upcoming U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling in Iowa City, Iowa, April 9-10.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Four of USA Wrestling’s top stars, Jordan Burroughs, Adeline Gray, Helen Maroulis and Andy Bisek, were featured as part of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Team USA Media Summit, which is hosted prior to every Olympic Games.
These star wrestlers joined Olympians and top Olympic hopefuls from the other Olympic sports for a series of interviews, video shoots, photo shoots, demonstrations and other public relations opportunities for the Olympic family and brand in the United States.
As part of the Media Summit, the wrestlers held a major press conference, hosted by USA Wrestling’s Richard Immel, where they gave statements and answered questions on a variety of topics concerning wrestling and their own lives.
Burroughs is the veteran of the group, having won a 2012 Olympic gold medal and three World medals heading into this Olympic year. He was also named USOC Male Olympic Athlete of the Year after a stellar 2015 season. Burroughs talked about taking on the role of leader and ambassador for wrestling in recent years.
“In 2011, when I made my first World Championships team and won the World championship in Istanbul, Turkey, I was kind of thrust into the position of ambassador for the great sport of wrestling. I wasn’t prepared for it. Afterward, it became an immediate process of, if this is a word, ‘groomification.’ I had to be groomed into this position to put myself in the spotlight and to be comfortable with it and to understand that the weight of the wrestling world was on my shoulders and I was depended upon to make it cool on the grassroots level, the youth and scholastic level and now, on the international level. With each quad approaching, I think the job becomes bigger, more responsibility, more awareness, more expectations and more pressure. But also we become better athletes, more mental toughness, more preparation, more confidence in our abilities. Now, the only thing left to do is win. We’ve done all the work, we’ve prepared to this point, now we just have to execute.
Gray, a three-time World champion and five-time World medalist, explained the goal of the current U.S. women’s wrestling stars to become the first Olympic gold medals for the United States in women’s freestyle wrestling.
“The United States does not have an Olympic gold medalist yet for Team USA. The opportunity to go in and become the first gold medalist will just be icing on the cake for wrestling in the United States for women. It is really groundbreaking what we are able to do and opportunities are really budding and opening up for college scholarships, for women getting to travel and make National Teams. We are really ready for that Olympic gold medalist, and I would love to fill those shoes. I am hoping there are multiple of us. I have a very strong team heading into Rio. Helen (Maroulis) and are among the favorites to go in and win gold,” said Gray.
Maroulis, a 2015 World champion and three-time World medalist, talked about her involvement in promotion and helping women’s wrestling grow. She was an international ambassador for women’s wrestling in 2015 during United World Wrestling’s Super 8 campaign, and has been an active and vocal leader for providing opportunities for girls to wrestle.
“I have been wrestling since I was seven years old. When I first started, I didn’t have the same opportunities that the guys had. I had to grow up wrestling on a boys team. As the years have progressed, I saw so much growth and change. I have been a part of multiple campaigns that have been a part of promoting growth in women’s wrestling. It would be incredible right now to say after this Olympic quad that not only did we have six gold medalists for this women’s team, but also to say we are getting women’s wrestling added to D-I college schools where girls growing up can not just have opportunities to wrestle in the Olympics but to also get an education and wrestle as well. That has been really dear to my heart. I am hoping my Olympic journey can kick start into the future and really grow women’s wrestling,” said Maroulis.
Bisek, a two-time World medalist, is the top American hopeful for a gold medal at the Olympic Games. He is a leader in helping invigorate the U.S. Greco-Roman program and bring new talent into the specialized discipline here in our nation.
“Greco-Roman is using attacks just using the upper body. You can’t go and grab legs or use your legs to trip them in any kind of way. I am trying to lead the charge. We had a number of years where we hadn’t gotten any medals. After five years with no medals, I was able to take third in 2014 and then took third again last year. I am excited to be that guy. I think there are a number of athletes right there ready to follow and it is exciting,” said Bisek.
All four athletes fielded a variety of questions from media in attendance, and the full press conference can be watched in the link at the top of this article.
Burroughs, Gray, Maroulis and Bisek will be competing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team for wrestling at the upcoming U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling in Iowa City, Iowa, April 9-10.
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