LDS Olumpic wrestler Mark Fuller was riding in a bus with several teammates past the Los Angeles Temple Sept. 4 when one of them said, "That's the temple, isn't it? What's that all about? Is that where you go to church?"
Fuller, a seminary teacher in the Gresham (Ore.) 3rd Ward, explained the difference between meetinghouses and temples and shared some of the church's beliefs."My teammates know I'm a Latter-day Saint," he said, "and I'm often able to tell them about the Church."
He and three boxers from Tonga - Tualau Fale, Palako Vaka and Sione Talia'uli - are Church members competing in wrestling and boxing competitions at the 1988 Summer Olumpic Games, Sept. 18-Oct. 2 in Seoul, Korea. Fale is a heavyweight boxer; Vaka, a middleweight; and Talia'uli, a light heavyweight, on Tonga's Olympic boxing squad.
Fuller, 27, is the veteran of the four, having qualified for two prior Olumpics in 1980 and 1984. He was converted to the church while attending high school in Roseville, Calif. His wrestling coach, Dick Snider, and a fellow student, Gary Oxley, were Latter-day Saints, and they stimulated his interest in the Church. He investigated and was baptized in 1979.
In 1980, shortly after he graduated from high school, he made his first U.S. Olympic Team and would have competed in Greco Roman wrestling competition if not for the U.S. boycott of the Games. He returned in 1984 but was eliminated in the first round.
This year, he will wrestle in the 105-pound weight class, said Bill Maresh, a student assistant wrestling coach at BYU and Greco Roman wrestler. Maresh said he and Fuller competed on the same junior world team from 1979-1981.
"In Greco Roman wrestling, you can't use your legs," Maresh explained. "All take downs are from the upper body."
Maresh said points are scored on many factors, including the way in which a wrestler throws an opponent to the mat. It's not as popular as the freestyle wrestling used in U.S. high schools and colleges, and the U.S. team doesn't do as well in Greco Roman as it does in Olympic freestyle competition.
But Fuller has a shot at a medal this year, Maresh said. Fuller's drop from competing in the 114-pound weight division in 1984 to the 105-pound class this year should improve his chances, Meresh noted.
"Mark probably is twice as good as he was during the last Olympics," Maresh said.
It was Fuller who introduced Maresh to the church in 1981 when they were training for junior world competition in Nebraska. They were roommates, and often talked about religion. Since Maresh's family had been interested in the Church, he knew something about it. Fuller brought the missionaries over and introduced them to Maresh, who studied and was converted. He ws later baptized and confirmed by his rommated.
Fuller doesn't hesitate to share the gospel, because it has meant to much to him.
"The Church has given me more direction than anything else in my life," he said just before leaving for Korea Sept. 4. "The Church has helped me understand where my talents come from. The gospel has been a motivation and inspiration in my life."
After competing in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Fuller worked three years as an assistant coach at BYU. He met his wife, Heidi Coster, there. They were married in the Oakland Temple in 1985 and have a son.
As an Olympian, Fuller said he feels a responsibility to be a role model, especially to LDS youths.
"I taught early-morning seminary this past year in Sandy, ORe.," he said. "I loved that. I love working with kids. We were teaching the Old Testament, and it was a lerning experience for me as well as my students."
He also speaks at firesides and doesn't make his Church membership a secret in interviews.
"I always wanted to make sure that it comes across that the gospel is first in my life," he said. "No matter what goes on, the most important thing is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Athletics is something I do and enjoy, and I do my best when I'm competing, but that's not all-important in my life."
The Tongans express similar feelings about the gospel. Tualau Fale of the Lapaha Ward on the island of Tongatapu is a returned missionary who was converted while attending Liahona High School.
"I love the Church with all of my heart," Fale said. "And I want people to know that I'm a Latter-day Saint. I make it a point when people talk to me in interviews or elsewhere to say something about the Church.
"I have a strong testimony of the Word of Wisdom and the law of chastity," he continued. "I still cling to what my seminary teacher taught me: My fortunes would rise and fall in sports depending on my commitment to the Lord."
Fale's temmate is Sione Talia'uli of the Longlongo Ward on Tongatapu who began weeping as he shared his testimony of the Church.
"I know the Church is true with all of my heart," he said.