De Moraes models drive
Senior doubling up in volleyball, pole vault
September 30, 2021
Cowgirls on three!
After an echoing break at volleyball practice in the CHS Arena, Helena de Moraes swaps her court shoes for spikes. She quickly rushes out to Buddy Echols Field to begin track practice. For most, this would be an extremely tiring day.
However for de Moraes, this is just a typical day.
De Moraes’s journey in volleyball began with Texas Volleyball Academy after being introduced to it through a friend. Although Moraes immediately fell in love with the sport, she found that she wasn’t immediately successful.
“In seventh grade, I didn’t make the [volleyball] team,” de Moraes said. I didn’t have enough experience. I decided then and there that I would start training. I kept working hard and constantly practiced. I made the team the following year.”
People who know de Moraes know her through her kindness and inclusivity. According to senior Kinley Wojick, who has known de Moraes since fourth grade and also a CHS pole vaulter, de Moraes is always putting others before herself and striving to make them feel welcome wherever she is.
“I moved at the very beginning of sophomore year from California,” senior Meagen Lee said. “Helena was one of the first people I talked to. She was always super outgoing and friendly. She just helped me feel welcome in the [Coppell volleyball] program when I came in.”
During track season, de Moraes works hard at pole vault. She fell in love with the team dynamic and the exhilarating feeling of clearing the bar.
“Pole vaulting is like a family,” de Moraes said. “That is the one place in track and field where it’s really a team. We’re all so close with the coach and each other that we’ve become a mini family.”
Although de Moraes’s passions are now closely aligned with sports, it hasn’t always been this way. At only 11 months old, she was put into the Campbell Agency to begin her modeling career. De Moraes has modeled for brands such as Neiman Marcus, JCPenney and even American Girl Doll.
“I loved seeing the outcome of everything,” de Moraes said. “Seeing myself on a New York Billboard for American Girl Doll was really cool. It was a Christmas themed shoot and we did it in the actual American Girl Doll store in [Dallas]. I had a fake mom with me and we were just walking around the store laughing while they took pictures of me in this ridiculous denim dress.”
De Moraes modeled until age 8, then stopped and went back at 11, then stopped again at 13. During the school year in middle school, her modeling schedule would clash with sports as right after a shoot she would need to prepare for a game that started in the next hour.
“Helena is extremely hardworking,” Wojick said. “She still comes to pole vault practices after volleyball practice and puts her best effort in. She’s a great teammate and cheers everyone on. She’s a fun and uplifting person to be around whenever we have track meets or even practices. She’s driven in all aspects, not just sports. She’s driven to be kind to others and all aspects of her life.”
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