Former Spartan prepped for war
FRANK BODANI
Wrestling keeps coming back to York College graduate Doug Maritato now, as he lives in an old grain silo and helps to rebuild a country.
He thinks about it as he works seven days a week through the sporadic fire fights and explosions outside of Samarra, Iraq.
Wrestling. He thinks about cutting those 30 pounds to shrink to 150 and get ready for each season. About those midnight four-mile runs ” about running twice a day.
He thinks about how he couldn’t eat or drink but still practiced and ran and battled through five months of matches at York College.
Suddenly, war doesn’t seem so overwhelming anymore.
“Wrestling at York taught me a lot of things that I’ve taken with me to Iraq. The most important thing … is just being tough, “Maritato said by e-mail. “I’ve never been involved in a tougher sport than wrestling.
“I’ve been in more pressure situations wrestling than most people will ever be in their lives, which definitely helps when you need to make quick decisions and react at any time.”
Maritato is a first lieutenant in the Army and is in charge of funds to repair roads and schools ” buildings of any sort ” in Samarra.
He is in a war zone, where there are too many bombs and not nearly enough entertainment options, mostly just a little DVD watching.
So he thinks of wrestling and his 34 victories as a sophomore, a school record at the time. His career ended in 2001.
And when he thinks of wrestling, he thinks of his father.
Rich Maritato came to every home match, long days of driving three hours from New Jersey to York College, then driving three hours home again to work the next day.
The father e-mails the son to “stay in your stance, “a wrestling tip about staying alert at all times, advice he can use now.
“It’s like in wrestling, when you’re on the edge of the mat, and you figure that you’re just going to go out of bounds, and then the guy takes you down, “the father said. “I tell him don’t ease up now (in Iraq) just because you’re feeling more comfortable. That’s when you become open for trouble.”
Certainly, war is tough. Never knowing “who’s out there trying to shoot at you, “always wearing a helmet and protective vest, constantly missing your wife and family.
When Doug Maritato thinks of wrestling, he thinks of his wife, JoBeth. York College wrestling gave him her, too.
They met on exercise bikes as students. Maritato pedaled feverishly to lose weight, sweat pouring off him.
JoBeth watched that strange scene, and the two started talking. Now they’re married.
Now she is waiting for him.
“I’d give anything to spend two hours with my wife.”
He thinks about wrestling and how he made it to York College in the first place. He transferred from Valley Forge Military Academy, following his older brother, Rod, who wrestled for the Spartans.
“I remember putting on my gear and heading out to run at midnight on a Friday night to make weight the next day, “Doug Maritato said by e-mail. “When things get tough here, I always look back to those days and remember that nothing is as tough as wrestling, working out when you’re tired, hungry, thirsty and trying to shed those last few pounds.”
Certainly, war is tough. Maritato’s base is surrounded by large walls and barbed wire. He leaves to go on patrol or attend city council meetings. He does several hours of computer and paper work each day. He doesn’t get a holiday, never a day off.
So he thinks about wrestling. About how Bermudian Springs High graduate Duane Bastress just broke his season victory record on the way to 38 wins and a national title.
“I’m really happy for Duane … I hear he’s an outstanding wrestler with an incredible work ethic. That was a fun record because (Coach Tom) Kessler had it before I did. It’s something we used to joke about all the time. “War is tough. Maritato did his three-year military service requirement and was supposed to be free last November.
But the Army decided that it needed him in Iraq for the next 14 months.
So he makes it through each day in the old grain silo surrounded by barbed wire, traveling streets where a gun battle could break out at any time.
He feels that he is prepared as well as possible, better than most.
He thinks back to wrestling. Reach Frank Bodani at 771-2104 or [email protected].
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