Representing the United States is arguably the greatest honor for an American athlete regardless of the sport. Women’s wrestling superstar Helen Maroulis, with a gold medal in 2016 and a bronze in 2020, stands as a seasoned champion. Rising soccer star Cade Cowell, on the other hand, is part of the next generation of soccer players ready to make his mark.
Despite the differences in their sports – wrestling and soccer – Helen and Cade are united by a passion for competition, love of country, and a focused approach to fueling performance.
As Helen gears up for France and Cade rises the ranks in soccer, their shared passion for sport unites them – as well as a focus on eating well to fuel performance. With more protein than any other nut (7 grams per serving) and over 30 essential vitamins and minerals, peanuts are a vital part of their diets.
The18 and the National Peanut Board had the opportunity to sit down with Cade and Helen to learn more about their journeys, their preparations for upcoming competitions, and how they are gearing up to achieve peak performance – including how they use peanuts and peanut butter as part of their diets. Here’s what they had to say. Oh, and check out what happened when we had them swap sports in the video below.
Early experiences starting in sports
Helen Maroulis: “The very first sport I ever joined was dance and ballet, and I believe my parents just put me into that because they thought that's what little girls should get into.
Then a few years later my little brother joined wrestling, and there weren't enough kids on the team, and instead of my mom bringing him back the next year, she just told me to take my shoes off and jump in and be my brother's dummy.
After about two weeks, I went to my parents and I said, ‘Hey, this isn't fair. I'm doing all the hard work the boys are doing, but they get to compete, and I don't.’ My dad made a bet with me that I could wrestle one match, and if I won that match, I could keep wrestling. I was 1 in 30 that year, but I got to keep wrestling.”
Cade Cowell: “I think at a young age, it's just like being around a bunch of kids of my age and playing with them and having a lot of memories. I always looked forward to going to the trainings, and that was really fun, and the games were even better. I feel like those were some important (memories).
I always was fast even from being young. That was always my best thing, still is to this day. Probably once I got 10, 12, that's when I gave up baseball to focus on soccer only. It's probably around that age.”
Talents outside of their sports
Helen Maroulis: “I wouldn't say it's a talent, but I definitely have a hobby. I started playing the harp four years ago, and then I also got into salsa dancing. I wish I was talented at both of them a lot more than I am, but I really love them.
I don't think any of the techniques stayed with me, but it was just something to do outside of wrestling. When I started feeling a lot of pressure from wrestling, I got into dance and that became my new outlet.”
Cade Cowell: “"I'd say anything outdoors. I have a bow and arrow. So, that, horseback riding, fishing, anything outdoors, I love to do."
Heroes growing up
Helen Maroulis: “When I grew up, women's wrestling wasn't an Olympic sport yet, so I just had male Olympic champions to look up to. Then when women's wrestling became a sport in 2004, the first ever women's Olympic team, they were my heroes.”
Cade Cowell: “Mine is obviously a very boring answer, but Cristiano Ronaldo. Probably every kid's idol growing up, but especially mine. Just the way he played back then. I saw him as very similar to my game. He's fast. He's a forward, likes to score goals and I liked his haircuts always.”
What is means to compete for the United States
Helen Maroulis: “I think in the summer it’s just a really special event. It's an incredible honor to represent your country and your sport, but then you're doing that alongside athletes from all different sports, all different walks of life, all different countries. You come together just in pursuit of being the best and just letting it all shine. It's a really special experience.”
Cade Cowell: “There's really no better feeling representing your country at the highest level.”
Helen on her 2016 triumph
Helen Maroulis: “It was such a surreal feeling to win the gold medal and to be the first to win for women's wrestling, for Team USA. I just remember crying, and hearing your anthem play is an indescribable feeling, so much pride and joy and honor.
Really it felt like blinders came off and honestly, it was something that I put on a pedestal for so long, and when I finally did it, I was like, ‘Oh, like normal people win gold, or you win with your strengths and your weaknesses.’ I just hyped it up so much and then to experience it, it was like, this is so cool that I got to see this.
Advice to aspiring athletes
Helen Maroulis: “When you use sport to help you pursue knowing who you are and getting a better awareness of yourself, it will help you in knowing what to do and it will make it less about outcomes and more about the journey.
You can't control what's going to happen, what medal you get or don't get, what team you make or you don't make, but you can control how you develop as a person and the people that you get to meet. I just think just go after that.”
Cade Cowell: “There's so many ups and downs, and I feel like that's with everything, but to never get too low, to never get too high when you're that high. There are some moments where you feel like you're on top of the world and then your next game, it's like, you crash all the way down. It's how to do and just stay level-headed.”
How they are fueling to compete
Helen Maroulis: “In wrestling, we're really lucky that we get a dietician and nutritionist that comes with us, and so she brings snacks. That's super nice, especially when you're in countries where you don't know the quality of the food. It's nice to still be able to fuel your body and know it’s good stuff, like peanuts and peanut butter.
Peanut butter for me is a really complimentary part of nutrition because you have your protein, and I feel that's on every nutritionist and dietician's list of things to have, but also it tastes good. When you start cutting weight, you can have a banana and put some peanut butter on it and then it starts to feel like a treat.”
Cade Cowell: “You really can't go wrong with peanut butter. I like a peanut butter sandwich. It's something I can do, super easy. After training, you go home and instead of snacking on really bad things it's really good to have a peanut butter sandwich to recover and fill you up until dinner. I feel like that's usually what I do.”
How sports unite people
Helen Maroulis: “Sports unite people because regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, it's a point of connection for people. You generally don't need to talk or communicate. You communicate just through the love of the sport and through sharing that with each other, and it creates beautiful bonds and relationships.”
Cade Cowell: “Sports unite people because for me it brought friendships in that I can never really have without sports. I've met my best friends through sports, lifelong friends that I know I'll have for the rest of my life. You meet new people, meet new cultures, and see how they live and really just brings everyone together and brings a lot of joy.”
Check out highlights from our full interview with Cade and Helen below.
Tune in and watch this summer as Helen represents the USA in France and Cade begins his second season playing for one the biggest teams in Mexico. Their journeys and performances promise to be inspiring, showcasing the hard work and passion that define American athletes.
