Valkyrie: Ramirez Leads the Charge for GirlS Program

HOLLAND, MI

West Ottawa has embarked on its inaugural girls wrestling season and wanted to sit down and chat with some of our competitors. Zeeland native Gabby Ramirez wrestled at the Myrmidon Attack Tournament this past weekend  (and won her very first match). Ramirez has proven herself to be a very driven athlete on and off the mat thus far, We wanted to know what drives her and if she had any advice for future wrestlers. 

What got you interested in wrestling?
I’ve always been weight lifting and I never really did any sports besides throwing shot put in track and field.

Do you have any experience prior to this season?
This is the first year I've done wrestling but I practice at Myrmidon to get me ready for the season.

What is is like being a part of history at West Ottawa?
It feels pretty cool to be apart of something that shows that girls are as strong as boys are.

What are some hurdles you have had to face?
The feeling that i’m not strong enough when I wrestle but thing is that it doesn’t really matter if you’re strong enough. What matters is how quick of a thinker you are when you’re on the mat. A quote from my favorite wrestler (Helen Maroulis) that keeps me going is “I am enough.” 

Do you have any advice for girls that want to wrestle?
Just go for it, being a female wrestler is a hard to do when many people are against it, but I swear it is the most self-powering thing i’ve ever done in my life.  

Who is your wrestling hero?
Helen Maroulis is my all time wrestling hero. I watch her interviews and her matches all the time and each video I watch it makes me want to be a better wrestler than I was the day before. She makes me want to train harder and be the strongest I can be when I wrestle.