Airman competes in wrestling championship

  • Published
  • By Lois Walsh
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  "No excuses," and "taking life as it comes" are the ways one Airman juggles his status as stand-out wrestler and the demands of his military career. 

Kevin Justin, an airman first class with the 96th Security Forces Squadron, recently returned from the U.S. Open National Wrestling Championship in Las Vegas. He was one of 11 members of the All Air Force Wrestling Team to participate in the double-elimination tournament, after being selected from a field of 75 who tried out for the honor. 

In high school, Justin began wrestling after the football coach dismissed the 119-pound freshman. 

"The football coach pretty much laughed and told me to gain fifty pounds," he said. 

Growing up in a tough neighborhood in Baltimore, the Airman knew he needed a sport to keep him straight, and so began a passion that wound its way to the bright lights of Las Vegas. 

"The wrestling coach told me to come out for the team, and from there it was a done deal," he said. 

Along the way were changes that inspired him to exhibit the raw talent that impressed coaches at all levels of competition. 

By the end of the two wrestling seasons, with 20 additional pounds and a 36-4 record under his belt, a move to a Florida high school pushed him to a 45-4 record and a fifth-place finish in the state wrestling finals. But, knowing a Division I scholarship was not in his future; Justin decided to join the Air Force. 

"My recruiter told me the Air Force had a wrestling program," he said. And last year, after volunteering with the wrestling team at Niceville High School, a father of one of the team members who wrestled on the Air Force team years before, hooked him up with Coach Rich Estrella, the Air Force team's coach. Coach Estrella decided to take a chance on Justin, even though it meant a change in style. Justin always wrestled freestyle, which allows opponents to use their legs to take each other down. The Air Force team followed the Greco Roman style, which encourages throws instead of simply hooking or grabbing an opponent's leg. 

Grueling 12-hour a day workouts during a five-week camp at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, taught Justin the ropes. Even though he lost his first two matches, which could have eliminated him from the Air Force team, the coach decided to take him to Colorado Springs, Colo., to compete.

"I thought I was done, but he decided to keep me; I must have been doing something right." 

A stint at the Olympic Training Center gave Justin a chance to hone his skills by wrestling with world-class athletes like Lindsey Durlacher, Joe Betterman and Ryan Mango. Olympic team coaches taught him to perfect the techniques he learned at camp. He said joining the Air Force gave him a better opportunity over the competition he would have faced in college. 

Justin finished the U.S. Open National Wrestling Championship with a record of four wins and two losses. He finished second in the Fila Junior Nationals out of a field of 12.
Now that he's home, Justin's focus is on another first -- a deployment with the security forces team. He will also continue to train as a wrestler. 

"I want to go back out because the coach wants to see me go places with wrestling," he said. "I had tremendous support to go to camp and thank my unit for this opportunity." 

Even though security forces personnel are heavily tasked both home and in the area of responsibility, Maj. Scott Foley, 96th SFS commander, promotes the Air Force Athletic program which highlights the best of the best in multiple sports. 

"Airman Justin was a high school wrestling standout and it is fantastic that the Air Force has a venue for him to continue a dream," the major said. "His Defender family and I are extremely proud of him and will be cheering him on as he continues to compete."