http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/os-orlando-wrestler-children-of-911-20110905,0,2547736.story
"Orlando professional wrestler Thea Trinidad will be featured in "Children of 9/11," show that portrays the lives of a group of kids who each lost a parent that day. The show airs Monday, September 5th at 10 pm ET on NBC. (Photo courtesy of TNAWrestling.com / September 4, 2011)"
"The Wikipedia entry for Orlando professional wrestler Thea Trinidad tracks every turn in her rising career. We learn that the 20-year-old competes under the ring name “Rosita” and that one of her signature moves is something called a “hurricanrana.”
But the event that defined her last decade is mentioned only in passing: “Trinidad's father, an amateur wrestler himself, died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York when she was just 10.”
Michael A. Trinidad was working as a telecommunications analyst when the first plane rammed into the World Trade Center. Minutes later, the phone in Queens rang.
“He says, ‘I’m calling to say goodbye,’ ” recalled Thea’s mother, Monique, in “Children of 9/11,” an hourlong special that airs at 10 p.m. Monday on NBC (WESH-Channel 2).
“And I immediately said, ‘Well, where are you going?’ ” Thea was at home because of a doctor’s appointment and witnessed the exchange. Her father was 33.
Orlando professional wrestler Thea Trinidad“Children of 9/11” portrays the lives of a group of kids who each lost a parent that day. Like Trinidad and her 19-year-old brother, Tim, most were young when the towers went down. They are among the more than 3,000 children who have lived with what President Barack Obama called “the empty seat at the dinner table.”
With the 10th anniversary of the attacks nearing, Trinidad keeps her father’s memory alive through sport.
“I use wrestling as my connection with my dad because that’s something that me and him shared,” Trinidad said.
Her father wrestled in high school and became a passionate fan as an adult, the sort who called radio stations to get tickets. He took Thea and Tim to wrestling shows, where they came across the likes of The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin. At home Thea learned the proper way to put someone in a headlock.
The mix of entertainment and combat embodied in pro wrestling transfixed Trinidad. She wanted that life.
Despite discouraging remarks about her short stature, the 4-foot-11 Trinidad zealously pursued her goal. In January she joined the wrestling company Total Nonstop Action, which tapes shows at Universal Studios and airs them on Spike TV.
Whether in tryouts or a high-stakes match, Trinidad performs a ritual before entering the ring.
“Me, I sit there. And I pray to my dad and hope that he gives me good luck,” she said.” I want to show people that my biggest inspiration was taken from me physically, but he will never leave me emotionally and spiritually.”
Her brother, Tim, who studies recording arts at Full Sail University in Winter Park, has attended some of her shows. When not in school, he practices mixed martial arts. The two fighters share the same initials. They both carry hologram dog tags that, when adjusted, display a picture of their dad.
The show airs Monday, September 5th at 10 pm ET on NBC."
