David Guba shares the inspirational story of high schooler Nate Marmol, who used wrestling to rise from homelessness and to reshape his life.
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An article about an inspiring young man has been making the rounds on social media lately. In a story begging to be turned in to an uplifting film, Ohio teenager Nate Marmol has demonstrated the lengths to which one will go to belong to a team and to have somewhere to go. He has also shown what that can do for a person’s life.
Nate grew up with a broken family and had been homeless for years. His Freshman year, he was taken in by his younger half-brother’s stepmother. He saw an opportunity to stay off the streets for a few more hours, and threw himself into arguably the most grueling scholastic sport, wrestling.
Nate decided to not idly accept the cards life had dealt him. He slept where he could, and stole food for survival but did not turn to a life of crime. He chose not only to survive, but to live a life worth living.
“I asked him ‘what prevented you from going to the dark side?’ Because he’s not a thug. He stole for food but he didn’t rob banks,” said Taylor wrestling coach Neal Ryan . . . . “He just knew he saw his mom and he didn’t want that life. God gave him two things — a positive outlook and a competitive nature and he’s parlayed that into an incredible story and comeback.”
Marmol says that being on a team helps him to take stock of his life and process what he has been trough. His wrestling coach says Marmol inspires him on a daily basis.
Spending years grappling with hunger and feeling unwanted seems to have prepared him well for grappling against opponents on the mat. Now a Senior at Taylor High School, he has drawn from his adversity and amassed a 25-1 record this current season.
According to several news reports, Marmol has said that his goal is to continue wrestling at the university level and possibly double major in physical therapy and athletic training. He has also said that he wants to have a family and be the best father he can.
“Wrestling saved my life,” Marmol said. “It’s given me a perspective. If I ever have kids I don’t want them to go through this.”
Wrestling has been described as “the closest you can get to a real fight without hitting someone.” Nate Marmol is fighting for his life, and he is winning.
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Photo Credit: Adam Baum/Cincinnati Enquirer
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