FOCUSED ON THE WIN

When Shawn Stacye hits the gym, his focus is on winning his next big match—in jiu-jitsu.

BY MARY ELLEN CHILES

Shawn Stacye has worked for Prime for eight years, and the last seven of those years were as a fleet manager. Working at Prime is a family affair for Shawn: his aunt, sister, cousin, wife, mom and sister-in-law have all worked for Prime. But when he’s not working, you can find him winning medals in jiu-jitsu.

Shawn just started learning jiu-jitsu, a form of martial arts, in February 2021. He compares it to wrestling, with no striking or hitting. The goal is to get the opponent to submit or to win by points, which you earn with different moves. Matches last just six minutes.

“One of our other fleet managers kept bugging me to come up to a gym that was right down the road from my house in Republic, Missouri,” Shawn says. “I came in there, and it just kind of made me feel at home.”

Shawn had done a form of martial arts while serving in the Marine Corps from 2008 to 2016, but before that, he says he wasn’t that athletic.

That all changed while he was in the service, and now his kids are turning into athletes as well. “My daughter is 4 and she competes, and my son, who’s 10, does as well,” he says.

Shawn enjoys the challenge of the sport and describes it like a puzzle. Certain hand movements require corresponding leg movements, and he likes that he has to focus. “Halfway through the match, I could look up and be like, ‘Okay, I might be up by two points, or I might be down by five, but I have to think of what I need to do to score that next point,’” he says.

Shawn likes to travel to competitions as a ring coordinator, meaning he scores matches and competes. Athletes are separated by weight and belt class. Currently a white belt, he competes in the heavyweight class at 205 pounds, though sometimes competitors outweigh him— one opponent weighed 420 pounds.

Shawn competes in both open tournaments and bigger events, like the Pan American Championship and Worlds. He trains 10 to 13 hours each week and has competed in 19 tournaments. He tries to compete in various divisions so he can challenge himself, and so far, he’s only had one match where he hasn’t finished in the top three.

He loves the challenge and freedom of the sport. “It’s like being back in high school with sports and getting to do it with your friends,” he says. “You’re proving yourself that what you’ve worked on is better than what others have worked on.” That drive to win keeps him focused even when he doesn’t feel like hitting the gym. He might be new to the sport, but he’s throwing himself into it fully.

“There are days where I don’t want to go to the gym, but I know I need to, so I’ll get up and go and enjoy it,” he says. Shawn hopes to earn a black belt, but that’s not the goal. “I’d love to make the black belts, but if you focus on it you miss the whole point of what you’re doing this for. I just want to enjoy the sport and just keep learning,” he says.