Last Monday, April 20th, I had the pleasure of interviewing Atara 'Aphrodite Incarnate' Themis. Throughout an hour, we sat and spoke of her career, childhood, and her family life. It was a relatively nice conversation, but there were times we'd have to stop.
One subject we touched upon was the premature death of her Mother Ailbe Themis as the result of a tragic car accident, when Atara was eight.
"She was a prima ballerina with the Greek National Opera." Atara reminisced fondly. "She always had to be the best, no matter what she was doing."
I asked her if and how she felt her Mother influences her today, sixteen years after her death. I noticed Atara's lip go tight, as she stared at her lap, trying to find the perfect wording. "I picture my Mother as a mythological Greek Goddess of whom I will never measure up to.". Atara stubbornly bit back tears. "It's that picture in my head that undyingly pushes me to achieve greatness." In my opinion you couldn't find better motivation than that.
As we continued to speak, we came around the subject of her family, specifically her Father Elon, the man who trained her, her siblings, and her cousins. "We're a nice, close knit family group." Atara says with pride. "He's always been there." The pride and love she has for her family is evident to me.
I asked her why she would choose to divide her time between wrestling and mixed martial arts. This brought up a conversation that, unfortunately, is a reality to most famous women.
"Wherever I go I'm noted for my appearance and accused of using my looks to my advantage and playing the 'Damsel' to get my way. It's been that way all of my life." She says, sounding righteously bitter.
"I'm a trained fighter and have been since the age of eight. I like to compete to show everybody that I'm not just a pretty face, a magazine cover, or a promotional tool. I'm Atara Themis and I love to compete, and if it has to be for those reasons too, then so be it."
The mood in the room brightened as we talked about her role in the XWF, her spot in the triad challenge, and her bout at GCC 7 with Lyla Nitro. When I asked who she wanted to fight next and when she had this to say. "As soon as possible and it doesn't really matter who I beat up."
At this point I let her know that GCC president Fazan Khan had offered her a fight with Renegade Kali. She responded with a smirk and accepted the offer.
All in all we had a very nice interview and I can't wait to see what she does within the deepest division GCC has, the women's featherweight division.
Follow Jocelyn Edwards on twitter @JocEdwards95
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