Calvin Shomaker|The Daily News
The words “Never sacrifice the thrills of living for the security of existence” weren’t written by a Greek philosopher or an American novelist. The phrase was coined by U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. John Stefanowicz, an All-Marine wrestler set to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.
“I had an accident, and I thought to myself I’ll never ride a motorcycle again or I’ll never take a chance again, and that's kind of when it hit me,” Stefanowicz said.
Tossing around words in his head after a motorcycle accident nearly a decade ago, Stefanowicz crafted aquote he liked, one that has become more than just a tattoo inked on his right arm.
“I just would really like to take every opportunity that I can and capitalize on it and make sure that I push myself as far as I can in every way,” Stefanowicz said. “I want to have the least amount of regrets as possible.”
MORE:Local Marine wins at U.S. Olympic Team Trials, set to wrestle in Tokyo Olympics
KID WITH A DREAM
Before Stefanowicz was a two-time Pan-American gold medalist and an Olympian, he was a Baltimore kid with big dreams.
“I had this dream growing up to do great things,” Stefanowicz said. “I never actually thought it would come to fruition.”
Stefanowicz says he began wrestling at about 5 years old while living in Maryland before relocating a short ways north to York County, Pennsylvania. When he graduatedfrom Kennard-Dale High School, he hadn't made a single state tournament.
“Like a lot of kids in high school, I didn’t follow what the coaches were saying exactly, and it came back to bite me,” he said.
Stefanowicz says he became known as the older brother of Chance Marsteller, a high school wrestling phenom who was an undefeated, four-time state champion and the USA Today national wrestler of the year beforebecoming a Division I All-American in college.
Rather than being swallowed by the shadow of his brother’s success, Stefanowicz saw it as motivation.
“It never really bugged me to talk about him,” Stefanowicz said. “It just bugged me knowing that everyone knew me as Chance’s brother, but I honestly have looked at his success a lot and have just realized if he can do it, I can do it.”
Olympian John Stefanowicz's message for dreamers is to be persistent
U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. John Stefanowicz, an Olympic wrestler, answers a question about what his message is for big dreamers.
Calvin Shomaker, The Daily News
THE PINNACLE
When he joined the Marine Corps after high school in 2009, Stefanowicz had no idea Marine Corps sports even existed. Now, he is about to become the first U.S. Marine to wrestle in the Olympics since Buddy Leein 1992.
The transformation froma kid with a dream to an elite wrestler at the pinnacle of the sport wasn’t sparked by any one thing, Stefanowicz says, but the Marine Corps and the relationships formed in the service helped.
“The Marine Corps offers an extravagant amount of resources,” Stefanowicz said. “For me, it was something I hadn't had before.”
Under the direction of head coach Jason Loukides, the All-Marine Wrestling Team out of Marine Corps Air Station New River is a forcein Greco-Roman. The Marines claimed four individual gold medals at the Pan-American Championships last month,and six Marines are now ranked globally by United World Wrestling. As of early June,Stefanowicz was in the No. 2 spot at 87 kg.
NO REGRETS
Stefanowicz'smessage fordreamers, whether they're athletes or not, is to live with persistence.
“There's no end goal to the point where you’re the absolute best (and) you've figured it all out,” Stefanowicz said. “[Wrestling] is a science, and you have to keep practicing it and you have to keep practicing it. It's just like it is in life. If you give up on it, you'll alwayshave that wonder, and that's just like my quote and how I try to keep pushing.”
For Stefanowicz, a husband andfather of two boys, to never sacrifice the thrills of living for the security of existence means to live a life without what ifs.
“I don’t want to have any wonders,” Stefanowicz said, who turns 30 in September. “I don’t want to have any regrets, but it doesn't really matter where you're starting, it just really matters where you end.”
Reporter Calvin Shomaker can be reached by email at cshomaker@gannett.com.
