By Chris Bennett
Don’t expect Elkhorn Area High School’s Steve Stukas to linger on his performance at the WIAA Division 1 State Track & Field Championships June 6 at UW-LaCrosse.
Stukas did not finish with a performance indicative of his ability. The now-graduated senior finished 24th in Divison 1 in the shot put with a long heave of 41-3.5.
“It was my back,” Stukas said. “It gave out after the first throw.”
Stukas said he dealt with back issues during track and field season, a lingering and unintended consequence suffered as the result of an ankle injury sustained last fall during football season.
“I think I could have done a lot better, if I didn’t have the problem I did,” Stukas said.
Stukas qualified for state after finishing second May 30 at the WIAA Division 1 Track and Field Sectional at Janesville Parker High School. Stukas’ long throw came in at 47-6. Kenosha Bradford’s Steve Melotik finished first in the event with a long of 49-6.
Stukas threw a distance of 50-4 May 27 at the WIAA Division 1 Track and Field Regional at Lake Geneva Badger High School, and finished second to Melotik (51-07).
Melotik finished 13th at state (49-02). Kimberly’s Matt Weinhold won the event (56-11). Green Bay Preble’s Steve Marcelle set the state record of 67-06 when he won in 2005.
Again – don’t expect Stukas to linger on his performance at state. There is too much to love in his past, present and future.
A year from now, if all continues according to plan, Stukas will be completing his freshman year at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he expects to major in International Affairs and minor in Mandarin Chinese.
He will be attending school across the street from the State Department, the home of his future dream job. Both are located in Washington, D.C.’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood.
“I want to get a job in the State Department as some kind of ambassador,” Stukas said. “I want to work overseas for the U.S. Government.
“The only reason I can attend George Washington is I’m getting a full-ride scholarship from the Marines.”
Upon completion of his studies at George Washington, Stukas will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in a yet-to-be determined career field. Stukas said he is thinking of either intelligence or aviation.
“I’m pretty excited,” Stukas said. “I’m ready to start the next chapter of my life. I want this summer to fly by and start college, and then my four years in the Marines will fly by. It will go quick.”
Attending George Washington is a return east for Stukas. He was born in Sag Harbor, New York, which is on Long Island.
He lived there with his mom, Ying, who is from Thailand, and his brother and two sisters, until 2005, when they moved to Elkhorn with Pastor Susan McKeegan-Guinn and her husband, Jerry.
Both served as Presbyterian pastors. Susan is retired. Jerry retired before passing on in 2007. Stukas and his family started living with the McKeegan-Guinn’s in New York in 2002.
“It was actually my decision,” Stukas said. “I was really close with Jerry. He was my father figure. I decided I wanted to move with them. She (his mother) backed the decision. We moved out here.”
Stukas practiced as a Buddhist Monk for a month when he was in eighth grade. He likened the custom to the Jewish Bar Mitzvah, which signifies a young boy’s passage into manhood. Stukas and his family are Buddhists.
Stukas’ family also owns and operates a Thai restaurant in Walworth named Two Sisters, where Stukas occasionally helps out.
At graduation, Stukas graduated 20th in his class and with an academic honor cord. He served as Vice President of the senior class on Student Council, and served on Student Council for three years.
Stukas also played football at Elkhorn. Steve Simonson coached Stukas in both football and track. Simonson is the Elks’ track and field coach, and joked that Stukas entered the “land of the giants” whenever his senior threw shot and discus.
The Elks’ 2013 football roster lists Stukas at 5-foot-7 inches and 172 pounds. Most in the shot and discus are considerably larger.
“Steve was a great leader for our boys track team,” Simonson said. “His hard work, both in the throwing circles and in the weight room, are the reason the he had such a high level of success in the throws, despite his size.”
Jo Ann Schaffer, the Elks’ throws coach, echoed Simonson’s comments.
“Steve is a coach’s dream athlete, the kind that does not come along very often,” Schaffer said. “Steve is a great leader for the younger athletes. His attitude, work ethic and acceptance of coaching make him a special athlete.”
So again, don’t expect Stukas to linger on a momentary setback on a late spring day in LaCrosse, but do expect to hear from him in the future. Trophies collect dust, but lessons learned in the pursuit of accolades endure forever.
“You could always depend on Steve to be at practice, working hard on all parts of throwing to get better,” Schaffer said. “Practice time was to be used productively, not wasted.”
“This commitment to track and field and throwing showed younger athletes the importance of commitment, and what can be achieved when one puts forth their maximum effort.”
