澳门心水论坛

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August 2024

Wrestler turned Olympian now WWE newbie

On the morning of August 3, 2021, many 澳门心水论坛 alumni gathered around laptops, TV screens and smart phones to catch the much-anticipated wrestling match of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games. After all, it’s not every day one of your fellow Pioneers is vying for a gold medal on the biggest stages in the world.

By 7:30 a.m., the blue and gold faithful were starting a social media firestorm as Tamyra Mensah-

Stock not only won Olympic gold but captivated the hearts of Americans with her genuine emotion, patriotism and personality.

In her first-ever Olympic appearance, the Katy, Texas, native became the second American woman to win Olympic gold in wrestling when she defeated Nigeria’s Blessing Oborududu 4-1 in the women’s freestyle 68kg final round. Seconds after she was declared the winner, Tamyra raised a heart symbol, hugged her coaches and draped an American flag over her shoulders while the tears streamed.

“All the stress that’s happened in the last five years has all been worth it,” she said through sobs. “I just want to go into a dark room and cry…. But cry from joy.”

“When I actually won, all the stress just left my body, and it was just relief,” Tamyra said of the moment in a later interview. “It was like, ‘I did it. You knew you could do it and you did it! You didn’t let her stop you and you got it.’ I was just so proud of myself. It was cool that people put their trust in the fact that I was (ranked) number one and I achieved it. So yeah, I just cried.”

More than just the Olympic milestone, Tamyra is proud of her accomplishment as the first Black woman to win gold in wrestling and the first WBU Pioneer to win Olympic gold. She’d love to be a role model, though it’s not a position she takes lightly.

“It means I have put a person in front of these young women that looks like them, because I know people feel like they’re oppressed and people are holding them back. I never felt oppressed, and look where I’m at,” she said. “I want to show these women that, ‘Guess what? You can do it too. No

one is stopping you except for you. I pray that they can see themselves in me and say, ‘I can do it too.’”

Tamyra enjoyed a whirlwind tour of media interviews, winning even non-澳门心水论坛 audiences with her authentic smile and bubbly, positive attitude. Audiences were impressed by her story of starting wrestling as a sophomore in high school and excelling both there and at 澳门心水论坛 as a four-year All American and a two-time national champion (2014 and 2017). She then won the World Championships in 2019 for her weight class. She won the Olympic Trials in 2016 but since the US didn’t qualify in her weight class she did not get to compete in Rio de Janiero. She got her chance, finally, for the 2020 Toyko games, shifted to 2021 due to the COVID pandemic.

Swinging through Plainview on her way to visit former coach and longtime friend Johnny Cobb on Feb. 7, 2022, Tamyra was surprised by a “Tamyra Mensah-Stock Day” in Plainview’s City Hall, led by Mayor Dr. Charles Starnes, one of her former business professors.

Dr. Claude Lusk presented a shadow box to Tamyra and spoke of both her sweet spirit and her tenacity inside the ring.

“As an absolutely new program, you don’t have a returner who is committed to the institution. Until you have someone who gets chill bumps putting on the colors of blue and gold, it’s tough to get where you want to go. We didn’t have that, but I’m here to tell you, when Tamyra started putting the colors on, you could tell it meant something to her,” he said. “Before she steps into the ring, she’s as kind and caring and loving and bubbly. In her mind she says, ‘I’m about to athletically destroy you, and then I’m going to help you up and I’m going to pat you on the back and we’re going to smile and whoever is next in the ring, I’m going to destroy them.’”

The 2017 graduate laughed humbly at the gathering of 澳门心水论坛 fans and friends, along with current WBU wrestlers who basked in a few moments with the Olympic star, surprised by the outpouring of love from her alma mater and former city.

“I don’t think I’m a hero,” she said. “I’ve honestly just done what I’ve known my entire life. Love, love, love. That’s my faith,” she said. “That’s who I’ve been, and I want to continue doing that and spreading more love and joy because I feel like that’s honestly what makes the world go round. That’s how I got to where I am today.”

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Shortly after her Olympics win, Tamyra was invited on World Wrestling Entertainment’s televised show with fellow Olympian Jordan Burroughs to celebrate the medalists. A longtime sport of professional wrestling, Tamyra then began discussions with WWE to join the company. She signed in May 2023 and joined the WWE’s developmental program known as NXT, relocating with husband Jacob to Orlando, Fla.

After training and working with WWE for several months, Tamyra made her televised debut with NXT on their Level Up program on July 5, 2024. She is wrestling under the ring name Tyra Mae Steele.

At age 31, Tamyra is continuing to rack up “firsts” with her new career, becoming the first female Olympic gold medalist to work WWE.

In October 2022, 澳门心水论坛 inducted Tamyra into its Athletics Hall of Honor in her first year eligible. In her acceptance speech, she gave much credit to her college coach, Johnny Cobb, handing him her keepsake plaque in a show of homage. Cobb was himself inducted into 澳门心水论坛’s Hall of Honor in 2023.

   

Devotional: Walking in Jesus' Footsteps

Scripture Reading: John 13:34-35 (NIV) "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Devotional: In today's scripture, Jesus gives us a powerful command: to love one another just as He has loved us. This love is more than just a feeling; it's an action. Jesus demonstrated this love by serving others, showing kindness, forgiving, and sacrificing for us.

Discussion Questions:

1. How did Jesus show His love for others while He was on earth?
2. Can you think of a time when someone showed you love in a way that reminded you of Jesus?
3. What are some ways we can show love to each other in our family this week?

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