fciwomenswrestling.com article, Wikipedia photo
The day in the life on an average four year old involves pretend play, trying new experiences, building their knowledge of the written language, exploring their curiosities and engaging in play.
At age four, Germany’s star wrestler Maria Selmaier was not like other four year olds.
While most of them were playing, she was training and wrestling.
Her training certainly has paid off. As of September 4, 2014, according to www.teamusa.org, in the 75kg weight class of women’s freestyle wrestling, Maria is ranked number thirteen in the world.
With high aspirations, which include trying to qualify for the 2016 Olympics, she’s building on one great accomplishment after another. In 2013 and 2014 she was the reigning German champion in her weight division. When wrestling outside of her pond Maria has amazed as well.
The great sports site www.pride-sports.de provides the statistics to prove it.
In 2013 she finished in 12th place at the European Championships (Women), 11th Place World Cup (women), 2012: 8th place World Championships (Women), 2011: 3rd place German Championships, 3rd place European Championships (Junior) and 5th World Championships (Junior).
Possessing a very goal oriented lifestyle; as an important career move, Maria would like to be a police officer. She’s attracted to the occupation in part because it’s compatible with her sports training and being a Civil Servant, she will make a nice salary and have lifetime employment. In an interview she says it’s her dream job.
She’s not only athletic and tough, she’s smart too.
Maria was born in Magdeburg in 1991 and the site www.jena-ringt.de reports in 2004; she came to Sportgymnasium to Jena and the Saale city and has remained faithful ever since.
Magdeburg is a city rich in history and has been the subject of great films like The Last Valley starring Michael Caine and Omar Sharif.
Why don’t we wrestle our way through the long airport lines, relax and travel there.
The intriguing site www.germany.travel starts the history lesson. “The regional capital Magdeburg is one of the oldest cities in Germany’s new federal states, although the course of its history has not always been smooth. As an imperial seat, Hanseatic power and fortified city, Magdeburg has repeatedly been ravaged by war and destruction. Yet it has always had faith in its own future, has always rebuilt and reinvented itself, whilst preserving the memory of the two Ottos who shaped the city.”
Speaking to us like a College History Professor the great information source Wikipedia rebuilds the city with facts and historical significance. “Magdeburg is the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe.
Emperor Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor, founder of the archbishopric of Magdeburg, was buried in the town’s cathedral after his death. Magdeburg’s version of German town law, known as Magdeburg rights, spread throughout Central and Eastern Europe. The city is also well known for the 1631 Sack of Magdeburg, which hardened Protestant resistance during the Thirty Years’ War. Magdeburg was destroyed twice in its history.
Nowadays Magdeburg is a traffic junction as well as an industrial and trading center.
In 2005 Magdeburg celebrated its 1200th anniversary.”
In a scene that could have played out in legendary writer James Clavell’s masterpiece, www.historynet.com takes us closer to the fire without getting burned, “From the east they rushed the bastion guarding the bridgeworks over the Elbe River. Through the outlying suburbs, razed and gutted with trench works, they pressed on to the foot of the city’s north wall, where one of the towers guarding the gate had crumbled under relentless Imperial cannon fire. Caught in the middle of morning prayers, the handful of Protestant sentries posted there were quickly dispatched. The remaining defenders, outnumbered more than 10-to-1, surrendered or died — usually both — as 25,000 Holy Roman Empire troops stormed into the city.
At noon some 20 fires blazed up almost simultaneously. Within hours they were consuming the city. It was all the Imperial commanders could do to herd soldiers and citizenry alike beyond the walls; as it was; large numbers were cut off and perished as the city was incinerated blocks at a time. Of Magdeburg’s 30,000 citizens, only 5,000 survived — mostly women spirited off to the Imperial camp before the onset of destruction.”
Intertwined by a recent history that has earned them fame and great popularity in Germany, the two star female wrestlers Maria Salmaier and Aline Focken (please click on link femcompetitor.com/?p=2035 Article entitled: German Female Wrestler Aline Focken, A Noble Champion) also come from large villages that had extremely opposite fates during the 1600’s great 30 year war.
Every time that I have moments where I feel life is meaningless and completely unconnected with one random act after another that fades into the past, something like this irony makes me pause, once again.
Of all the large and great German cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Stuttgart and others, it fascinates me that the two of their greatest female wrestling warriors come from smaller communities with completely opposite experiences during one of the powerful and devastating times in German history. Maria’s village, Magdeburg was ravished and burned while Aline’s village of Krefeld, hidden away, survived virtually untouched.
Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment to unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek.………..Mario Andretti
When it comes to her wrestling and quest for fire, Maria Selmaier has brought new meaning to the term having a life’s purpose. She had the misfortune to break her foot at the beginning of the 2012 European Championships but recovered and returned.
Not only is she symbolic of Germany’s proud history of having the will to rebuild and thrive, she also has the determination to continue to forge ahead, create magic, break records and make history.
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Sources: brainyquote.com, Wikipedia, fciwomenswrestling.com, fciwomenswrestling2.com, FCI Elite Competitor, https://femcompetitor.com, www.pbs.org/parents, www.teamusa.org, www.germany.travel, www.jena-ringt.de, www.historynet.com, photos thank you Wikimedia Commons.
Interview found at http://www.thueringen-reporter.de/15.10.2013/raufen-nach-regeln.htm
