Marc Gomes makes his life story one of strong character

September 5, 2009

By Ron Chimelis, Springfield Republican

Wherever he turned, Marc Gomes saw trouble.

He just turned away. But he still turns back, to the city that is home, trying to make it a little more positive and a little better.

"I still talk to a lot of my old friends," says Gomes, a Westfield State College senior and one of New England's best track athletes. "A lot of them are in different gangs now. In Springfield, you've got to watch out."

Gomes, 21, is not in a gang. Next year, he will become a U.S. Naval officer.

As a freshman in 2006-07, the High School of Commerce graduate ran the 100-meter sprint in 10.8 seconds, a Westfield State record.

He missed most of his sophomore season while on Naval Reserve duty. Last year, Gomes was the New England Alliance champion in the indoor 55, 200 and 400, and in the outdoor 100 and 200.

His mission these days is to send a message, by example as much as by words.

He wants it known that tough times need not translate into tragic futures. If someone isn't sure, they can feel free to look at him.

"Marc has always been mature beyond his years," said Gary Mindell, who coached Gomes in basketball at Commerce.

"He came from a bad situation, but he stayed clear of all that negative stuff on the streets. He was always focused."

"Marc has come to the table at a very opportune time," said Joan Fuller, who supervises Westfield State's urban education program.

"Our program is about empowerment. He does it by example."

Gomes' old friends are still his friends, but he has chosen a different life.

"Baggy pants and jeans, that's not me. I was never into going to clubs and all that," Gomes said. "That's where the trouble starts. I've had friends shot and killed."

Gomes' major of liberal studies combines criminal justice, geography and history. His life's lessons, by comparison, did not come from lecture halls.

His real father wound up in jail and out of his life at a young age, Gomes said.

With his mother, Cindy, and four siblings, Gomes lived in a shelter for two years. He understands how the city can swallow some people up.

"I can see why people go into the street and do stuff," Gomes said.

His stepfather was Tom Nichols, a Technical High basketball star in the early 1980s. In Nichols, Gomes found a soulmate.

"He was unbelievable. He was the one who really got me into sports," Gomes said.

One day in 2000, Nichols stepped out of a cafe in the Pine Point section and was hit by a car. He died in 2003, three years after going into a coma.

Sports helped keep Gomes' life together. Track was his best, but he also played basketball (where he credits coaches Mindell and Chris Sutton for helping motivate him) and football.

"Marc has always been positive, ever since I have known him" said his wife, Tanaesha, who met Gomes in high school and married him on June 1, 2008.

Gomes is a family man. He has eight siblings.

"I have a younger brother, Dominique, a junior at Commerce, who is getting to that age," he said.

"I sometimes leave college and go to the high school and see what's going on."

Last year, Dominique made the honor roll.

Gomes considers Westfield State a godsend.

"I was supposed to go to Wheaton, but I didn't have the money. I had a scholarship to the University of Miami, but that was a long way away," he said.

Two days before school opened in 2006, with Fuller's help, he was accepted into Westfield State.

"I was lucky," said this young man who has seen death, danger and poverty all around him.

But the lucky ones, say those who know him, will be those who hear his message and heed his story.

"He has stood tall. He has honored commitments," Fuller said.

"It's hard to do, but he does it naturally."