Bob CollinsA little bit of uplifting news won’t kill us so, of course, Steve Hartman of CBS provided it over the weekend with the story of Marek Bush, a high school wrestler near Utica, N.Y., who might’ve beaten competitor Logan Patterson — although Patterson seemed to be in control — if the match had concluded.
But it didn’t, because Patterson injured an elbow with about 30 seconds left. Bush could’ve moved in for the kill after Patterson returned to the mat after a 90-second injury time out.
He didn’t. He surrendered the match because he didn’t want to win that way.
“I know it makes me look kind of like a weakling,” Marek said.
“It’s not about winning all the time, it’s about doing what’s right. And he did,” Bob said.
The Utica Observer-Dispatch, which first reported the story of the Jan. 5 tournament, said the crowd gave the kid a standing ovation.
“I just got the word ‘don’t’ out of my mouth when Marek said, ‘I know what to do,’” said Bob Bush, an unsung hero in this story.
“It was touching. It was the pinnacle of class. He knew he was beat, but what a class act. I had tears in my eyes. People started to stand up and I even started clapping,” referee Terry Kavanaugh said.
“Here I am, 57 years old, wishing I could grow up to be like him. It was more than the right thing to do. It was great to see, something the country should see, especially these days. I was just happy to be a part of it. In my eyes, what (Bush) did was better than winning a state championship.”
