From the Capital Times of Madison, Wisconsin
Dennis Semrau: Soldier, ex-Cards wrestler inspires
By Dennis Semrau
January 13, 2005
There is a reason why the United States Marine Corps recruits former wrestlers to join its elite branch of the military service.
One need look no further than USMC Lance Corporal Jacob D. Klipp, a 2000 Middleton High School graduate.
“He was one of those kids who was a .500 wrestler up to his senior year, “said Middleton wrestling coach Luke Francois. “He never took home the big prize. He took his licks.
“But he came to practice every day ready to compete. He represents 90 percent of the kids out for the sport. There is no glory, only hard work and pain and the lessons that mold you for the rest of your life.”
Klipp, who is currently stationed in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, about 30 miles south of Baghdad, recently shared his thoughts in a letter to Francois, who said he was extremely touched by the gesture.
“Well, things out here are pretty hectic. We are in the Iraqi ‘triangle of Death’ of Mahmudiyah, Yusufiyah, and Latifiyah, “wrote Klipp, a reservist who was majoring in education at UW-Milwaukee before being called to active duty. “This area has seen more combat kills than any area in Iraq, hence the cool moniker.”
Klipp, who was also a reserve defensive back on Middleton’s 1999 Big Eight Conference champion football team, is expecting to return home in late April or early May, in time to celebrate his 23rd birthday on May 29, according to his mother Pam Geary.
“I was sitting out in my fighting hole the other day and I started writing the attached memo, “wrote Klipp, a liaison to an Iraqi interpreter. “I thought maybe you could read it to the team if you find any of it applicable.”
Francois forwarded a copy of Klipp’s letter to The Crossface wrestling publication for its Jan. 7 issue. Editor Joe Kaster is attempting to accumulate a list of former wrestlers from the state serving in Iraq.
But Francois agreed that it was important to share Klipp’s thoughts with everyone involved in high school athletics, regardless of their sport.
The letter written by Klipp on Dec. 30 for the Middleton wrestling team follows:
To win again and again, defeating opponent after opponent is impressive.
It is admirable, and many people will want to emulate you. It feels good, knowing you are the best at what you do.
It makes you hungry to accomplish more. You seem to have more friends when you’re winning, your name decorates the walls, and people recognize you as you pass by them in the hallway.
Winning is a great thing, a thing to strive for, an excellent goal. But it is not heroic.
It is not heroic to step on the mat, knowing you will win. It feels damn good, there can be no argument against it.
But it doesn’t take the guts that the guy across from you has, knowing you can’t win. Knowing the other guy is better than you. Knowing he gets the girl, his name will paste the front page tomorrow, and the crowd will remember his name.
Shoving that aside, and stepping up in the face of it, that is heroism. The guy who practices just as hard, sweats just as much, runs just as far, but can’t beat the star.
He knows there is no glory in it. He knows the only things waiting for him after the match are the high-fives of his teammates, and the hug from his mom.
He is the hero. He is the one I love to watch. The guy who steps onto the mat against the conference champ, knowing he can’t give up a pin, but knowing he can’t win.
He has nothing to lose and no chance of winning. He’s the underdog but not the one everyone writes stories about.
He’s the one nobody remembers. He won’t quit. He’ll give his heart to lose by six instead of eight. He’s down 10 points, on his back with 30 seconds to go, and keeps his shoulder off the mat.
There is no quit in my hero. He fights to the end, with no chance of victory in sight.
He’s the guy, trust me on this one, five, 10, 20 years down the road, looks back at wrestling as one of the most memorable times of his life. He has regrets, like all the others, but he knows the sport made him better.
I don’t look at wrestling as something I did when I was younger. Wrestling is what I was. People play football, they play basketball, and baseball. You are a wrestler. You say it to someone, and they know.
You’re the guy who runs during study hall. You don’t eat with your friends at lunch. You get home from practice late, tired, and dreading what tomorrow’s practice will bring, but mostly just tired.
When you say it to me, I know. You’re one of those guys. You can’t quit. You won’t quit. Win or lose, you never quit.
Win or lose, you walk back out on the mat next time, knowing you’re not going to quit. You become a hero. And you can carry that with you, wherever you find yourself in the years to come.
– J. Klipp
***
Francois said Wednesday that he intended to read the letter to his team before back-to-back matches against Big Eight powers Janesville Parker and Janesville Craig.
“Those were two matches that really relate to what Jake wrote about, “Francois said of the 58-18 loss to Craig on Jan.4 followed by Parker’s 69-6 victory over Middleton Jan. 7.
Instead, Francois plans to read Klipp’s letter to the team before tonight’s duals against Madison La Follette and Madison West at La Follette.
“I am truly inspired by his words. He speaks for the majority, for those guys who never get a chance to speak, who dominate the sport but that no one talks about, “Francois said.
“He is my hero. I look forward to shaking his hand when he comes home.”
E-mail: [email protected]
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