Introducing The P.O.W.A. Champion
MAGGIE Proving that age is no restriction, when you have the heart of a Champion!
"WOMEN'S SPORTS MAGAZINE" is proud to introduce this monthly column, which will highlight the participants in and events of an exciting new Women's Wrestling Organization called the Professional Organization of Wrestling Angels or POWA. We hope that you will enjoy this coumen and check back every month to see what's new in the POWA.
Our first article will feature a very unique and interesting woman in her own right, the current Champion of the POWA, Maggie.
I had made arrangements with Maggie to meet at a gym which is owned by the same man who owns the POWA, and also this magazine. Though it is a unisex gym, the majority of the clients are female and include several of the POWA wrestlers.
I did my homework before meeting with Maggie, and was suprised at what I had found out. She is 44 years old, much older than I would have expected a champion, female wrestler to be, and the oldest woman in the POWA. This is also her second go 'round as a professional wrestler after retiring several years ago.
I walked into the gym at the time we had agreed upon and asked the woman behind the desk to point Maggie out to me. When she did, I realized that I hadn't really needed her help at all. Maggie stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the younger, more image conscious women.
At 5'6" and approximatley 165 pounds or so, she is not the amazon I had expected, but rather a sort of ordinary looking, middle aged woman, apparently not even in such great shape! In fact one of my first thoughts upon seeing her was , "how does she survive amongst these young turks?" But not only has she survived, she has become champion.
So here is my interview with this extraordinary woman, a profile in courage, tenacity and determination.
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WSM: First of all Maggie, thank you for taking the time to speak with us as you prepare for your next title defense. Your opponent for that match is Helen, a former champion herself. Any thoughts?
Maggie: It's a pleasure to speak with you and your readers. Well as you may know, I have wrestled against Helen once before and beat her. I don't think there is any reason why I couldn't do it again.
WSM: We'll come back to Helen later, but for now let's talk about you. This is your second turn at professional wrestling. Would you tell us about the first and why you decided to come back and give it anotehr try?
Maggie: Yes, I started wrestling in my late 20's at the encouragement of my husband Joe. I had an audition with a small wrestling outfit and they offered me a spot in their league, so I accepted it. I wrestled for about 2 or 3 years and enjoyed it for that time, but eventually I started to lose my desire and motivation. But i kept wrestling for another year and a half or so until I got to the point where I was wrestling just to please my husband. It was a difficult time for me because I wanted to make him happy, but I wasn't wrestling very well. I started to lose most of my matches and was growing depressed. Finally we sat down and talked about it and he agreed with me that it was time for me to retire, which I did. I was retired for about 10 years, and never really gave it much thought again until something happned which re-introduced me to the sport.
WSM: What was it re-introduced you to the sport>
Maggie: I'd rather not talk about that, but let's just say that I was motivated to return to wrestling for my own reasons. I wanted to wrestle! I was doing it for myself, to prove soemthing to myself! And I am still self motivated.
WSM: What is it that you had to prove to yourself? Was it a feud with another woman?
Maggie: I'd rather not discuss that.
WSM: Okay..... so how does your husband feel about your return to wrestling after such a long layoff?
Maggie: Oh, Joe loves to watch me wrestle, always has. The only thing that is different this time is that he is concerned that the sport has become a bit more violent than it was when I had wrestled in the past. But he loves to watch me in action!
WSM: So let me ask you a pointed question Maggie. You are 44 years old, the oldest wrestler in the POWA by 5 years. In fact the average age of the other wrestlers in the POWA is only 30 years old! The other wrestlers are younger, stronger, faster and for the most part in better shape than you. So how is that you not only compete against these women, but are in fact champion? It's amazing!
Maggie: Well thank you...I think. Actually I consider myself to be in great shape too. I may not be as thin as some of younger girls, but I am just as much in shape as they are. But to answwer your question, I think it has to do with 2 things. The first is experience. I have been wrestling for a long time and know my way around the ring. Most of the other girls have only been wrestling for a short time, while I have been doing it for several years. But most importantly is the issue of motivation. I really want to do well. I want to prove to myself that I can succeed as a wrestler and so that drives me to be successful. Some of the other wrestlers want fame, or money, or modeling jobs. I just want to be the best wrestler I can be.
WSM: How about your outfit Maggie? You wear the same outfit into the ring for every match, a Stars & Stripes bikini. Any significance?
Maggie: Well actaully, when I started wrestling again I didn't want anyone to know, so I used the name "The Patriot" for my first few matches. There's kind of a long story to how I chose that name and the outfit though.
WSM:We've got time.....
Maggie: Okay. Well my husband Joe works for a large swimsuit company, and he always brings home new swimsuits for me. Well two summers ago he brought home this skimpy stars & stripes bikini for me to wear at a barbecue we were hosting on the 4th of July. I tried it on for him and he loved it, but I was too embarrassed to wear it for the barbecue and threw it in the back of one of my drawers. But everytime we went to the beach or just laid out in the sun, he would ask me about that particular swimsuit. So when I decided to start wrestling again, I thought it would be a nice surprise for him if I wore it in the ring, so I did. Well, it was so skimpy that it wasn't really very good wrestling attire and so I had him have a new one made, this time cut a bit more conservatively, and I've worn that style of suit ever since.
WSM: Any significance to the Stars & Stripes motif?
Maggie: No, not really. I mean I love my country and all, but that wasn't the reason behind it. I just wanted to make my husband happy. But then I liked the way it looked to boot. It was different than what the other girls were wearing and gave me my own identity.
WSM: Okay, switiching gears Maggie. The biggest criticsm of the POWA has been that the matches are often very violent. In fact, your championship match against Marisol in which you won the crown, was a brutal match. You could barely leave the ring under your won power afterward and Marisol's ankle was injured in the process, causing her to miss several months worth of action. Is the POWA too violent?
Maggie: I don't think so. Wrestling is a very tough, physical sport. That is the way is always has been. I think the POWA needs to make sure that they enforce the rules, which they do, and make sure that the match is fair, but there isn't much more that can or should be done. It's a combat sport. And as for my match against Marisol, her injury was purely an accident. I did not intend to injure her, it just was an unfortunate accident.
WSM: After watching the tape of your match against Marisol I couldn't help but notice that it seemed to be almost personal. I also have learened that you two actually live next door to each other. Is there something we should know about between you two?
Maggie: No....there's nothing you should know.
WSM: Would you consider her to be your chief rival?
Maggie: No, she is just another wrestler. She was the champion. I beat her. Now I am the champion, that's all.
WSM:But is there any personal anymosity between you two?
Maggie: I answered that question already. Can we please move on!
WSM: You have been involved in some of the more vicious wrestling matches in the past couple of years, and have not always vome out n the winning side. For exapmle your tag team match with Jo against Toniann and Sunshine last year was truly a vicious one. You were the victim of three straight Pile Drivers. Does a match like that make you think about retiring again?
Maggie: That particular match made me very angry. Those blonde wrestlers did not fight fair. They cheated, and when they got Jo in a position where they could have easily pinned us, they didn't. I will never forget that!
But yes, i have been in some tough matches. I have won some and i have lost some. But it is all part of the never-ending learning experience. I'd like to think that all of thsoe tough matches have played a part in helpng me to become champion!
WSM: Okay, I'll buy that. But your next opponent is now Helen, perhaps the most vicious wrestler in the POWA. She won the first POWA Battle Royale, and as such, earned the right to face you for the championship. You faced Helen once before in perhaps one of the most violent matches I have ever seen. What are your thoughts on her and your impending match?
Maggie: Well Helen is a very different person than I am. Our last match was the perfect example of that. I tried to wrestle cleanly and by the rules, but she turned it into a catfight, disregarding the rules. She is a good wrestler, but I think she could be better if she paid more attention to learning how to wrestle.
As for our upcoming match, I think I will beat her again because
I am the better wrestler of the two of us, plain and simple. She may be younger, faster and even stronger, but I know how to wrestle. Helen only knows how to fight, and in a championship match, that's just not good enough.
WSM:Any idea how much longer you will continue to wrestle Maggie?
Maggie: I haven't really given it much thought to be honest. I mean, I am the champ and I feel great so why think about quitting?
WSM: Well Maggie, I want to wish you the best of luck in your impending match against Helen and on behalf of all of the middle aged women out there, I congratulate you on your success.
Maggie: Well thank you, and I hope everyone out there will tune into to watch when I face Helen on Saturday night!
And so concludes our interview with the curent POWA champ, Maggie. Don't forget to une into the POWA next wrestling show this Saturday night and see how Maggie does in her quest to retain her title. And check this coumn again next month for the next featured POWA wrestler!
