Federal Way’s Goddess Ma’alona-Faletogo wants be treated just like everyone else — despite her noticeable difference.
Although she lost her vision as a child, the freshman at Thomas Jefferson was raised by her parents and her older brothers to follow her dreams with reckless abandon, regardless of the obstacles she’d certainly be forced to overcome.
Despite not being able to see, Ma’alona-Faletogo got hooked on the sport of wrestling. And after claiming two district championships at Totem Middle School, Ma’alona-Faletogo joined the Raiders wrestling program with visions of winning state championships.
“I love the sport with my head and heart,” Ma’alona-Faletogo said. “I know that it may seem impossible for me, but it’s not. It’s the sport I grew up with. It’s in my blood. I love it.”
Ma’alona-Faletogo discovered and fell in love with wrestling at age 6. In actuality, she wasn’t given much of a choice.
It was a love influenced by two older brothers, who happen to share a passion for football and wrestling.
Ma’alona-Faletogo said she was regularly caught in the middle of games of “who’s the stronger athlete.” It was through this sibling rivalry that Ma’alona-Faletogo found a passion for physical contact sports.
“I grew up with older brothers who loved to wrestle,” Ma’alona-Faletogo said. “More than that, they loved to throw me around. So, I got tired of that and joined the wrestling team when I got to middle school.”
When Ma’alona-Faletogo arrived at Totem Middle School, she not only decided to join the Thunderbirds’ wrestling team, she was going to make sure her brothers knew she wasn’t a pushover.
She also decided she was going to remove her disability as a talking point once and for all.
Ma’alona-Faletogo said her goals were to make sure her name was remembered for her accomplishments on the mat, not her inability to see.
She also hopes to give other blind children the motivation to not give up on their dreams, no matter how impossible they seem.
And as a sixth-grader, Ma’alona-Faletogo made good on her goals as she was named a two-time district champion at Totem.
Ma’alona-Faletogo said her experience with the Thunderbirds helped her figure out how to be successful on the mat.
“I still remember my first match,” she said. “I was so nervous, but it was funny because my teammates are always yelling during my matches to help me, trying to tell me where an opponent is, what’s coming where to move, and, honestly, from my perspective, it’s not as helpful as you’d think.
“I love my teammates, and I appreciate it, but once I get going, I really do know what’s going on, even though I may not be able to see it.”
After her time at Totem came to an end in 2015, she advanced to Jefferson.
Raiders wrestling coach Jeff Muraki’s first interaction wasn’t with Ma’alona-Faletogo, however. It was with her mother.
She spoke with Muraki before fall tryouts, not just to talk about her daughter’s interest in the team, but also to say that she wasn’t like most athletes.
“She started to talk to me about her blindness,” Muraki said. “I remember I kind of had to stop her because that’s not what’s important to me. I want to know what she could do on the mat.”
Muraki said he saw enough just moments into Ma’alona-Faletogo’s tryout.
The first thing Muraki noticed was her raw strength and physical ability, which he said is the best quality a wrestler can have because it’s not something that can be taught.
Ma’alona-Faletogo is described by coaches as soft-spoken. Muraki said she comes to practice, competes, then goes about her business.
Ma’alona-Faletogo is also humble. She said she doesn’t say much because, as a freshman, she’s still trying to find her place within the program, in addition to learning how to be the best teammate and competitor.
The freshman said she also keeps quiet because she knows she’s one of the only underclassmen with multiple district championships already to her credit.
“There’s a saying in wrestling: ‘The person who talks the most smack is the one who always gets laid out.’” Ma’alona-Faletogo said. “I’m not about to be that person.”
Ma’alona-Faletogo has three losses this season, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.
Ma’alona-Faletogo is in the highest weight class in the state, which yields the state’s toughest competitors. All three of her losses this season have been to wrestlers who competed for a state championship in 2015.
One of them was Federal Way wrestler Mariah Stewart. Stewart beat Ma’alona-Faletogo at the league dual meet, Dec. 14.
Stewart said while Ma’alona-Faletogo’s story is inspirational, it shouldn’t take away from her high skill set.
“She’s just an inspiration,” Stewart said. “To only be a freshman and to be that physical, that dominant in the circle, is amazing. I think that once she gets more experience, she’s going to be really good.”
Muraki said Ma’alona-Faletogo has been extremely hard on herself after each loss, which prompts the two to have long conversations after practice.
“They’ve all been state placers,” Muraki said. “That’s been the biggest challenge with Goddess, I think, is reminding her she’s only a freshman and that, those aside, she’s beaten everyone else.”
The Jefferson coach insists he knows what he’s doing when it comes to grooming his freshman, and it doesn’t include focusing on her disability. He said he’s stacked Ma’alona-Faletogo against some of the state’s best on purpose. He does it because he sees a state champion in the making.
If Ma’alona-Faletogo wants to be a champion, she first has to be treated like one, Muraki added.
“By her senior year, we can see her becoming a state champion,” he said. “The only thing holding her back is not her condition, not her skill. It’s her confidence. That comes with a lot of mat time, and trust me, we have her on the mat a lot.”
