Pavlo Levkiv's spirit lives on The formation of the Middlebury Wrestling Club

Author: H. Kay Merriman

After Pavlo Levkiv's '11 tragic death last August, members of the College community and Levkiv's hometown, Rockaway Township, N.J., recalled and commended his unrelenting work ethic and contagious positive attitude. Now, Lewis Merl '11.5 is attempting to carry on Levkiv's legacy by completing the establishment of the wrestling club that Levkiv had been working to found before he passed away.

Levkiv, who was born with cerebral palsy, never allowed physical disability to prevent him from participating in athletics. An active member of his high school cross-country and wrestling teams at Newark Academy, he noticed Middlebury's lack of organized wrestling and began the process of founding the club.

"Pavlo's efforts at establishing a wrestling club at Middlebury were an illustration of quiet determination," former Dean of Cook Commons Matthew Carluzzo recalled in an e-mail. "Pavlo came to my office one afternoon and told me how much he loved wrestling in high school and missed being able to wrestle here at Middlebury."

Carluzzo, at Levkiv's request, agreed to be the club's advisor and asked to receive periodic updates on his progress. The College, Carluzzo explained, was rather unreceptive to Levkiv's efforts, but in keeping with his character, Levkiv refused to give up.

"Pavlo came in not long after [asking me to be the club's advisor] to report that he'd been told he couldn't start a wrestling club because of the health and safety risks associated with wrestling, the sweaty mats, etc. I told him I was sorry to hear that and that it was worth a try. But Pavlo - not fazed at all - quickly made clear that he wasn't done trying: he'd really only started," Carluzzo said.

Carluzzo emphasized that he was most impressed by Levkiv's polite persistence in his efforts to reach his goal.

"When a particular concern was raised, Pavlo would do his best to research how other NESCAC schools with wrestling clubs addressed the same issue, or consulted his old wrestling coach from home to learn his solution, or developed his own ideas and presented them for consideration," Carluzzo explained.

"Even when the answer remained 'no,' he continued to try to find a way. What really struck me as all this was happening was the amazing way in which Pavlo balanced his resolution with courtesy and open dialogue. Pavlo was never impolite or disrespectful in his conversation or e-mail. He simply tried to achieve his vision through practical facts and solutions, not desire or a refusal to listen to reason," he said.

Merl is currently tackling some of the same difficulties that Levkiv faced. However, with the memory of Levkiv still fresh in the students' and administration's minds and the additional support of Levkiv's former high school wrestling coach, Jay Gerish, Merl is confident that the wrestling club will begin competition next winter.

Merl, a native of Pomfret, Conn., regrets not knowing Levkiv very well, but the two clearly possessed a common passion. Merl wrestled for four years in high school and, like Levkiv, became addicted to the sport.

"It's one of those sports that if you stuck with it for four years in high school, you have to love it," he said. "Wrestling is a unique sport and I don't see that there are many comparable sports."

Merl initially attempted to fill the void of wrestling by joining the rugby team and noted that many former wrestlers, including Levkiv, have done the same. Still, he wanted to wrestle. When Merl heard from a friend that Gerish had mentioned Levkiv's love of wrestling at the funeral and had announced his willingness to support anyone interested in the sport, particularly in honor of Levkiv, Merl immediately e-mailed him.

"He was really happy to hear from me, and wants to be involved," Merl said.

Gerish generously donated a 40' x 40' regulation size wrestling mat to the club as an initial investment. His business of selling wrestling equipment will also continue to support the club by offering supplies at a discounted rate, Merl explained. Merl also hopes to assuage the College's concerns for health and safety, particularly for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), the same concerns that they voiced to Levkiv, by purchasing specialized wrestling mat cleansing wipes from Gerish.

This summer, Merl will travel to Newark Academy to pick up the donated mat. In the meantime, he will continue to gauge student interest. Merl said that he has seen many students wearing wrestling t-shirts so he knows that there are many wrestlers on campus - including some state champions - whom he hopes will assume leadership and peer-coaching positions for the club. Regardless of wrestling ability or experience, however, Merl encourages anyone and everyone to join the club.

"The club is open to all levels, guys and girls. It is open to everyone who is athletic or hasn't found their sport at Middlebury or who is a varsity athlete interested in cross-training," he said. "You use your whole body in wrestling - if you want to get in great shape, wrestling is the way to go."

Merl described the "heart" required to participate in wrestling and the rewarding aspects of being on a team. His description of the defining traits that characterize the sport are reminiscent of the descriptions Levkiv's friends use to define him.

"It takes a lot of heart to be able to pick yourself up off the mat after being on your back," Merl said, "It is very much a mind sport - brains over brawn - if you can think through moves, you can be successful."

After spring break, Merl plans to hold an introductory meeting for the club and then to host informal get-togethers and practices throughout the spring semester. He encourages anyone who is interested to contact him at lmerl@middlebury.edu.

"Wrestling has recently had a surge in popularity," Merl said. "It is an important time for wrestlers because of the community that is forming."

Merl's hope is that the combination of the sport's growing popularity, the additional support from Gerish and the memory of Levkiv will all contribute to the club's success. Carluzzo is equally hopeful.

"Pavlo's time to achieve this particular goal was tragically cut short, but I do fully believe that given a full four years at Middlebury to continue working toward a workable solution, he would have," Carluzzo stated. "It's so nice to learn that this project of his might be carried on in his absence."