MELVINDALE — To Faisal and Ameer Munassar, wrestling is more than a sport; it is a passion, a lifestyle. It represents a bond between a proud father and an industrious son, a dedicated coach and a victorious champion. 

Ameer Munassar, 19, of Melvindale, a Downriver community of 10,500 people, “got hooked” on wrestling when he was 5. He won the state’s high school championship last year while attending Melvindale High School. 

He now attends Eastern Michigan University, where he wants to continue to wrestle.

Throughout his early years, Munassar was constantly growing his skills. Having a readily available trainer outside the gym helped. He would train with his father at home after the official practice.

Faisal Munassar, a 1988 graduate of Melvindale High School, wrestled for the school as a student, along with his three brothers.

As he grew older, the elder Munassar couldn’t get away from the sport he cherished. He started volunteering to help young athletes at Melvindale High School and eventually became the coach there.

This is his sixth and final year at the school. But he is not leaving the sport. He will become an official referee. 

“Always family first,” Faisal said. “Then your education second, then sports because it keeps you out of trouble; it keeps you in shape and it gives you life experience.”

Ameer echoed his father’s comments about the virtues of athletics.

“It taught me hard work and not to give up,” he said.

This resilience was demonstrated when he tore a meniscus in his knee in junior year and underwent surgery.

“He just worked out every day to get his legs stronger,” Faisal said of his son. “I’m talking morning, night, all day. He ended up coming back and winning the state tournament.”

Ameer went into the championship final last year with a record of 51-1. With only one defeat in his career, his numbers seemed great. However, that one loss was to his undefeated opponent in the final.

He said winning the championship was the best moment of his life.

“All the hard work paid off,” he said. 

Ameer encourages high school students to be physically active, which makes the school experience more engaging and fun.

Wrestling is divided by weight classes. The goal of the duels is to pin the opponent on his back for longer than two seconds.

Faisal said wrestling allows kids to act out their aggression within a friendly environment, where rules minimize physical harm to athletes. Punching, kicking and elbowing are not allowed.

The coach has two other sons, aged 11 and 4. The middle one has no interest in the sport, while the youngest is excited to follow in his eldest brother’s footsteps.

“Wrestling is a kind of a lifestyle for us,” Faisal said.

The Munassar family moved to Melvindale in 1973, when Faisal was 3-years-old. They were the first Yemeni family in town.

Over the past decade, the Arab community in the city has grown exponentially. The wrestling trainer said Melvindale has always been a welcoming town.

“The last few years, I don’t know what happened; you see a lot of Yemenis moving to Melvindale,” he said. “It’s nice. I like it because now you can communicate with people from your own culture that you understand.”

Although he is not a teacher, Faisal tries to help students who may not speak English.

Ameer, who is majoring in accounting, said that when he competes, he represents all aspects of his identity— as a Melvindale resident and as a Yemeni American.

He said he hopes he is setting a positive example for Arab and Muslim youth in Southeast Michigan.

His father added that Muslims have nothing to prove in Melvindale because they have been a positive presence in the city, which embraced them.

But nationally, Muslims’ achievements could counter the bigoted rhetoric from pundits and politicians, he added.