U.S. Marines wrestler excels in return to mat
By Meagan Templeton-Lynch U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. David
Arendt Jr. achieved a feat other Marines, some of the most elite soldiers in the U.S., have been unable to do in seven years. On April 20, Arendt Jr. won a wrestling title at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas. The last USMC wrestler to win a U.S. National Championship title was fellow Greco-Roman wrestler Jake Clark in 2006.
Arendt got his first place award despite some tough obstacles he faced. “We’re Marines first, so we don’t really get to wrestle as much as some of the other services do with their programs,” Arendt, a Greco-Roman wrestler at 120 kg/264.5 lbs., said. “So it was nice to be able to win a national title for the Marine Corps.”
The U.S. Open was his first major com- petition since 2009. He has only been back stateside since June 2012 when his latest deployment to Afghanistan, where he’s done two tours so far, ended. He spent the last six months on the mat, get- ting back into the wrestling rhythm. Arendt has been wrestling since he was in sixth grade, growing up in the small town of Port Washington, Wis. Also a star football player, the chance to prove his athleticism as an individual was one of the things that drew Arendt to wrestling.
“I like that there’s nobody to blame but yourself for winning or losing, it’s all on you,” he said. “Yes you have to have good coaching and good workout part- ners, but you have to be the one pushing yourself and not making excuses of why you can’t do something or why you are losing. You constantly have to drive to get better and at the end of the day you’re the only one that can do that.” Despite the individual focus in wrestling, Arendt found himself in need of the support of his wrestling and football teammates when he was 17. On October 11, 2002, David Arendt Sr. was killed in what is still considered the deadliest auto accident in Wisconsin his- tory.
The sudden appearance of thick fog 18 USA Wrestler
U.S. Open Greco-Roman heavyweight wrestling champion David Arendt Jr. has served two tours in Afghanistan with the U.S. Marine Corps. Larry Slater photo.
from Lake Michigan caused a 50-car pile- up on Interstate 43 north of Port Washington at 7:30 in the morning. Arendt Sr. and nine others lost their lives and 39 were injured in the wreckage. The loss of his father affected Arendt Jr. deeply, and still does a decade later. “I mean, obviously, it was… terrible,”
Arendt Jr. said. “We were really close. For a hobby and extra income we raised steers at our house. So me and him were always working there together. He always helped anybody that needed to be helped, and gave us whatever we need- ed. He was very humble. Just an amaz- ing person.”
It was through the support of his four older brothers, mother and teammates that got Arendt through that dark period immediately following his father’s death. “I mean there’s nothing you can do about it,” he said. “I coped through sports. Wrestling is a small group and when you’re on a football team, you’re surrounded by a lot of good people. They can really help you get through things.” Arendt’s father wasn’t around to see
him win a state championship in wrestling his senior year, nor did he get to see Arendt off to boot camp to become a Marine in November 2003, right after he graduated from high school. But, Arendt knows he would make his father proud if he were alive today. “You just have to keep moving forward and just do what you know would make them proud. Absolutely [I think I would make him proud],” he said. “My senior year of high school I did well in football and wrestling. He passed before I won a state championship or was named 1st team all-state in football. He was around for a lot of my learning curve. He was there when I started and was there through my learning the sport. A lot of my success came later.” Working through tough situations over- seas with his platoon is vital in the Marines and just like on a sports team, Arendt puts a lot of focus on the relation- ships with his comrades. “The Marine Corps is all one team. You rely on each other,” he said. “I’ve had
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