Vincent J Pecora Jr Memorial Wrestling Scholarship
Donation protected
My dad’s two biggest loves in life were family and wrestling – and in his eyes they were one and the same. If you were a part of the wrestling community, you were a part of his extended family and that’s all there was to it. And if he ever made you a part of hisfamily you would’ve known it immediately. He would jump right in to support you in any and every way that he could. Whether it be a heartfelt pep talk after a tough loss, a Gatorade after making weight, or maybe even a road trip to Virginia Beach to watch you compete, you could feel how much he cared.
He could almost always be found in a gymnasium during a dual meet or tournament. Sometimes he would pop up at a local wrestling club or high school wrestling practice. Wherever you may have run into him, without a doubt you would have seen him offering sage advice to a young wrestler or screaming at the top of his lungs from the stands rooting for them. It didn’t matter if he knew you personally or not, he loved all wrestlers and treated them like family.
My dad knew just how tough it was to be a wrestler; it is an individual sport and very difficult to master. It takes a tremendous amount of heart and when you step onto the mat, there’s no one to rely on except yourself and the hard work you put in to get there. The pursuit of becoming a great wrestler is a long, hard journey and my dad wanted all wrestlers to know they had someone to lean on in good times and bad, through victory or defeat. He believed that the result of a match was not the true lesson; it was the hard work and sacrifice that you put in along the way just so you could get a little bit better each day. He also believed that if you chose to wrestle and did everything you could to improve that eventually, one day, you would apply the lessons you learned along the way to LIFE.
In his honor we would like to set up the Vincent J. Pecora Jr. Scholarship Foundation. He may no longer be physically with us, but his love and support will always be here. To keep his memory alive, we will continue to support young wrestlers in their pursuit of higher education. All we ask in return is that anyone who knew him continue to speak his name, tell his stories, and share their knowledge, tips and words of encouragement with one another. It takes a village to make a great wrestler and we hope to continue his legacy and extend his impact to future generations of wrestlers.
He could almost always be found in a gymnasium during a dual meet or tournament. Sometimes he would pop up at a local wrestling club or high school wrestling practice. Wherever you may have run into him, without a doubt you would have seen him offering sage advice to a young wrestler or screaming at the top of his lungs from the stands rooting for them. It didn’t matter if he knew you personally or not, he loved all wrestlers and treated them like family.
My dad knew just how tough it was to be a wrestler; it is an individual sport and very difficult to master. It takes a tremendous amount of heart and when you step onto the mat, there’s no one to rely on except yourself and the hard work you put in to get there. The pursuit of becoming a great wrestler is a long, hard journey and my dad wanted all wrestlers to know they had someone to lean on in good times and bad, through victory or defeat. He believed that the result of a match was not the true lesson; it was the hard work and sacrifice that you put in along the way just so you could get a little bit better each day. He also believed that if you chose to wrestle and did everything you could to improve that eventually, one day, you would apply the lessons you learned along the way to LIFE.
In his honor we would like to set up the Vincent J. Pecora Jr. Scholarship Foundation. He may no longer be physically with us, but his love and support will always be here. To keep his memory alive, we will continue to support young wrestlers in their pursuit of higher education. All we ask in return is that anyone who knew him continue to speak his name, tell his stories, and share their knowledge, tips and words of encouragement with one another. It takes a village to make a great wrestler and we hope to continue his legacy and extend his impact to future generations of wrestlers.
Organizer
Pecora Family
Organizer
Baldwin, NY
