Marinko sees bright future after Rio Games
By John Parker, 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs / Published October 17, 2016
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --
The Team USA men’s sitting volleyball team ended winless during
the 2016 Paralympic Games, but it wasn’t a total loss for future
competitiveness, Tinker’s Paralympic athlete J. Dee Marinko said recently.
“The main thing we learned is that no matter what, we can
compete,” Marinko said.
Team USA was the underdog in the competition. It had been 12 years
since the United States qualified for the Paralympics, held last month in Rio
de Janeiro.
The other top-seeded teams in the world benefit from regular
professional league play, which the Americans don’t have.
The team’s strongest performance was against Germany in their
second match. After falling behind two sets to one, the U.S. rallied in the
fourth set to force a fifth set, eventually losing the set 15-10 in points. The
games are normally decided in the best of three sets.
“We took the reigning bronze medalist from 2012 to five sets,”
said Marinko, a production controller with the 550th Commodities Maintenance
Squadron. “We can compete with these guys. I think at first we were kind of in
awe of the whole situation (the team lost to home-team Brazil in the first
match), then we realized, ‘Hey, we can compete,’ and we went out there and we
played Germany really, really well.
“We gave them everything we had. For us to compete and play with
them like that, it was a really good thing for us.”
Two more losses to Egypt and China ended their play in Rio.
Marinko, a 6’4” hitter, was spotlighted often for individual play and point
scoring by USA Volleyball in game recaps.
The men’s team won a victory in spirit, however, when the women’s
sitting volleyball team emerged with its first-ever gold medal in the tournament.
The women were also voted the “Best Paralympic Team” in the games.
Marinko, who attended the gold medal match, said the women’s win
was “amazing.” The two USA teams have practiced together over the years and
both help each other out with improving their respective play, he said.
Women’s coach Bill Hamiter thanked Marinko and other men’s
players, crediting them with earning a piece of the medal for their help and
encouragement over the years, Marinko said.
“I took a lot of pride in it,” he said. “It’s a great thing to be
recognized by him.”
The six-year team member said the honor of representing the United
States has been called a once-in-a-lifetime experience. He doesn’t plan to
leave it that way, however.
“Once I got there, I was like, ‘I want to come back,’” he
said. “I want to go back and experience another one, and another one, and
another one … I’m hoping we’ll continue to be competitive and get back to Tokyo
in 2020.”