Remembering Veterans wrestler Michael Cain

U.S. Veterans wrestler Chris Brown presents Michael Cain's World bronze medal to his widow Roselle Cain during memorial services in Florida. Photo courtesy of Chris Brown

Veterans Team USA wrestler Michael Cain of Florida was 51 years old and wrestled at 130kg/286 lbs. in the 51-55 year old division.

He collapsed during his opening round match of the Veterans World Greco-Roman Championship held in Kouvola, Finland on September 5, 2009. Cain received immediate medical assistance, but those providing care could not revive him.

There were three athletes in his weight class. FILA awarded a bronze medal to him, which was accepted on his behalf by his teammates during a very emotional ceremony.

Immediate and exhaustive efforts to revive Mike included the use of AED equipment and adrenalin by medical professionals. Preliminary autopsy reports from Finland stated he died from cardiac arrest. More detailed results are pending in 1-2 weeks.

Despite the traumatic occurrences of Saturday morning, later that day in the 51-55 years old division, California's Valentin Kalika won USA's lone gold medal at 69 kg/152 lbs and Maryland's Chris Brown regrouped to capture a bronze medal at 76 kg/167.5 lbs. One day earlier, Maryland's James Schartner brought home a silver medal at 58 kg/127.75 lbs. in the 55-above age group.

The entire US delegation pulled together during a very extraordinary trying set of circumstances. Every member selflessly assisted in medical attention, embassy and family notification, local authority coordination, and the collection of personal items.

We are grateful to our Finnish hosts and the international community of wrestlers, coaches, officials, and friends for the honor and dignity they displayed for Mike Cain and Team USA. USA Wrestling is proud of the courageous and unselfish actions of our veterans Greco team members.

Funeral services for Michael Cain were held September 26th in Ocala, Fla. His bronze medal and a US flag used during the awards ceremony were presented to his wife Roselle by coach and fellow teammate Chris Brown. She also requested for Chris to speak at Mike's funeral.

Here are excerpts from the eulogy delivered by Chris Brown on behalf of USA Wrestling and the U.S. Veterans World Team

While most all of you have known Michael Cain much longer than I have, I stand here this afternoon, given the awesome privilege and blessing to share with you the last chapter of Mike's glorious life with us in Finland. While some of it is painful to recall and listen to, it is my prayer and hope that by sharing this story, it will be enlightening, comforting, fun and uplifting to his family, friends, and his young team. Thank you, Roselle, for allowing me to place the exclamation mark at the end of Mike's life. I am both humbled and honored to do so.

For most of us on the USA Veteran's Greco Team, we got to know Mike over just three days with him in Finland at the Veteran's World Championships for Greco-Roman Wrestling. The time we spent with him during his last week of life made a most profound impact on all of our lives. But that's not all, his life in Finland made perhaps the most amazing and profound impact on the entire international wrestling community in attendance from around the world. That week was the final chapter of Michael Cain's glorious life. I hope that I have captured words to tell of his world-class excitement, express our team's pain, and share with you how his life and death moved the hearts of everyone at the Veteran's World Championships. I am calling his final chapter, "Just Like Mike!"

It was around 7pm Wednesday evening September 2nd when we arrived at our team hotel in Kouvola, Finland. There in the lobby sat a big man, with a big chest and arms, wearing a USMC tank top with a big smile on his face. We immediately knew we were on the same USA Team and shook hands. Mike wasted no time filling us in on the hotel specifics - important stuff like the sauna location, the hotels internet computer, a nearby running path, and of course, where the meals were served in the hotel restaurant. I thought to myself, he's seems like a really nice guy.

Team USA started Thursday off with a morning workout to dust off some jetlag and get ready for the wrestling competition. Mike was happy, upbeat, and seemed very confident as he stretched, warmed up, and drilled. After our workout, we boarded our bus headed back to our hotel. Mike and I chatted about how we were going to have a BIG dinner the next night after our weigh-in.

Friday morning we were up early coaching and cheering on our "younger" teammates in age Division C (46-50 yr olds) and some "older ones" in the E division (55+) as they opened up the Championships. There were over 35 countries in attendance with almost 400 wrestlers from around the world. This was Mike's second Wrestling World Championships and he seemed at ease and comfortable as he made his way around the arena floor, smiling, shaking hands with other big guys, and posing for pictures with fellow competitors who all shared our love for wrestling - even if we could not speak the same language.

As we both stood in the line for our Division D (51-55 yr old) we looked around trying to figure out which guys were in our weight class. We were kind of sizing up the competition. You young wrestlers know what I'm talking about don't you? Well trust me; well you never stop doing that, even when you get older. Anyway, we both made weight and headed over to the cafeteria where our Finnish host graciously fed us lunch and dinner each day. We were hungry and everything smelled good. And although we couldn't quite recognize some of the foods, we still filled our plates and headed to a table with several other USA teammates.

As we sat down, Mike asked if he could bless the food and we all gave him an unashamed "absolutely"…. not just because we were Christians….but also because we didn't know exactly what we were about to eat! I thought to myself, it's nice to share this experience with other Christians. Between bites of mystery meat and gulps of an unknown drink, we all shared some of our Christian faith, experiences, and beliefs on why we all thought God wanted us to be in Finland. Mike was passionate about his purpose for being there in Finland. He told us he used to powerlift and weighed 350 lbs. at one time. He shared that he had also won 15 World and 20 National Lifting Championships. He shared his love for his family, his sons, and especially his wife. As I listened to Mike, I discovered we were very similar in many ways. We were the same age, both had 3 sons, and nothing could keep us from wrestling. We both loved coaching and tried to be a living example of God's love by giving of ourselves and our time to others. We all left the cafeteria full and in awesome wonder at how different people from different walks of life all shared a common love, a similar passion, and an awesome Creator.

Saturday morning I met Mike in the hotel restaurant for breakfast. He had already sampled the buffet which featured a more traditional looking breakfast foods - the toast looked just like toast, the cereal was cereal, and a boiled egg in Finland tasted just like a boiled egg at home. Mike was very excited during breakfast and shared that how somehow the tournament officials had placed him in the much younger age group with 8 people. But after several phone calls they finally got him placed in the appropriate age group with only 3 wrestlers in his bracket. We finished breakfast and headed out to the competition arena.

Once again, Mike was in his element as he walked around the mats and loosened up. He knew he had a medal and it was up to him to determine what color it would be. I had received a BYE the first round and would be in Mike's corner to coach him for his first match. When his match was about to begin he was loose, he joked a bit, and had his strategy all figured out. Mike's opponent was a hometown guy from Finland. But Team USA was right there next to the mat cheering him on while I coached from his corner of the mat.

The first period was very close. Mike was the more aggressive wrestler and scored the first point with a takedown. He looked strong, and moved very well the entire first period. Even though the period ended in a 1-1 tie, Mike won based on scoring criteria. In the international style of wrestling you have to win two out of three periods and you get a 60 second rest between each period. So Mike strolled to his corner, sat upright in his chair, and smiled as we fanned him, toweled him off, and gave him advice for the second period. When his rest was over, he headed back out to the center of the mat, smiled at his opponent and shook hands again. Mike then proceeded to wrestle like he was going to win this period too and be in the gold medal match. But God already had a different plan for Michael.

Just over one minute into the second period, Mike stopped wrestling. At that instant, I believe with all of my heart, at that very moment angels were dispatched from Heaven to take Michael's soul home to be with the Lord. His body slowly dropped to the mat and did not move again. I rushed from my coach's chair, turned him on his back, and immediately started CPR with the help of Coach Eric Sypes. The onsite medical staff, including a doctor, rushed to take over and continue CPR. Further CPR effort was provided by two large Swedish wrestlers who informed us they were also firefighters. The local paramedics arrived and continued revival efforts. Despite immediate, continuous, and exhaustive medical assistance we could not revive Michael.

Our team could not hide our grief. We paced back and forth, prayed, and cried on the center mat all trying to make sense out of what we were witnessing. How were we supposed to re-focus and wrestle after this tragedy? Then I remembered something Mike said just a few hours earlier at breakfast. "God really wants us to be successful!" he proclaimed. When I recalled that earlier conversation I questioned God. I'm human and inside of me I felt anger. How could this be God's plan? What was the purpose of this? Why Mike? What about his wife and children? But it was right then, when Mike's body was being rolled away that God's plan was starting to be revealed to all of us. Well at least to me!

You see, we were on the center mat, right in the middle of the arena. Wrestling had stopped on the right and the left mats and all of the focus was on the center mat. The message was simple. Just like Mike's life, God wants us to have Him at the center of our lives so that everyone will see His love through us. His plan was just starting to unfold. You see, for the rest of that day other wrestlers would express their condolences to Team USA. They rendered a solemn nod or would place their hands over their heart to show their shared hurt. But that was just the beginning.

That evening at the awards ceremony we placed a folded US flag on the podium and solemnly and tearfully accepted Mike's bronze medal as a team. For what seemed like five minutes, the applause rang out in the arena for Mike. As Team USA gathered his medal, flag, and flowers from the awards stand, the clapping started again and dozens of people rushed to take pictures of us with Mike's Medal and flag. Then, without direction or plans, almost every country, every wrestler, every coach, every official, every local guest lined up to pay their respect to Michael Cain. For the next 20 minutes we shook hands, hugged, cried, and shared our loss with the wrestling world. We were neither Americans, Russians, Germans, Turks, Iranians nor any of the other 30 countries in attendance…….we were all just God's people…. sharing in what was the greatest impromptu outpouring of international human compassion I have ever experienced. Mike's life had impacted the world and his legacy, just like his love for people, had touched everyone. While none of us would ever be the same after this experience and that night, personally, I'll strive to be more like Mike in the future.

I'd like to share three messages that I think Mike would want us to take from the sudden and unexpected end to his exceptional life. First, and perhaps most profound, Mike lived his last days professing his Christian faith to everyone he met in Finland. When God called him to heaven, there was nothing left for Mike to do. His spiritual life was in order and there was nothing else he needed to do. So this message is to all of us. We must all ask ourselves a simple question. Have I done all that I need to do? Is my spiritual life in order? Am I just like Mike?

Secondly, Mike finished his earthly journey doing exactly what he loved with passion and vigor. He was wrestling, he was pummeling, he was trying to score, and fighting to win. I think his message is to all of us again, but especially to the young people out there that he coached and loved. DON'T YOU EVER QUIT!! KEEP FIGHTING TO WIN!! Mike's did not quit even up to the last minute of his life. Do you know what move he hit with just 45 seconds of life left? An underarm spin!! For those who don't know wrestling, this maneuver involves spinning your entire body completely around in a circle under the opponents arm. There is a message in his last move. To the young people on his team, and anyone else out there, if your life is headed in the wrong direction or you're going the wrong way, turn your body all the way around and head in the direction that Mike would want you to go! Don't you give up trying. Be just like Mike.

Thirdly, when Mike's spirit left his earthly body headed for heaven, he had a smile on his face. Yes, the same smile that we have all seen and talked about today. Our team all saw it and were amazed. But, it reminds me of the story in the Bible when Mary went to the tomb of Jesus after His crucifixion. She was met there by an angel that basically told her, "Why are you looking here? Jesus has risen". That's Mike's message left to us all, but especially to his family and Roselle. He's alright. He left us with a smile and he is still smiling in heaven. In fact, he's probably wrestling with Gabriel or anybody that will roll around with him. I can just picture Mike in heaven smiling and sharing his stories with all of the saints. Imagine that. Don't you want to be just like Mike?

Mike was a gentle giant with a personable engaging smile. He shared his Christian faith openly during his last days on earth. He displayed his joy and excitement for wrestling during his last hours at the World Championships. Then he wrestled with passion and a winning determination during his last minutes of life. It was a blessing getting to know him and to coach him. Mike's four days in Finland impacted the world and will leave more of an impact on my life than my own bronze medal.

Well, since Mike left us with a smile I also want to leave you with smiles as I end with two funny stories about him in Finland. During dinner he shared with us some of his past successes in powerlifting. He said he weighed 350lbs when he was in a car accident. His exact words were, "God told me to stop powerlifting, loose some weight, and start 'wrastlin' again." I thought hum-m-m-m, "WRASTLIN." Now I'm from up North and to me there's a difference between wrestling and wrastlin. Mike was a big guy, so I thought maybe he was wraslin bears or something. Then I thought, well he is from Florida, and they do have alligator wrastlin' in some parts. But the more I listened to him, the more I knew that we shared the same passion for the exact same sport and it did not include any bears, gators, or any other wild animals.

And finally, just before Mike went out to wrestle his last match, I asked him what was his strategy? What was he going to do to win? He smiled and said, "I am going to score early, use my strength to wear him down, and stall the rest of the way!" Then he struck a muscle man pose as if he were being photographed for a magazine cover. He pointed his finger at us and declared, "Don't you film me if I am on my back either!" (And he never was!) Needless to say, we all laughed as we marched towards the center mat with Mike leading the smiles. I thought to myself, I wish I could be that relaxed before my matches…..just like Mike!!

NOTE: Roselle Cain expresses her sincerest gratitude for the support and assistance from FILA, USA Wrestling, and the USA Veterans World Team. She sends a special thanks to Eric Sypes and Chris Brown for producing a DVD tribute with photos and portions of Mike's match along with one of his favorite songs "Spirit in the Sky."