Olympic Gold Medalist Brings Free Wrestling Clinic to NY Town

Helen Maroulis has conquered the wrestling world twice over, winning Olympic gold in 2016 and 2020, but her biggest victory might be happening in a middle school gym in Yorktown Heights. On June 20, the champion wrestler is hosting a clinic that could change the sport for dozens of young women in New York.

Maroulis will team up with Victoria Anthony, a four-time national collegiate champion, to lead training sessions at Mildred E. Strang Middle School. The event comes at a perfect time for Yorktown, which just approved funding for its first girls varsity wrestling team.

Coach Jimmy Kaishian, who led Yorktown's boys team to their first section title this year, pitched the clinic idea directly to Maroulis. "I think she liked my offer, which was that I'm starting a girls wrestling program," Kaishian said. "The thought was, 'Let's do this the right way.'"

The timing couldn't be better. Girls wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in America, but Section 1 in New York has fewer female wrestlers than other regions. When Kaishian sent out a form to gauge interest, roughly 20 girls signed up.

The Ripple Effect

Every dollar from the clinic serves double duty. Registration fees will help Maroulis prepare for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics while also buying singlets for Yorktown's new team. It's exactly the kind of investment that creates lasting change.

Putnam Valley senior Maddy Keeler, who won a section title at 138 pounds and will wrestle at Presbyterian College next year, plans to attend. "Helen Maroulis is a big role model of mine, so the fact that I can meet her and learn from her is something that really attracted me to the clinic," she said.

For Maroulis, the clinic represents her broader mission. "My hope is that by having more female-led camps, kids, parents, coaches and the community will see that technique has no gender," she said. "I hope more women are empowered through wrestling and beneficiaries of the lessons and opportunities it can bring."

The day includes two training sessions, plus time for questions, photos, and autographs. Registration runs from $125 to $175 depending on when participants sign up.

One clinic, one Saturday morning, could spark a wrestling revolution in Yorktown that inspires young women for generations to come.