COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado -- The Marines of the 8th Marine Corps District filed out onto the wrestling mats, passing by portraits of the nation’s greatest wrestlers. Hard work and discipline is what it takes to make elite athletes. It is also what it takes to make United States Marines.
Marketing and Communication Marines with the 8th Marine Corps District learned more about the partnership that exists between USA Wrestling and Marine Corps Recruiting Command during their training summit at the USA Wrestling Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, May 8, 2018.
It is the intangible characteristics that define a Marine, from everyday character to their core values of honor, courage and commitment. Few groups share these principles as strongly as wrestlers.
“We are here at USA Wrestling to be immersed in the world of wrestling, and to learn more about the natural relationship between wrestlers and Marines,” said Capt. Michael Maggitti, the district’s marketing and communication officer. “Our partnership with USA wrestling is a collaborative and unified effort to engage today’s youth, and to develop disciplined athletes who share the same values as the United States Marine Corps.”
The experience served to familiarize Marines with how they could maximize the existing partnership between the Marine Corps and USA Wrestling and connect with wrestlers locally. For many of them, it was unique opportunity to learn the history and the basics of wrestling as well.
“We want our marketing Marines from the 8th Marine Corps District to identify local events and better leverage those events in order to really understand what drives wrestlers and Marines on the mat and battlefield,” said Maggitti.
The Marines in attendance sat down with representatives from USA Wrestling in order to discuss the finer details of the partnership between the organizations, as well as to brainstorm new ideas and possibilities for further cooperation between the Marines and the organization.
“We are really blessed to have the Marines from the 8th Marine Corps Recruiting District here at the USA Wrestling Training Center in Colorado Springs,” said Ryan Johnson, director of corporate partnerships with USA Wrestling. “Anytime we get to work with the local recruiters, we learn a ton about what is going on at the grassroots level. We have had a great partnership with the Marines.”
This also granted the Marines a chance to tour the training center, providing a glimpse into the facilities that America's finest athletes train and live in.
Johnson said he sees the world of wrestling and the Marine Corps as two communities that understand what it means to have a fighting spirit.
“USA wrestling and the Marine Corps is a great marriage, because the core values you grow up with in wrestling translate really well when entering in the Marine Corps,” said Johnson. “We are always grateful to work with the Marines and getting to know more Marines, it just makes everything come together.”