Things change.
The first day of a new year is often used to comment on changes that happened in the previous year and/or speculate on what will be new in the one that is just beginning.
Things change.
Early competition results seem to indicate that the Iowa Hawkeyes will have a difficult time winning a fourth consecutive NCAA Division I wrestling championship. In fact there is a good chance that a new member may be added to that elite fraternity of Division I team champions. Cornell University has the strength and experience to possibly join a group that hasn’t added a new member since Minnesota joined in 2001. As the new year starts, Penn State, Oklahoma State and Minnesota appear to be their biggest challengers.
Things change.
A “’burg” has won the last 16 NCAA Division III Championships – Augsburg with 9 and Wartburg with 7. Ithaca was the last “non ‘burg” to win a DIII title in 1994. Both Augsburg and Wartburg are still among the leading contenders, but St John’s, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Coe, Ithaca and The College of New Jersey all have teams that might be strong enough to break the “’burg” stronghold.
Things change.
Wrestling coverage grew significantly in 2010. The addition of Big Ten Network broadcasts was a major milestone. Scott Casber scored a triumph when he got his wrestling highlight show, Takedown Radio and Television, in a major Eastern cable market. However, the bulk of the growth has come on the internet where many events are now live streamed.
Things change.
Tickets for Kids has grown from a one-time effort to support wrestling and the Division III Championships (and my city) into an ongoing effort to help kids get and stay excited about wrestling. The biggest change has been the help I’ve received – literally from all over the country. Kevin Roberts, Coach Jim Zalesky and their supporters at Oregon State joined in. Rod Frost started Tickets for Kids-Minnesota and raised enough money for about 500 kids to attend Golden Gopher dual meets. In 2010, thanks to your generosity, almost 2,500 youngsters attended wrestling events ranging from the USA vs. Russia freestyle dual at Hofstra to dual meets at the University of Northern Iowa.
2011 is off to a promising start. Thanks to hard work from “super-mom”, Gail Rush, Arno Niemand and an effort led by 2X NCAA champion Chuck Yagla and his employer, Bob Buckley, of the Kirk Gross Company – at least 200 kids will be attending the National Duals next weekend.
Things change.
If you’ve read this for any length of time, you know that I have been self-employed for the past 20 years. My little company, Direct Marketing Solutions, has been helping companies and charities sell products or raise money by putting envelopes in your mailbox since 1990. On November 8th Direct Marketing Solutions was acquired by TAG Communications of Davenport, Iowa to form TAG Direct Marketing. I am now charged with building a new division within a larger, growing company. For the first time in two decades I have a boss.
Why mention that in a blog that is supposed to be about wrestling? Being my own boss afforded me the time to be as active as I wanted to be in support of this great sport. Now my time is limited. I’m committed to Tickets for Kids and plan on giving that as much of my free time as I can. On the other hand – I’ll probably be posting fewer blogs – and maybe that’s a blessing. I’ve made commitments to a couple of other projects and will honor those – but mostly I’ll be focusing on the new business effort.
So – if your favorite charity needs to raise money and wants some help from someone who has been doing it a long time – email me at jimb@tagmarcom.com.
Showing posts with label college wrestling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label college wrestling. Show all posts
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Monday, November 1, 2010
Is it good for wrestling?
“It’ll be good for wrestling.” How many times have you read that on the internet or in a wrestling magazine? Recently that comment has been most frequently linked to pre-season rankings that show Cornell University and Boise State topping the Division I polls.
Oklahoma State, Iowa, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Minnesota are the only schools in NCAA Division I history to win multiple titles since the championships were launched in 1928. Oklahoma State and Iowa account for 57 of those. Indiana, Cornell College, Michigan State, Penn State, Northern Iowa and Arizona State have each won a single team title.
Will wrestling benefit if another school joins this exclusive fraternity? Of course. For too long talented high school wrestlers have factored in their chances to be on a national championship team when selecting a college. This has contributed to the rich getting richer and the five top schools attracting many of the blue chip recruits. That’s changing. Coaches like Rob Koll at Cornell University, Greg Randall at Boise State, Tom Ryan at Ohio State and Cael Sanderson at Penn State are building teams that will legitimately contend for the Division I championship over the next several years.
How is this good for wrestling? I’m not sure, but I have some ideas. Getting more young kids on the mat and keeping them there is the future of the sport. Those kids will need role models, coaches and advancement opportunities.
State pride is a funny thing. I’m not sure how you explain it, but young athletes seem to feed off of the success of the home state schools. This leads to keeping your best in-state athletes “home”. A lack of success by the local university can have the opposite effect. The northeast United States – particularly New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania – has been a hotbed for high school wrestling for many years. Several wrestlers from there have played a major role in national championships at Iowa, Minnesota and Oklahoma State.
Where do good youth, middle school and high school coaches come from? The best come from successful college programs. They may not have been star wrestlers themselves but if they come from a solid program with a winning atmosphere they often replicate that atmosphere in their own wrestling rooms. Broadening the reach of championship wrestling just might improve the quality of coaching at every level.
There are far more high school kids that would like to continue wrestling in college than there are college wrestling opportunities. Is there any way to know if spreading NCAA Division I wrestling championships to other regions will help increase intercollegiate wrestling opportunities that will trickle down to younger kids? I don’t know – but as the comedian used to say – “It couldn’t hurt”.
Online fans tend to focus on Division I – but in recent history Division II and Division III team championships have also been concentrated in the middle part of the country. North Dakota State, Central Oklahoma, Nebraska Kearney and Nebraska Omaha have won all of the Division II titles this century and Augsburg and Wartburg have split the DIII championships since 1995.
Instead of expanding geographically, college wrestling is becoming more of a regional sport. A return to prominence by former powers San Francisco State in DII and The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State) in DIII would be just as good for wrestling as Cornell University or Boise State winning the Division I championship.
The bottom line – any thing that heightens interest in the sport is “good for wrestling”.
Oklahoma State, Iowa, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Minnesota are the only schools in NCAA Division I history to win multiple titles since the championships were launched in 1928. Oklahoma State and Iowa account for 57 of those. Indiana, Cornell College, Michigan State, Penn State, Northern Iowa and Arizona State have each won a single team title.
Will wrestling benefit if another school joins this exclusive fraternity? Of course. For too long talented high school wrestlers have factored in their chances to be on a national championship team when selecting a college. This has contributed to the rich getting richer and the five top schools attracting many of the blue chip recruits. That’s changing. Coaches like Rob Koll at Cornell University, Greg Randall at Boise State, Tom Ryan at Ohio State and Cael Sanderson at Penn State are building teams that will legitimately contend for the Division I championship over the next several years.
How is this good for wrestling? I’m not sure, but I have some ideas. Getting more young kids on the mat and keeping them there is the future of the sport. Those kids will need role models, coaches and advancement opportunities.
State pride is a funny thing. I’m not sure how you explain it, but young athletes seem to feed off of the success of the home state schools. This leads to keeping your best in-state athletes “home”. A lack of success by the local university can have the opposite effect. The northeast United States – particularly New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania – has been a hotbed for high school wrestling for many years. Several wrestlers from there have played a major role in national championships at Iowa, Minnesota and Oklahoma State.
Where do good youth, middle school and high school coaches come from? The best come from successful college programs. They may not have been star wrestlers themselves but if they come from a solid program with a winning atmosphere they often replicate that atmosphere in their own wrestling rooms. Broadening the reach of championship wrestling just might improve the quality of coaching at every level.
There are far more high school kids that would like to continue wrestling in college than there are college wrestling opportunities. Is there any way to know if spreading NCAA Division I wrestling championships to other regions will help increase intercollegiate wrestling opportunities that will trickle down to younger kids? I don’t know – but as the comedian used to say – “It couldn’t hurt”.
Online fans tend to focus on Division I – but in recent history Division II and Division III team championships have also been concentrated in the middle part of the country. North Dakota State, Central Oklahoma, Nebraska Kearney and Nebraska Omaha have won all of the Division II titles this century and Augsburg and Wartburg have split the DIII championships since 1995.
Instead of expanding geographically, college wrestling is becoming more of a regional sport. A return to prominence by former powers San Francisco State in DII and The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State) in DIII would be just as good for wrestling as Cornell University or Boise State winning the Division I championship.
The bottom line – any thing that heightens interest in the sport is “good for wrestling”.
Monday, October 25, 2010
What's your great idea?
My friend, Tim Crosby, is one of the smartest people I know. One of his favorite phrases is, “Everyone has good ideas. There are just very few who are willing to commit to them.”
I get pretty lucky sometimes and I’ve been on a hot streak recently. For a variety of reasons I have found myself in the presence of several of wrestling’s most powerful people. From Olympic gold medallists and world champions to “captains of industry” to writers to organizational leaders of the sport. I’m such a goober fan that I always wonder – “what the heck am I doing here?”
It started with a simple idea. “If we send as many kids as possible to the highest levels of competition, perhaps some of them will try or stay in the sport.” And, thus, Tickets for Kids was born. More importantly, I’m committed to making it work. Here’s what astonishes me – the number of people who are willing to help make it work.
Rod Frost wrestled at Gilbertville Don Bosco High School and Cornell College. He lives in Minnesota now and is a wrestling official. When he learned of the Tickets for Kids fan challenge he mounted a fund raising effort in support of the Golden Gophers. Not only did he raise a lot of money, he got J Robinson to lower the price of youth group tickets to $2 per piece.
Gail Rush might just be the ultimate “wrestling mom”. Her son, Clayton, is the reigning NCAA Division III 125 pound champion and Gail has supported the sport since Clayton was small. She, too, got busy when she learned about the fan challenge and as of today (10/25/10) Coe still tops the leader board.
The staff at Cornell College have been amazing. John Cochrane, Dick Simmons and Mike Duroe have been behind me since day one. Our inaugural effort, tickets for the 2010 NCAA Division III Championships, couldn’t have succeeded without them – or without Chuck Yrigoyen at the Iowa Conference and Anthony Holman at the NCAA.
Eric Betterman is co-founder, with Ray Brinzer, of the wrestling site The Open Mat and Eric is helping us with a Tickets for Kids website. We hope to have it up soon.
Contrary to what the last five paragraphs might indicate, this blog isn’t really about Tickets for Kids. It’s about committing to your ideas.
In 1981 John Graham was looking for a way to raise money for the Peninsula Wrestling Association. His idea – a dual meet tournament featuring a high school and a college division. The first edition had four high school teams and eight colleges competing. That was the start of the Virginia Duals – which also begat the National Duals. Twenty-four colleges in two divisions and 48 high schools will compete in the 2011 Virginia Duals on January 7th and 8th. John’s commitment to his idea created two of college wrestling’s premier events.
Steve Silver was a waiter at Red Lobster when he got the idea to start his own business. He began by selling used furniture at local flea markets. That has grown into the $150 million Steve Silver Furniture Company in the Dallas suburb of Forney.
Steve wrestled in high school and at the University of Alabama. When his son, Luke, expressed an interest in wrestling he realized that north Texas was not a hotbed for the sport so he started a youth wrestling club and eventually hired 1988 Olympic Gold medallist, Kenny Monday, to coach it. Steve’s support also helped build Bishop Lynch High School into one of the nation’s premier wrestling programs. Last year Steve was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as an Outstanding American.
The ideas don’t have to be big. The past couple of years the University of Iowa has offered “Family 4-Pack Night” for one dual. You get 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs and 4 sodas at a bargain price. Last season Hawkeye fan, Julia Labua, used this as a tool to introduce new people to wrestling. She offered her co-workers the opportunity to go to the meet on her dime. Several took her up on it and it may now become an annual office event. Julia was committed to her idea.
I’m online too much and I probably spend more time talking about wrestling than I ought to. I frequently read and hear good ideas about how to build interest in wrestling both among potential participants and potential fans. I’m sure that many of you have great ideas. Are you committed enough to make them happen?
I get pretty lucky sometimes and I’ve been on a hot streak recently. For a variety of reasons I have found myself in the presence of several of wrestling’s most powerful people. From Olympic gold medallists and world champions to “captains of industry” to writers to organizational leaders of the sport. I’m such a goober fan that I always wonder – “what the heck am I doing here?”
It started with a simple idea. “If we send as many kids as possible to the highest levels of competition, perhaps some of them will try or stay in the sport.” And, thus, Tickets for Kids was born. More importantly, I’m committed to making it work. Here’s what astonishes me – the number of people who are willing to help make it work.
Rod Frost wrestled at Gilbertville Don Bosco High School and Cornell College. He lives in Minnesota now and is a wrestling official. When he learned of the Tickets for Kids fan challenge he mounted a fund raising effort in support of the Golden Gophers. Not only did he raise a lot of money, he got J Robinson to lower the price of youth group tickets to $2 per piece.
Gail Rush might just be the ultimate “wrestling mom”. Her son, Clayton, is the reigning NCAA Division III 125 pound champion and Gail has supported the sport since Clayton was small. She, too, got busy when she learned about the fan challenge and as of today (10/25/10) Coe still tops the leader board.
The staff at Cornell College have been amazing. John Cochrane, Dick Simmons and Mike Duroe have been behind me since day one. Our inaugural effort, tickets for the 2010 NCAA Division III Championships, couldn’t have succeeded without them – or without Chuck Yrigoyen at the Iowa Conference and Anthony Holman at the NCAA.
Eric Betterman is co-founder, with Ray Brinzer, of the wrestling site The Open Mat and Eric is helping us with a Tickets for Kids website. We hope to have it up soon.
Contrary to what the last five paragraphs might indicate, this blog isn’t really about Tickets for Kids. It’s about committing to your ideas.
In 1981 John Graham was looking for a way to raise money for the Peninsula Wrestling Association. His idea – a dual meet tournament featuring a high school and a college division. The first edition had four high school teams and eight colleges competing. That was the start of the Virginia Duals – which also begat the National Duals. Twenty-four colleges in two divisions and 48 high schools will compete in the 2011 Virginia Duals on January 7th and 8th. John’s commitment to his idea created two of college wrestling’s premier events.
Steve Silver was a waiter at Red Lobster when he got the idea to start his own business. He began by selling used furniture at local flea markets. That has grown into the $150 million Steve Silver Furniture Company in the Dallas suburb of Forney.
Steve wrestled in high school and at the University of Alabama. When his son, Luke, expressed an interest in wrestling he realized that north Texas was not a hotbed for the sport so he started a youth wrestling club and eventually hired 1988 Olympic Gold medallist, Kenny Monday, to coach it. Steve’s support also helped build Bishop Lynch High School into one of the nation’s premier wrestling programs. Last year Steve was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as an Outstanding American.
The ideas don’t have to be big. The past couple of years the University of Iowa has offered “Family 4-Pack Night” for one dual. You get 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs and 4 sodas at a bargain price. Last season Hawkeye fan, Julia Labua, used this as a tool to introduce new people to wrestling. She offered her co-workers the opportunity to go to the meet on her dime. Several took her up on it and it may now become an annual office event. Julia was committed to her idea.
I’m online too much and I probably spend more time talking about wrestling than I ought to. I frequently read and hear good ideas about how to build interest in wrestling both among potential participants and potential fans. I’m sure that many of you have great ideas. Are you committed enough to make them happen?
Monday, October 11, 2010
Are you smarter than Socrates?
Dear College Administrator, Athletic Director or Legislator,
Are you smarter than Socrates? Wrestling was part of his educational regimen and he once said, “I swear it upon Zeus that an outstanding runner cannot be the equal of an average wrestler.” Socrates’ most influential disciple, Aristocles, was renamed Plato(n) by his wrestling coach Ariston of Argos.
Are you smarter than Ben Franklin, who published the following in 1749, “The good Education of Youth has been esteemed by wise Men in all Ages, as the surest Foundation of the Happiness both of private Families and of Common-wealths. Almost all Governments have therefore made it a principal Object of their Attention, to establish and endow with proper Revenues, such Seminaries of Learning, as might supply the succeeding Age with Men qualified to serve the Publick with Honour to themselves and to their Country.
“That to keep them in Health, and to strengthen and render active their Bodies, they be frequently exercis’d in Running, Leaping, Wrestling and Swimming…?”
Are you smarter than George Washington and Abraham Lincoln who were both champion wrestlers in the styles of their day?
Are you smarter than Theodore Roosevelt, who mandated that wrestling become part of the physical curriculum at the military academies?
Are you smarter than Nobel laureate, Dr. Norman Borlaug – the man who fed millions – and who credited wrestling with teaching him the discipline and tenacity he needed to continue his research?
Are you smarter than novelist, John Irving when he said, “I think the discipline of wrestling has given me the discipline to write.”?
Are you smarter than former Congressman and current head of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Jim Leach, an Iowa state high school wrestling champion and former member of the Princeton wrestling team? “I’ve always thought that the most equalitarian place in the world is the wrestling mat.”
Are you smarter than Dan Laurent, a three-time NCAA Division III heavyweight wrestling champion who recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a 3.9 GPA in double majors of biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology?
Are you smarter than the administrators at Wayland Baptist University, Baker University or Minot State University – all of whom have added wrestling to increase enrollment and opportunity at their institutions?
For centuries the greatest minds and leaders considered wrestling a valuable part of higher education. Then, about thirty years ago, American legislators and administrators at many of America’s colleges and universities decided that they were smarter than Socrates – or Franklin – or Lincoln , and started dropping wrestling from the curriculum. Did they do that because wrestling is no longer relevant and modern kids don’t want to wrestle? That can’t be the reason. According to the National Federation of High Schools, wrestling is the sixth most popular boys’ sport in terms of participation – and it continues to grow. Since the 2002/2003 school year the number of youngsters on high school wrestling teams has increased by 30,000.
Did they do it to equalize educational opportunities among all segments of society? Ostensibly – yes. Title IX was enacted in 1972 and says quite simply, “No person in the United States, on the basis of sex, shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” You certainly can’t argue with that. But then the courts and the lawmakers got involved and college administrators found it easier to eliminate opportunity than create it.
So what about opportunity? As Mr. Leach indicated, wrestling is the most democratic of all sports. In what other one have you watched an athlete walk up to face his opponent, remove his prosthetic legs and then win an NCAA Championship? Ten years ago I got to do that when Nick Ackerman of Simpson College took the Division III wrestling title. And what about opportunity for women? Girls’ participation in wrestling is exploding in the states that sanction girls only championships. Smart college administrators have noticed this trend and recently added women’s teams at Jamestown University in North Dakota and Waldorf College in Iowa.
If your school doesn’t have a wrestling team, what do you think George Washington, Dr. Norman Borlaug and John Irving would urge you to do?
Do you need help or more information? Contact the National Wrestling Coaches Association and they’ll get you started. You just might be as smart as Socrates.
Are you smarter than Socrates? Wrestling was part of his educational regimen and he once said, “I swear it upon Zeus that an outstanding runner cannot be the equal of an average wrestler.” Socrates’ most influential disciple, Aristocles, was renamed Plato(n) by his wrestling coach Ariston of Argos.
Are you smarter than Ben Franklin, who published the following in 1749, “The good Education of Youth has been esteemed by wise Men in all Ages, as the surest Foundation of the Happiness both of private Families and of Common-wealths. Almost all Governments have therefore made it a principal Object of their Attention, to establish and endow with proper Revenues, such Seminaries of Learning, as might supply the succeeding Age with Men qualified to serve the Publick with Honour to themselves and to their Country.
“That to keep them in Health, and to strengthen and render active their Bodies, they be frequently exercis’d in Running, Leaping, Wrestling and Swimming…?”
Are you smarter than George Washington and Abraham Lincoln who were both champion wrestlers in the styles of their day?
Are you smarter than Theodore Roosevelt, who mandated that wrestling become part of the physical curriculum at the military academies?
Are you smarter than Nobel laureate, Dr. Norman Borlaug – the man who fed millions – and who credited wrestling with teaching him the discipline and tenacity he needed to continue his research?
Are you smarter than novelist, John Irving when he said, “I think the discipline of wrestling has given me the discipline to write.”?
Are you smarter than former Congressman and current head of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Jim Leach, an Iowa state high school wrestling champion and former member of the Princeton wrestling team? “I’ve always thought that the most equalitarian place in the world is the wrestling mat.”
Are you smarter than Dan Laurent, a three-time NCAA Division III heavyweight wrestling champion who recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a 3.9 GPA in double majors of biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology?
Are you smarter than the administrators at Wayland Baptist University, Baker University or Minot State University – all of whom have added wrestling to increase enrollment and opportunity at their institutions?
For centuries the greatest minds and leaders considered wrestling a valuable part of higher education. Then, about thirty years ago, American legislators and administrators at many of America’s colleges and universities decided that they were smarter than Socrates – or Franklin – or Lincoln , and started dropping wrestling from the curriculum. Did they do that because wrestling is no longer relevant and modern kids don’t want to wrestle? That can’t be the reason. According to the National Federation of High Schools, wrestling is the sixth most popular boys’ sport in terms of participation – and it continues to grow. Since the 2002/2003 school year the number of youngsters on high school wrestling teams has increased by 30,000.
Did they do it to equalize educational opportunities among all segments of society? Ostensibly – yes. Title IX was enacted in 1972 and says quite simply, “No person in the United States, on the basis of sex, shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” You certainly can’t argue with that. But then the courts and the lawmakers got involved and college administrators found it easier to eliminate opportunity than create it.
So what about opportunity? As Mr. Leach indicated, wrestling is the most democratic of all sports. In what other one have you watched an athlete walk up to face his opponent, remove his prosthetic legs and then win an NCAA Championship? Ten years ago I got to do that when Nick Ackerman of Simpson College took the Division III wrestling title. And what about opportunity for women? Girls’ participation in wrestling is exploding in the states that sanction girls only championships. Smart college administrators have noticed this trend and recently added women’s teams at Jamestown University in North Dakota and Waldorf College in Iowa.
If your school doesn’t have a wrestling team, what do you think George Washington, Dr. Norman Borlaug and John Irving would urge you to do?
Do you need help or more information? Contact the National Wrestling Coaches Association and they’ll get you started. You just might be as smart as Socrates.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Women, wrestling and me
Many of you know this. Nine months after we started dating my, now wife, gave us Iowa wrestling season tickets as a Christmas present. It took me a little while, but I finally came to my senses and asked her to marry me. Thankfully, she said, “yes”. This coming Saturday is our wedding anniversary.
When you hang around wrestling you hear a lot of macho guy stuff, but – some of the most interesting people I’ve met in wrestling are women.
The first 15 years that we had seats GG, 12, 1 & 2; Gretchen Goodwin sat next to my wife. When we got those seats she and her husband, Don, had already been ensconced in seats 3 & 4 for a while. Over the years we became friends and attended Big Tens in Wisconsin and Nationals in Ames together. Gretchen loved Royce Alger and swooned every time he entered the arena – as an athlete or as a coach. Sadly, a few years ago Don contracted a rare congenital liver disease and passed away after a long, painful battle. We’ve not seen Gretchen since then and I now have their old seats. I think of them every time I give those seats away.
Debbie Connell has been my good friend for 40 years and she’s been a Hawkeye wrestling season ticket holder since the Field House days. If you’ve ever attended a meet in Carver Hawkeye Arena, you’ve probably seen her. When the Hawks run out of the tunnel look in the middle of the first row just above the tunnel and the woman you see is either Deb or her sister Jody. Debbie worked with me at the Dairy Queen the Sunday morning when the state of Iowa was crushed by the Des Moines Register headline, “Gable Fails”.
When I started this blog I really had no clue about what I should write after the first couple of editions. Then, Danielle Hobeika agreed to an interview. Danielle is one of the most fascinating people around the sport. A Harvard psychology grad, Danielle wrestled in the room on the Crimson team and became a top level freestyle wrestler. She is the goddess of wrestling websites and one of the sport’s best photographers. You know that photo you love with Brent Metcalf and Bubba Jenkins “on their heads” – that’s Danielle’s. She’s still doing the photography and web development, but is now also an MMA fighter.
Sandy Stevens taught my wife as a substitute English teacher at Cedar Rapids Kennedy more than a couple of years ago. If you don’t know the name, you surely know the voice. She has been the voice of Fargo, DI Nationals, the California high school championships and the Olympics. I first met Sandy in person the night before she was announcing the Division III Championships in Cedar Rapids – her home town. I’ve met very, very few people as passionate about wrestling as Sandy.
Maggie Hendricks had been an online “friend” for at least three years when she introduced herself to me at National Duals last year. Maggie was a manager for the Missouri Tiger wrestling team and loves to write about wrestling, football and MMA. Her blog in memory of her grandfather, who taught the whole family to box, is still one of the best online pieces I’ve ever read. “Thumbs up, pointed to God” is a phrase I’ll remember the rest of my life.
One day before I met Maggie, I also met Tammy Tedesco from the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Among her many duties, Tammy is the tournament director for National Duals. This upcoming season she is planning to engage wrestling in the “Coaches Against Cancer” campaign. Please stay tuned for further details.
I met Dee Pollard in a bar in 2008. The mother of TCNJ assistant coach, Joe Pollard, she was sitting at the bar as I was hosting my first Division III Championships fan reception. We struck up a conversation and have become good friends and have met after every session of the past three NCAA DIII Championships. Every Saturday night after finals Joe has joined us. Last March the three of us made our plans to meet in La Crosse next spring. Yes – my wife and Dee’s husband know about this. After all – it’s all about the wrestling. (As an aside – one of my happiest moments as a marshal at the DIII Championships was handing one of Joe’s wrestlers his All-American trophy.)
I still haven’t yet met Julia Labua face-to-face. She’s all over the wrestling internet with at least 3 online identities and her posts are among the most intelligent you’ll ever see. Last winter she pulled off her own wrestling promotion coup when she emailed the entire staff at her place of employment, offering them free tickets, hot dogs and sodas for a Hawkeye dual meet. Eleven co-workers took her up on the offer and attended their first ever wrestling meet. When one of her friends asked about one of the finer points of wrestling Julia responded, in part, with a phrase that has become popular on the internet, “There will be answers. They may not be right answers, but there will be answers.”
There are many adjectives that would describe Gail Rush. “Dynamic” is at the top of my list. Since the flood of 2008 she has responded to several of my requests to help wrestlers and wrestling. In those years I’ve heard from several people that she and her husband, Rick, have done that for years. This past week her efforts led to the Coe College Kohawk wrestling fans taking the lead in the Tickets for Kids fan challenge.
But - it still comes back to my darling wife. I don’t know how it happened, but I won the marriage lottery. If I’d never met her there would probably be no season tickets, no blog and no Tickets for Kids. Thank you dear. I love you and may we grow old watching wrestling together. Happy anniversary.
When you hang around wrestling you hear a lot of macho guy stuff, but – some of the most interesting people I’ve met in wrestling are women.
The first 15 years that we had seats GG, 12, 1 & 2; Gretchen Goodwin sat next to my wife. When we got those seats she and her husband, Don, had already been ensconced in seats 3 & 4 for a while. Over the years we became friends and attended Big Tens in Wisconsin and Nationals in Ames together. Gretchen loved Royce Alger and swooned every time he entered the arena – as an athlete or as a coach. Sadly, a few years ago Don contracted a rare congenital liver disease and passed away after a long, painful battle. We’ve not seen Gretchen since then and I now have their old seats. I think of them every time I give those seats away.
Debbie Connell has been my good friend for 40 years and she’s been a Hawkeye wrestling season ticket holder since the Field House days. If you’ve ever attended a meet in Carver Hawkeye Arena, you’ve probably seen her. When the Hawks run out of the tunnel look in the middle of the first row just above the tunnel and the woman you see is either Deb or her sister Jody. Debbie worked with me at the Dairy Queen the Sunday morning when the state of Iowa was crushed by the Des Moines Register headline, “Gable Fails”.
When I started this blog I really had no clue about what I should write after the first couple of editions. Then, Danielle Hobeika agreed to an interview. Danielle is one of the most fascinating people around the sport. A Harvard psychology grad, Danielle wrestled in the room on the Crimson team and became a top level freestyle wrestler. She is the goddess of wrestling websites and one of the sport’s best photographers. You know that photo you love with Brent Metcalf and Bubba Jenkins “on their heads” – that’s Danielle’s. She’s still doing the photography and web development, but is now also an MMA fighter.
Sandy Stevens taught my wife as a substitute English teacher at Cedar Rapids Kennedy more than a couple of years ago. If you don’t know the name, you surely know the voice. She has been the voice of Fargo, DI Nationals, the California high school championships and the Olympics. I first met Sandy in person the night before she was announcing the Division III Championships in Cedar Rapids – her home town. I’ve met very, very few people as passionate about wrestling as Sandy.
Maggie Hendricks had been an online “friend” for at least three years when she introduced herself to me at National Duals last year. Maggie was a manager for the Missouri Tiger wrestling team and loves to write about wrestling, football and MMA. Her blog in memory of her grandfather, who taught the whole family to box, is still one of the best online pieces I’ve ever read. “Thumbs up, pointed to God” is a phrase I’ll remember the rest of my life.
One day before I met Maggie, I also met Tammy Tedesco from the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Among her many duties, Tammy is the tournament director for National Duals. This upcoming season she is planning to engage wrestling in the “Coaches Against Cancer” campaign. Please stay tuned for further details.
I met Dee Pollard in a bar in 2008. The mother of TCNJ assistant coach, Joe Pollard, she was sitting at the bar as I was hosting my first Division III Championships fan reception. We struck up a conversation and have become good friends and have met after every session of the past three NCAA DIII Championships. Every Saturday night after finals Joe has joined us. Last March the three of us made our plans to meet in La Crosse next spring. Yes – my wife and Dee’s husband know about this. After all – it’s all about the wrestling. (As an aside – one of my happiest moments as a marshal at the DIII Championships was handing one of Joe’s wrestlers his All-American trophy.)
I still haven’t yet met Julia Labua face-to-face. She’s all over the wrestling internet with at least 3 online identities and her posts are among the most intelligent you’ll ever see. Last winter she pulled off her own wrestling promotion coup when she emailed the entire staff at her place of employment, offering them free tickets, hot dogs and sodas for a Hawkeye dual meet. Eleven co-workers took her up on the offer and attended their first ever wrestling meet. When one of her friends asked about one of the finer points of wrestling Julia responded, in part, with a phrase that has become popular on the internet, “There will be answers. They may not be right answers, but there will be answers.”
There are many adjectives that would describe Gail Rush. “Dynamic” is at the top of my list. Since the flood of 2008 she has responded to several of my requests to help wrestlers and wrestling. In those years I’ve heard from several people that she and her husband, Rick, have done that for years. This past week her efforts led to the Coe College Kohawk wrestling fans taking the lead in the Tickets for Kids fan challenge.
But - it still comes back to my darling wife. I don’t know how it happened, but I won the marriage lottery. If I’d never met her there would probably be no season tickets, no blog and no Tickets for Kids. Thank you dear. I love you and may we grow old watching wrestling together. Happy anniversary.
Monday, August 23, 2010
It's too comfortable on the sidelines
Long time blog readers know that it is named after where I have watched much of the wrestling I’ve seen over the past 20+ years – Section GG, Row 12, Seats 1 & 2 in Carver Hawkeye Arena. When I started the blog it was meant to reflect the opinions of a fan sitting on the sidelines. Other than middle school intramurals, I never wrestled. Neither my brothers nor my daughters, nor any other member of my family wrestled. I have no official ties to wrestling in any way. I AM JUST A FAN.
The past few years it’s been hard sitting on the sidelines and watching what is happening to this great sport we all love, so a couple of years ago I started to act. My thoughts at the time were, “It might be meaningless, but let’s see if one fan can have any impact at all.” I started small and bought a few tickets to the NWCA All Star Classic when it was in Oregon. I sent them off to Rick Stewart and asked him to find some kids out there to give them to.
Later that season I stretched a little and bought 20 – 30 tickets for every Hawkeye home dual meet and gave them away to kid’s wrestling clubs or middle school teams. My logic was fairly simple – kids need idols. If I could get youngsters just starting in the sport to see the best college wrestlers in America, perhaps they would see something that would cause them to hang with it.
Last year I launched Tickets for Kids. My goal was to raise enough money to send 1,000 kids to a morning session of the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids. I didn’t make my goal, but, thanks to many of you, over 600 kids got to see some very exciting college wrestling. I’ve heard from coaches and kids since then and I think we, in some small part, accomplished what we’d hoped for.
I own and operate a small business and after last spring I wondered if I should continue with Tickets for Kids. I sent out surveys to some of the larger donors and asked them if they would continue to support the effort. Most said they would. But still, I couldn’t decide. It’s more work than I had imagined.
Then last Thursday, Eric Betterman, the co-founder of theopenmat.com, threw out a challenge – “Let’s make it a goal to sell out every single (Division I) dual meet in the nation.” He pointed out that we didn’t actually need to attend if that was physically impossible – just buy them. I drew upon my experience and followed that with a challenge of my own, “Which fans of which school could raise enough money to buy enough tickets to send at least 20 kids to a dual meet at their favorite school first?” Then I called upon Hawkeye fans to bail my butt out after shooting off my mouth. They did. In three days I received enough pledges to send over 160 kids to Hawkeye dual meets. One Nebraska fan committed to sending 20 youngsters to a Cornhusker meet – and no one else responded. Apparently, they all prefer to sit on the sidelines as the “world’s oldest and greatest sport” is assaulted from multiple directions.
That flurry of activity answered the question – Tickets for Kids must continue.
Every survey respondent asked that we expand the scope – that we offer a greater variety of wrestling events for kids to attend. We’re doing that. Donations will be used to provide tickets for the NWCA National Duals, the Division III Championships in La Crosse, the NAIA Championships in Cedar Rapids and any college dual meet you select. If you have another event you wish to support email me.
I’m going to run two campaigns, the “Preseason Fan Challenge” and the “Championship Run”. The Preseason Fan Challenge starts today and runs to November 30. The basic premise is simple: which school’s fans will best support wrestling by sending kids to wrestling events. We’ll have five divisions and crown both divisional and an overall champion.
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division III
NAIA
Women’s
I still don’t have PayPal and can’t take credit card donations, but we’re working on it Please make your check to “Tickets for Kids” and send it to
Tickets for Kids
c/o Jim Brown
130 24th St NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402-4936
or email a pledge to me at jim@dmsolutions4u.com and I’ll send you a reminder as we get closer to the season (which can’t get here soon enough).
Please include the name of the school you want your donation credited to and the event you want to support. If you want to support an endangered program like Cal State Fullerton, but you are a Minnesota fan – I’ll credit your donation to the Gophers, but send tickets to some California kids who can attend a Titan dual meet. Once the tickets have been distributed I will send each donor a copy of the ticket purchase receipt and the name of the club leader or coach whose kids got the tickets.
In the interest of fairness, the Hawkeye and Cornhusker fans will start even with everyone else.
If you like the concept and want to join in the challenge – but don’t want to do it through Tickets for Kids – you can. Buy enough tickets to send at least 20 kids to an event, send me a copy of the ticket purchase receipt and the name of the club leader or coach whose kids got the tickets and I’ll credit your school with the donation.
Reminder: NCAA rules will not allow you to give tickets to high school wrestlers so focus on the elementary and middle schoolers.
If you really want your school to win, you’re going to have to get off of the sidelines. Email your friends and alumni and the people that sit next to you at wrestling meets. Post a link to this blog on your favorite team’s sites. Rally your fans on facebook. Let’s send 10,000 kids from all over the country to college wrestling events.
Here’s the real challenge. I’m almost certain that Hawkeye fans will win this in a cake walk. Which one of you is going to get mad enough to prove me wrong?
Or – you can remain on the sidelines and do nothing.
The past few years it’s been hard sitting on the sidelines and watching what is happening to this great sport we all love, so a couple of years ago I started to act. My thoughts at the time were, “It might be meaningless, but let’s see if one fan can have any impact at all.” I started small and bought a few tickets to the NWCA All Star Classic when it was in Oregon. I sent them off to Rick Stewart and asked him to find some kids out there to give them to.
Later that season I stretched a little and bought 20 – 30 tickets for every Hawkeye home dual meet and gave them away to kid’s wrestling clubs or middle school teams. My logic was fairly simple – kids need idols. If I could get youngsters just starting in the sport to see the best college wrestlers in America, perhaps they would see something that would cause them to hang with it.
Last year I launched Tickets for Kids. My goal was to raise enough money to send 1,000 kids to a morning session of the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids. I didn’t make my goal, but, thanks to many of you, over 600 kids got to see some very exciting college wrestling. I’ve heard from coaches and kids since then and I think we, in some small part, accomplished what we’d hoped for.
I own and operate a small business and after last spring I wondered if I should continue with Tickets for Kids. I sent out surveys to some of the larger donors and asked them if they would continue to support the effort. Most said they would. But still, I couldn’t decide. It’s more work than I had imagined.
Then last Thursday, Eric Betterman, the co-founder of theopenmat.com, threw out a challenge – “Let’s make it a goal to sell out every single (Division I) dual meet in the nation.” He pointed out that we didn’t actually need to attend if that was physically impossible – just buy them. I drew upon my experience and followed that with a challenge of my own, “Which fans of which school could raise enough money to buy enough tickets to send at least 20 kids to a dual meet at their favorite school first?” Then I called upon Hawkeye fans to bail my butt out after shooting off my mouth. They did. In three days I received enough pledges to send over 160 kids to Hawkeye dual meets. One Nebraska fan committed to sending 20 youngsters to a Cornhusker meet – and no one else responded. Apparently, they all prefer to sit on the sidelines as the “world’s oldest and greatest sport” is assaulted from multiple directions.
That flurry of activity answered the question – Tickets for Kids must continue.
Every survey respondent asked that we expand the scope – that we offer a greater variety of wrestling events for kids to attend. We’re doing that. Donations will be used to provide tickets for the NWCA National Duals, the Division III Championships in La Crosse, the NAIA Championships in Cedar Rapids and any college dual meet you select. If you have another event you wish to support email me.
I’m going to run two campaigns, the “Preseason Fan Challenge” and the “Championship Run”. The Preseason Fan Challenge starts today and runs to November 30. The basic premise is simple: which school’s fans will best support wrestling by sending kids to wrestling events. We’ll have five divisions and crown both divisional and an overall champion.
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division III
NAIA
Women’s
I still don’t have PayPal and can’t take credit card donations, but we’re working on it Please make your check to “Tickets for Kids” and send it to
Tickets for Kids
c/o Jim Brown
130 24th St NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402-4936
or email a pledge to me at jim@dmsolutions4u.com and I’ll send you a reminder as we get closer to the season (which can’t get here soon enough).
Please include the name of the school you want your donation credited to and the event you want to support. If you want to support an endangered program like Cal State Fullerton, but you are a Minnesota fan – I’ll credit your donation to the Gophers, but send tickets to some California kids who can attend a Titan dual meet. Once the tickets have been distributed I will send each donor a copy of the ticket purchase receipt and the name of the club leader or coach whose kids got the tickets.
In the interest of fairness, the Hawkeye and Cornhusker fans will start even with everyone else.
If you like the concept and want to join in the challenge – but don’t want to do it through Tickets for Kids – you can. Buy enough tickets to send at least 20 kids to an event, send me a copy of the ticket purchase receipt and the name of the club leader or coach whose kids got the tickets and I’ll credit your school with the donation.
Reminder: NCAA rules will not allow you to give tickets to high school wrestlers so focus on the elementary and middle schoolers.
If you really want your school to win, you’re going to have to get off of the sidelines. Email your friends and alumni and the people that sit next to you at wrestling meets. Post a link to this blog on your favorite team’s sites. Rally your fans on facebook. Let’s send 10,000 kids from all over the country to college wrestling events.
Here’s the real challenge. I’m almost certain that Hawkeye fans will win this in a cake walk. Which one of you is going to get mad enough to prove me wrong?
Or – you can remain on the sidelines and do nothing.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Wrestling as wampeter
My wife and I attended her high school reunion Friday night. Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School opened in 1967 and my wife graduated in 1969. For the last two reunion cycles the classes of ’69 and ’70 have held a joint function.
The first recognizable face I saw was that of one of America’s great bartenders, Lenny Park. Because of his hotel’s clientele, Lenny is literally known world wide. He has an amazing ability to remember the names and favorite drinks of customers from Australia, Germany and the U.K. Lenny was also on Kennedy’s first wrestling team.
If you’ve been to many reunions, you know the pattern – one group of lost friends circles up and one set of conversations breaks out. Then you move to another group and a whole new set of topics emerges. At the third such “huddle” Friday night one of my wife’s classmates said this (having never met me), “I went to the wrestling championships in Omaha with some friends (the McDonoughs) and do you know who the announcer was – Sandy Stevens!”
Almost everyone in the group had Sandy as a teacher in their days at Kennedy and were all very interested to hear about her. Sandy’s husband, Bear, was Kennedy’s first wrestling coach and Sandy got her start announcing at a Cougar meet.
I looked for, but never did find, Mary Lee Malmberg, who was also a member of the Class of ’69. Five years ago Mary Lee wowed the crowd with her karaoke performances.
One of my favorite literary inventions is Kurt Vonnegut’s concept of “karass” which he created as a plot device in Cat’s Cradle . A karass is a group of people who are, often unknowingly, working jointly toward a central cause – called a wampeter. I have lived the last 35 years believing in both concepts, and often wondering who else might be in my karass.
Every karass actually has two wampeters – one that is waning and one that is waxing. I suspect that Lenny, Sandy, my wife and Mary Lee are all in the same karass and that for 40 years I have also been a member and just didn’t know it. Our fading wampeter might be the establishment of a new school. What role I play in that is unknown – but that’s one beauty of the concept – not all mysteries are solvable.
I’m certain of the nature of our rising wampeter – it’s wrestling.
I have had more wrestling discussions with Lenny than with any other human. He has also financially supported several wrestling causes including Pledges for Pins and Tickets for Kids. Give the slightest hint of an interest in wrestling when you are sitting at his bar and Lenny will invariably steer the conversation in that direction.
If you’ve been around any level of wrestling at all, you probably recognize Sandy Stevens’ voice. She’s announced everything from Corn Cob Nationals to the Olympic Games. But that’s just scratching the surface of everything Sandy does for wrestling. In 1998 The National Wrestling Hall of Fame awarded Sandy the Order of Merit – and she has not slowed down yet.
Mary Lee Malmberg is one of the hardest working people most of the wrestling community has never heard of. Mary Lee is the Sports Tourism Director for the Cedar Rapids Convention and Visitors Bureau. Somewhere along the line she developed an affinity for wrestling events and has been bringing them to our community ever since. Cedar Rapids has hosted the Iowa state high school dual tournament for a number of years and since 2008 we’ve become THE home for college wrestling championships. Here’s what Mary Lee has done: NCAA Division III Championships, 2008-2010; NCAA Division II Championships 2008 and 2012 and NAIA Championships 2011 & 2012.
And then there’s my lovely wife. The first Christmas present she gave me when we started dating twenty-some years ago was a set of University of Iowa season wrestling tickets – Section GG, Row 12, Seats 1 & 2. We’ve been sitting there since then. How could you not marry someone who gives you wrestling tickets?
That gift – oh, the joy it has brought me. I had “liked” wrestling since seeing Gable wrestle at Iowa State and I had been to dual meets and watched wrestling on IPTV before then, but once we got those season tickets I was hooked for life. Thanks to those tickets I’ve met wonderful people – fans, coaches and athletes. It has become my distinct privilege to occasionally help the sport in small ways. The time I spend around wrestling is topped only by family time.
Friday night wasn’t just a high school reunion it was the convergence of our karass. Perhaps you, too, are a member and just don’t know it yet.
The first recognizable face I saw was that of one of America’s great bartenders, Lenny Park. Because of his hotel’s clientele, Lenny is literally known world wide. He has an amazing ability to remember the names and favorite drinks of customers from Australia, Germany and the U.K. Lenny was also on Kennedy’s first wrestling team.
If you’ve been to many reunions, you know the pattern – one group of lost friends circles up and one set of conversations breaks out. Then you move to another group and a whole new set of topics emerges. At the third such “huddle” Friday night one of my wife’s classmates said this (having never met me), “I went to the wrestling championships in Omaha with some friends (the McDonoughs) and do you know who the announcer was – Sandy Stevens!”
Almost everyone in the group had Sandy as a teacher in their days at Kennedy and were all very interested to hear about her. Sandy’s husband, Bear, was Kennedy’s first wrestling coach and Sandy got her start announcing at a Cougar meet.
I looked for, but never did find, Mary Lee Malmberg, who was also a member of the Class of ’69. Five years ago Mary Lee wowed the crowd with her karaoke performances.
One of my favorite literary inventions is Kurt Vonnegut’s concept of “karass” which he created as a plot device in Cat’s Cradle . A karass is a group of people who are, often unknowingly, working jointly toward a central cause – called a wampeter. I have lived the last 35 years believing in both concepts, and often wondering who else might be in my karass.
Every karass actually has two wampeters – one that is waning and one that is waxing. I suspect that Lenny, Sandy, my wife and Mary Lee are all in the same karass and that for 40 years I have also been a member and just didn’t know it. Our fading wampeter might be the establishment of a new school. What role I play in that is unknown – but that’s one beauty of the concept – not all mysteries are solvable.
I’m certain of the nature of our rising wampeter – it’s wrestling.
I have had more wrestling discussions with Lenny than with any other human. He has also financially supported several wrestling causes including Pledges for Pins and Tickets for Kids. Give the slightest hint of an interest in wrestling when you are sitting at his bar and Lenny will invariably steer the conversation in that direction.
If you’ve been around any level of wrestling at all, you probably recognize Sandy Stevens’ voice. She’s announced everything from Corn Cob Nationals to the Olympic Games. But that’s just scratching the surface of everything Sandy does for wrestling. In 1998 The National Wrestling Hall of Fame awarded Sandy the Order of Merit – and she has not slowed down yet.
Mary Lee Malmberg is one of the hardest working people most of the wrestling community has never heard of. Mary Lee is the Sports Tourism Director for the Cedar Rapids Convention and Visitors Bureau. Somewhere along the line she developed an affinity for wrestling events and has been bringing them to our community ever since. Cedar Rapids has hosted the Iowa state high school dual tournament for a number of years and since 2008 we’ve become THE home for college wrestling championships. Here’s what Mary Lee has done: NCAA Division III Championships, 2008-2010; NCAA Division II Championships 2008 and 2012 and NAIA Championships 2011 & 2012.
And then there’s my lovely wife. The first Christmas present she gave me when we started dating twenty-some years ago was a set of University of Iowa season wrestling tickets – Section GG, Row 12, Seats 1 & 2. We’ve been sitting there since then. How could you not marry someone who gives you wrestling tickets?
That gift – oh, the joy it has brought me. I had “liked” wrestling since seeing Gable wrestle at Iowa State and I had been to dual meets and watched wrestling on IPTV before then, but once we got those season tickets I was hooked for life. Thanks to those tickets I’ve met wonderful people – fans, coaches and athletes. It has become my distinct privilege to occasionally help the sport in small ways. The time I spend around wrestling is topped only by family time.
Friday night wasn’t just a high school reunion it was the convergence of our karass. Perhaps you, too, are a member and just don’t know it yet.
Monday, February 8, 2010
First times
Julia LaBua is a wrestling fan. A few weeks ago she sent this email to her co-workers.
“Subject: An offer you can (but shouldn't) refuse
Greetings!
You all know that I am a wrestling fan. Most of you probably wonder why. To try to answer that question, I am inviting you to attend the Jan. 31 meet against Michigan State as my guest (spouses, partners, and kids also welcome). This offer includes a ticket to the meet, a soda, and a hot dog (if you indulge in such foodstuffs), as well as answers to all your questions about what’s happening down there on the mat (n.b. They may not be the correct answers, but they will be answers).
Details:
When: 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31
Who: Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Michigan State Spartans
Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena
Why: Where else will you have the opportunity this year to root for a team of defending national champions?
RSVP: by January 20 to Julia”
The University of Iowa athletic department held a “Family 4-Pack” promotion that night and Julia took advantage to take potential new fans to their first wrestling dual meet.
Here are Julia’s comments on the results, “I just got home from Carver, and I thought I'd update all of you on how my "Hawkeye Indoctrination" plan went. It was a HUGE success, as far as I'm concerned. The final tally was 15 of my co-workers, spouses and kids. The 2-3 of us who know a bit about wrestling were able to explain enough to the others so that they more or less understood what they were seeing. I can tell you that explaining the concept of riding time to a middle-aged woman from Colombia (South America) is a challenge! But she was totally into it even though she didn't know anything about wrestling beforehand.
I was careful to point out key matchups ahead of time -- for example that Gomez was ranked #1 at 133, so that when Dennis pulled out the win in overtime they were all very excited and impressed. I also made sure nobody headed to the concession stand for their free hot dog during Metcalf's match.
Obviously the outcome of the dual was never in doubt, but several of them commented to me afterward that they didn't realize how exciting it could be on an individual-match basis even when the team scores a shutout. Oh, and Hilda, the 5-year-old daughter of one of my co-workers, was very concerned at the end about Erekson and his bloody head. She kept asking if he was OK, and if we thought his nose hurt. I wish I could have taken her down to the mat to meet him. Maybe next time.
The consensus afterward; ‘Wow, that was really fun! We should make this an annual office tradition.’ Just what I wanted to hear!”
I am a grandfather in a modern blended family. I took my son-in-law, Brian, and his kids Cassie (14) and Connor (8) to their first wrestling meet the same night that Julia took her co-workers. Brian is an MMA fan and I was a little afraid that, without the striking and choking, he might find wrestling boring. I shouldn’t have worried – he really got into it – especially the Dennis/Gomez match.
Connor liked the ice cream, pop corn and the juggler at intermission.
Cassie surprised me. She talked about the matches and asked questions all of the way home. Monday she bragged to her industrial technology teacher (who is an assistant wrestling coach at her school) that she had gone to her first wrestling match. I’m taking her to the Northwestern meet this Friday. We may just have another wrestling fan in the making.
I remember the first time I heard Ed Aliverti’s voice. I called in sick to work, went to Carver Hawkeye Arena and bought a ticket from a scalper for the opening session of the NCAA tournament. “Welcome wrestling fans to the world’s oldest and greatest sport!” It wasn’t just the words – it was the conviction with which he said them. You knew that what he said was true. And just when you might be getting a little bored because you didn’t have a favorite wrestler competing would come his famous, “Possible fall on mat 5!” Again – the timbre of his voice raised your excitement level and you were drawn back into the drama.
Ed lost a long battle with cancer last week and as his longtime partner, Sandy Stevens, said, “It’s a sad time for the wrestling family”. No one emerges from the womb as a wrestling fan. Many things have fed the growth of my love for the sport. Ed Aliverti was one of them. Thank you, Ed. We’ll miss you. Maybe he’s calling Abe Lincoln and Plato to the mat right now.
“Subject: An offer you can (but shouldn't) refuse
Greetings!
You all know that I am a wrestling fan. Most of you probably wonder why. To try to answer that question, I am inviting you to attend the Jan. 31 meet against Michigan State as my guest (spouses, partners, and kids also welcome). This offer includes a ticket to the meet, a soda, and a hot dog (if you indulge in such foodstuffs), as well as answers to all your questions about what’s happening down there on the mat (n.b. They may not be the correct answers, but they will be answers).
Details:
When: 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31
Who: Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Michigan State Spartans
Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena
Why: Where else will you have the opportunity this year to root for a team of defending national champions?
RSVP: by January 20 to Julia”
The University of Iowa athletic department held a “Family 4-Pack” promotion that night and Julia took advantage to take potential new fans to their first wrestling dual meet.
Here are Julia’s comments on the results, “I just got home from Carver, and I thought I'd update all of you on how my "Hawkeye Indoctrination" plan went. It was a HUGE success, as far as I'm concerned. The final tally was 15 of my co-workers, spouses and kids. The 2-3 of us who know a bit about wrestling were able to explain enough to the others so that they more or less understood what they were seeing. I can tell you that explaining the concept of riding time to a middle-aged woman from Colombia (South America) is a challenge! But she was totally into it even though she didn't know anything about wrestling beforehand.
I was careful to point out key matchups ahead of time -- for example that Gomez was ranked #1 at 133, so that when Dennis pulled out the win in overtime they were all very excited and impressed. I also made sure nobody headed to the concession stand for their free hot dog during Metcalf's match.
Obviously the outcome of the dual was never in doubt, but several of them commented to me afterward that they didn't realize how exciting it could be on an individual-match basis even when the team scores a shutout. Oh, and Hilda, the 5-year-old daughter of one of my co-workers, was very concerned at the end about Erekson and his bloody head. She kept asking if he was OK, and if we thought his nose hurt. I wish I could have taken her down to the mat to meet him. Maybe next time.
The consensus afterward; ‘Wow, that was really fun! We should make this an annual office tradition.’ Just what I wanted to hear!”
I am a grandfather in a modern blended family. I took my son-in-law, Brian, and his kids Cassie (14) and Connor (8) to their first wrestling meet the same night that Julia took her co-workers. Brian is an MMA fan and I was a little afraid that, without the striking and choking, he might find wrestling boring. I shouldn’t have worried – he really got into it – especially the Dennis/Gomez match.
Connor liked the ice cream, pop corn and the juggler at intermission.
Cassie surprised me. She talked about the matches and asked questions all of the way home. Monday she bragged to her industrial technology teacher (who is an assistant wrestling coach at her school) that she had gone to her first wrestling match. I’m taking her to the Northwestern meet this Friday. We may just have another wrestling fan in the making.
I remember the first time I heard Ed Aliverti’s voice. I called in sick to work, went to Carver Hawkeye Arena and bought a ticket from a scalper for the opening session of the NCAA tournament. “Welcome wrestling fans to the world’s oldest and greatest sport!” It wasn’t just the words – it was the conviction with which he said them. You knew that what he said was true. And just when you might be getting a little bored because you didn’t have a favorite wrestler competing would come his famous, “Possible fall on mat 5!” Again – the timbre of his voice raised your excitement level and you were drawn back into the drama.
Ed lost a long battle with cancer last week and as his longtime partner, Sandy Stevens, said, “It’s a sad time for the wrestling family”. No one emerges from the womb as a wrestling fan. Many things have fed the growth of my love for the sport. Ed Aliverti was one of them. Thank you, Ed. We’ll miss you. Maybe he’s calling Abe Lincoln and Plato to the mat right now.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Dear Santa 2009
Dear Santa,
I’m late with my list again – sorry.
First, thanks for giving us some of the things I asked for last year. I requested more wrestling opportunities in America’s largest cities and you sent Mike Rodriguez who, with the help of Mark Churella and others, launched Beat the Streets Detroit.
You packed your sleigh with new programs like Baker University and Lake Erie College. You brought intercollegiate wrestling opportunities to untapped areas when new teams were announced at Shorter College in Georgia, Wayland Baptist University in Texas and Ouachita Baptist in Arkansas. Someone at Norwich University must have moved from the “naughty” column to the “nice” column because you reinstated their program less than a year after they dropped it.
Thanks, also, for putting more wrestling coverage under my tree. Just yesterday I got to follow Wartburg’s Desert Duals through a live blog – and boy am I thankful! It’s pretty likely that there will be a shakeup in some individual Division III rankings after the action in Las Vegas.
I’ve kept a couple of items from last year on this year’s list. We still need more opportunities for girls to wrestle. The success of girls’ interscholastic wrestling in Texas, Hawaii, Washington and California and the growth of women’s intercollegiate programs prove that girls want to wrestle. They just don’t want to have to wrestle boys. Please, Santa, send us someone enlightened enough and with enough energy to lead the grassroots effort required to expand girls’ wrestling.
I’m still looking for a “shinier” version of freestyle wrestling, too. I’m afraid that even John Smith would look boring under the current rules.
I’m pretty greedy, so I’ve added a few things to this year’s list. Could we get more press conferences with Tom Brands? I know that a lot of fans love to hate Hawkeye wrestling, but Coach Brands just might be the most interesting interview in all of sports. “Poop his pants” has now been added to his long list of “quotable quotes”.
Can we get more kids on the mat? Dan Gable’s latest catchphrase is, “America needs wrestling”. I watched a video where he was wrapping up a clinic session and he explained a little about what he meant, “We need (toughness). If the power goes out and you need heat you need to be able to use a chainsaw. If the chainsaw breaks you need to be able to use an axe.” Wrestling teaches toughness and resiliency in ways that nothing else does. We need “tough” scientists like Norman Borlaug – and “tough” writers like John Irving – and “tough” leaders like Teddy Roosevelt. Where will they come from? You can be sure that some are going to walk off the mat and into greatness.
Finally, I want more wrestling events in Cedar Rapids. This is a great town, filled with wonderful people – many of whom are still struggling with the devastation of the 2008 flood. By some estimates we are still hundreds of millions of dollars and several years away from a full recovery. Last year, wrestling tourism – the Iowa High School Dual Championships and the NCAA Division III Championships – contributed roughly a million and a half dollars to the local economy. What better way to fight off our backs than wrestling. How about the World Team Trials – or another USA vs. Russia event, but let’s make it even bigger and better. Maybe we could add a kids tournament. Is it too much to ask for people to equate Cedar Rapids with wrestling? I don’t think so.
Until next year, Santa.
Jim Brown
Cedar Rapids, IA
Wrestling fan
I’m late with my list again – sorry.
First, thanks for giving us some of the things I asked for last year. I requested more wrestling opportunities in America’s largest cities and you sent Mike Rodriguez who, with the help of Mark Churella and others, launched Beat the Streets Detroit.
You packed your sleigh with new programs like Baker University and Lake Erie College. You brought intercollegiate wrestling opportunities to untapped areas when new teams were announced at Shorter College in Georgia, Wayland Baptist University in Texas and Ouachita Baptist in Arkansas. Someone at Norwich University must have moved from the “naughty” column to the “nice” column because you reinstated their program less than a year after they dropped it.
Thanks, also, for putting more wrestling coverage under my tree. Just yesterday I got to follow Wartburg’s Desert Duals through a live blog – and boy am I thankful! It’s pretty likely that there will be a shakeup in some individual Division III rankings after the action in Las Vegas.
I’ve kept a couple of items from last year on this year’s list. We still need more opportunities for girls to wrestle. The success of girls’ interscholastic wrestling in Texas, Hawaii, Washington and California and the growth of women’s intercollegiate programs prove that girls want to wrestle. They just don’t want to have to wrestle boys. Please, Santa, send us someone enlightened enough and with enough energy to lead the grassroots effort required to expand girls’ wrestling.
I’m still looking for a “shinier” version of freestyle wrestling, too. I’m afraid that even John Smith would look boring under the current rules.
I’m pretty greedy, so I’ve added a few things to this year’s list. Could we get more press conferences with Tom Brands? I know that a lot of fans love to hate Hawkeye wrestling, but Coach Brands just might be the most interesting interview in all of sports. “Poop his pants” has now been added to his long list of “quotable quotes”.
Can we get more kids on the mat? Dan Gable’s latest catchphrase is, “America needs wrestling”. I watched a video where he was wrapping up a clinic session and he explained a little about what he meant, “We need (toughness). If the power goes out and you need heat you need to be able to use a chainsaw. If the chainsaw breaks you need to be able to use an axe.” Wrestling teaches toughness and resiliency in ways that nothing else does. We need “tough” scientists like Norman Borlaug – and “tough” writers like John Irving – and “tough” leaders like Teddy Roosevelt. Where will they come from? You can be sure that some are going to walk off the mat and into greatness.
Finally, I want more wrestling events in Cedar Rapids. This is a great town, filled with wonderful people – many of whom are still struggling with the devastation of the 2008 flood. By some estimates we are still hundreds of millions of dollars and several years away from a full recovery. Last year, wrestling tourism – the Iowa High School Dual Championships and the NCAA Division III Championships – contributed roughly a million and a half dollars to the local economy. What better way to fight off our backs than wrestling. How about the World Team Trials – or another USA vs. Russia event, but let’s make it even bigger and better. Maybe we could add a kids tournament. Is it too much to ask for people to equate Cedar Rapids with wrestling? I don’t think so.
Until next year, Santa.
Jim Brown
Cedar Rapids, IA
Wrestling fan
Monday, December 14, 2009
Real drama in Carver Hawkeye Arena
Two events of the past three weeks have brought to mind the single most dramatic thing I’ve ever seen at Carver Hawkeye Arena – the resuscitation of Joel Schatzman.
On February 6, 2000 the Iowa Hawkeyes were leading Northwestern 41-3. The Wildcats’ only victory was an upset by fourth-ranked Scott Schatzman over Iowa’s returning NCAA champion and top-ranked Doug Schwab. I don’t really remember much about the match except that perhaps Schatzman won by controlling Schwab from the top.
Several minutes later some of us noticed stirring behind the Northwestern bench. It started to get quiet in the arena and we could hear a women screaming for help. Then Scott Schatzman started running, hurdled a chair and ran up a few rows into the stands. His father had collapsed from an apparent heart attack. Public address announcer, Phil Haddy, put out a call for help from any medical personnel that might be in attendance. Registered EMT and “avid Hawkeye wrestling fan”, Kevin Greenley, was among the first to arrive. In an interview for the Summer 2000 issue of EMS Update, Greenley said, “The others in the stands (who came to the patient’s assistance) and I, quickly discovered he had no pulse and determined that he needed a defibrillator. We performed CPR to provide circulation until the defibrillator arrived.” Fortunately for Mr. Schatzman an automated external defibrillator had been placed in Carver Hawkeye less than a year before.
Most of us stood as the drama unfolded. It was amazingly quiet. We spoke to each other in hushed tones. An ambulance arrived and the paramedics joined the treatment team. Wrestling no longer mattered. After the ambulance pulled away, Phil Haddy got back on the mic and announced that the meet was over. Joel Schatzman recovered at the University Hospitals and Clinics and a month later attended the Big Ten Championships.
Fast forward to November 20,2009. The Hawkeye meet with North Carolina-Pembroke was just about to start when I got a phone call from my wife. My 85-year-old father-in-law had fallen and at that moment was in a helicopter flying to the University of Iowa Hospital. She was en route and asked me to meet her. University Hospital is roughly a ten minute walk from Carver Hawkeye for a middle-aged, overweight man so I arrived just minutes after the helicopter landed.
As you get older you start to spend way more time in hospital waiting rooms than you would like. My wife, brother-in-law, mother-in-law and I huddled outside of the emergency room awaiting a diagnosis. When it came it confirmed what had been determined by the staff at St Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids – Lee had fractured three vertebrae in his neck and had been transferred up to the intensive care unit. While waiting for permission to go see him Nora, my mother-in-law, said, “I’m sorry to take you away from your wrestling” – and actually meant it. She just hates to bother anyone. I turned to my wife, Cindy, and asked, “Remember the night Scott Schatzman’s dad had his heart attack?”
When we were allowed to go back to see him we met an amazing team. Lee was under the care of an emergency room resident, a trauma specialist, two spine specialists (one of whom bore a strong resemblance to Doogie Howser), an ICU resident and assorted nurses and technicians. That first night Lee was unable to move his right arm or leg and had very little movement on his left side. He was in University Hospital intensive care for ten days before being transferred to the physical rehabilitation unit at St Luke’s in Cedar Rapids. He is making astounding progress and the prognosis is good.
When long-time Northwestern coach, Tim Cysewski announced last week that he was stepping down, I once again thought of Joel Schatzman.
Blogging is self-indulgent by its very nature and today I’m indulging myself. Thank you University Hospitals and Clinics. You were wonderful. If any of you readers are acquainted with any of the staff there – tell them that there’s a doofus wrestling fan in Cedar Rapids who thinks the world of them. I’m pretty sure that popular Hawkeye forum poster, USAFHawk, is on staff there. If you know him – ask him to spread the word among his colleagues.
On February 6, 2000 the Iowa Hawkeyes were leading Northwestern 41-3. The Wildcats’ only victory was an upset by fourth-ranked Scott Schatzman over Iowa’s returning NCAA champion and top-ranked Doug Schwab. I don’t really remember much about the match except that perhaps Schatzman won by controlling Schwab from the top.
Several minutes later some of us noticed stirring behind the Northwestern bench. It started to get quiet in the arena and we could hear a women screaming for help. Then Scott Schatzman started running, hurdled a chair and ran up a few rows into the stands. His father had collapsed from an apparent heart attack. Public address announcer, Phil Haddy, put out a call for help from any medical personnel that might be in attendance. Registered EMT and “avid Hawkeye wrestling fan”, Kevin Greenley, was among the first to arrive. In an interview for the Summer 2000 issue of EMS Update, Greenley said, “The others in the stands (who came to the patient’s assistance) and I, quickly discovered he had no pulse and determined that he needed a defibrillator. We performed CPR to provide circulation until the defibrillator arrived.” Fortunately for Mr. Schatzman an automated external defibrillator had been placed in Carver Hawkeye less than a year before.
Most of us stood as the drama unfolded. It was amazingly quiet. We spoke to each other in hushed tones. An ambulance arrived and the paramedics joined the treatment team. Wrestling no longer mattered. After the ambulance pulled away, Phil Haddy got back on the mic and announced that the meet was over. Joel Schatzman recovered at the University Hospitals and Clinics and a month later attended the Big Ten Championships.
Fast forward to November 20,2009. The Hawkeye meet with North Carolina-Pembroke was just about to start when I got a phone call from my wife. My 85-year-old father-in-law had fallen and at that moment was in a helicopter flying to the University of Iowa Hospital. She was en route and asked me to meet her. University Hospital is roughly a ten minute walk from Carver Hawkeye for a middle-aged, overweight man so I arrived just minutes after the helicopter landed.
As you get older you start to spend way more time in hospital waiting rooms than you would like. My wife, brother-in-law, mother-in-law and I huddled outside of the emergency room awaiting a diagnosis. When it came it confirmed what had been determined by the staff at St Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids – Lee had fractured three vertebrae in his neck and had been transferred up to the intensive care unit. While waiting for permission to go see him Nora, my mother-in-law, said, “I’m sorry to take you away from your wrestling” – and actually meant it. She just hates to bother anyone. I turned to my wife, Cindy, and asked, “Remember the night Scott Schatzman’s dad had his heart attack?”
When we were allowed to go back to see him we met an amazing team. Lee was under the care of an emergency room resident, a trauma specialist, two spine specialists (one of whom bore a strong resemblance to Doogie Howser), an ICU resident and assorted nurses and technicians. That first night Lee was unable to move his right arm or leg and had very little movement on his left side. He was in University Hospital intensive care for ten days before being transferred to the physical rehabilitation unit at St Luke’s in Cedar Rapids. He is making astounding progress and the prognosis is good.
When long-time Northwestern coach, Tim Cysewski announced last week that he was stepping down, I once again thought of Joel Schatzman.
Blogging is self-indulgent by its very nature and today I’m indulging myself. Thank you University Hospitals and Clinics. You were wonderful. If any of you readers are acquainted with any of the staff there – tell them that there’s a doofus wrestling fan in Cedar Rapids who thinks the world of them. I’m pretty sure that popular Hawkeye forum poster, USAFHawk, is on staff there. If you know him – ask him to spread the word among his colleagues.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You
At long last college wrestling has come to Texas. In a press conference this afternoon Wayland Baptist University announced the addition of intercollegiate varsity wrestling for both men and women. The text of the press release is below.
“Wayland Baptist University will add men's and women's wrestling as intercollegiate sports, Athletic Director Dr. Greg Feris officially announced at a press conference today.
"Intercollegiate wrestling is a win-win situation for the university. It will generate additional students while providing an additional competitive sport for the university community."
The WBU wrestling program will compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) beginning with the 2010-11 school year. Thirty-seven NAIA schools currently sponsor wrestling for men, ten for women.
There are currently no intercollegiate wrestling programs in the state of Texas, despite recent statistics that show an excess of 245 high school boys' wrestling teams and 198 girls' teams in the state. In the Texas Panhandle area, there are approximately 375 boys and more than 125 girls participating in the sport. The boy's team from Randall High School and the girl's team from Caprock High have recently won state championships.
"The sport is growing and is very popular in many regions of the country," added Feris. "Wayland is fortunate to be located in an area where several communities have embraced the sport at the high school level. I think we are going to fill a void in the area for fans of the sport. In addition, we are excited to be able to offer these young student-athletes a new opportunity to continue to participate in a sport that they love while at the same time obtaining an outstanding education in a Christian environment."
Search for a new coach will begin right away. Feris says he hopes to have someone in place sometime after the first of the new year.
Among those present at the press conference were Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association and former Olympic gold medalists Brandon Slay and Dan Gable. Slay, a graduate of Amarillo's Tascosa High School who is currently the resident freestyle coach for USA Wrestling at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney. Gable, who did not give up a single point on his way to the gold at the 1972 games in Munich, won two individual NCAA titles as a student-athlete at Iowa State University and 15 NCAA team titles as head coach at the University of Iowa.
The new WBU two teams will practice in the James P. and Nelda Laney Student Activities Center. Duel or tournament events will be held in Hutcherson Center. The addition of the wrestling programs brings Wayland's athletic offering to a total of 14.”
Long-time Texas high school wrestling coach and activist, Johnny Cobb, has this to say about the announcement, “The entire wrestling community in the state of Texas in rejoicing with the news of a NAIA college wrestling program. What a progressive University that can see the value and character building potential a college wrestling program has to offer it's young men and women. Adding not only a men's program but also adding a women's program shows the kind of foresight this University exemplifies. This is a red letter day for not only Texas wrestling but for college wrestling everywhere. Universities can use every excuse in the world, from the economy to title nine, for not adding or even dropping college wrestling, but when a forward thinking University like Wayland Baptist realizes the value wrestling can add to their school, it demonstrates that where there is a will there is a way.
We are still in hopes that West Texas A&M University will also be adding an NCAA D-2 program in the future. They have seriously taken it under consideration.”
Congratulations to Wayland Baptist University – and I’m with Johnny – the more, the better.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Wrestling and "The Four Ps"
You’re taught “The Four Ps” in Marketing 101: product, price, placement and promotion. Any effort to sell anything must address at least these four elements. There is a movement afoot to change the “placement” of college wrestling. The National Wrestling Coaches Association has proposed a plan that would move the NCAA Division I Championships to April 11 – 13 in 2013. The initial proposal also called for moving the Division II and Division III Championships back and making college wrestling a ”one semester” sport.
The proposal is driven by two concerns – the educational success of the student-athletes and more effective marketing of the sport. The arguments are that starting the season later in the year gives freshmen more time to acclimate to college life and that finishing later moves wrestling’s collegiate championship events away from directly competing against that other tournament whose name cannot be legally mentioned here without paying licensing fees to CBS or the NCAA.
For most fans this seems to be a no-brainer. But hold on – last week I received emails from several Division III coaches debating the proposal – and many of them are against moving the season. Those that are against have valid concerns – many small school wrestling teams share facilities, staff – even athletes – with other sports. For them – changing the season increases their operating budget and thus makes hanging on to their program even more tenuous.
In the current issue of Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine publisher, Bryan Van Kley, has written an excellent editorial on the subject. He offers an alternative plan and solid logic behind it. Bryan makes the case better than I can, so I urge you to pick up a copy of WIN and read his column.
Many marketers will tell you that changing one “P” without addressing the other three will not have the effect you desire. To assume that moving the season alone will popularize college wrestling is to make the most basic of marketing mistakes.
What are our goals – to have more opportunities for the current fan base to watch wrestling on television? To attract new fans to the sport? To get more kids on the mat? Attaining any one of those will spur the growth of wrestling.
Price
This isn’t really much of an issue. Tickets to a college wrestling meet or tournament are a bargain. However, across the board, we ought to make it easier for large groups of kids to see the best that the sport has to offer.
Product
At its core wrestling is a great product – but it’s not perfect. And it may have lost some entertainment value over the past few years. Go to youtube and watch NCAA finals matches like Randy Lewis vs. Darryl Burley or Mark Schultz vs. Ed Banach or Lincoln McIlravy vs. Gerry Abas and compare those matches to last year’s 125 pound final. What’s needed for product improvement? There are lots of suggestions – a more universal definition of stalling, a pushout rule, eliminating the riding time point. All have merit – but maybe the answer is for more coaches and athletes to recognize the value that a more aggressive style has to the sport.
Promotion
Advertising, publicity, sales and branding are all promotional elements. What is college wrestling’s “brand”? Is it – as Ed Aliverti so resoundingly proclaimed for so many years - “the world’s oldest and greatest sport”? Is it “the sport of presidents”? Is it “the sport of opportunity”? It could be any or all of those things. The brand should NOT be, as some fans like to suggest, “the minor leagues of mixed martial arts”. That’s like having Matthew McConaughey say, “Beef: you can use it in hash.”
Therein lies the real challenge – creating a unified brand for college wrestling. Wrestling is both blessed and cursed with several entities who are all trying to promote the sport, each with slightly divergent agendas. From the NWCA to USA Wrestling to the NCAA and even to Beat the Streets – everyone has a different approach. Is there a solution? Perhaps.
Could we organize “The Wrestling Promotion Council” with representatives from all governing bodies, the wrestling media, wrestling product companies – anyone that has a vested interest in the sport? Hold an organizational conference (Cedar Rapids is a very central location), develop a plan of action, raise some money and get started. Let’s not stop with changing the Division I season – let’s also get aggressive about using the other three “Ps”.
The proposal is driven by two concerns – the educational success of the student-athletes and more effective marketing of the sport. The arguments are that starting the season later in the year gives freshmen more time to acclimate to college life and that finishing later moves wrestling’s collegiate championship events away from directly competing against that other tournament whose name cannot be legally mentioned here without paying licensing fees to CBS or the NCAA.
For most fans this seems to be a no-brainer. But hold on – last week I received emails from several Division III coaches debating the proposal – and many of them are against moving the season. Those that are against have valid concerns – many small school wrestling teams share facilities, staff – even athletes – with other sports. For them – changing the season increases their operating budget and thus makes hanging on to their program even more tenuous.
In the current issue of Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine publisher, Bryan Van Kley, has written an excellent editorial on the subject. He offers an alternative plan and solid logic behind it. Bryan makes the case better than I can, so I urge you to pick up a copy of WIN and read his column.
Many marketers will tell you that changing one “P” without addressing the other three will not have the effect you desire. To assume that moving the season alone will popularize college wrestling is to make the most basic of marketing mistakes.
What are our goals – to have more opportunities for the current fan base to watch wrestling on television? To attract new fans to the sport? To get more kids on the mat? Attaining any one of those will spur the growth of wrestling.
Price
This isn’t really much of an issue. Tickets to a college wrestling meet or tournament are a bargain. However, across the board, we ought to make it easier for large groups of kids to see the best that the sport has to offer.
Product
At its core wrestling is a great product – but it’s not perfect. And it may have lost some entertainment value over the past few years. Go to youtube and watch NCAA finals matches like Randy Lewis vs. Darryl Burley or Mark Schultz vs. Ed Banach or Lincoln McIlravy vs. Gerry Abas and compare those matches to last year’s 125 pound final. What’s needed for product improvement? There are lots of suggestions – a more universal definition of stalling, a pushout rule, eliminating the riding time point. All have merit – but maybe the answer is for more coaches and athletes to recognize the value that a more aggressive style has to the sport.
Promotion
Advertising, publicity, sales and branding are all promotional elements. What is college wrestling’s “brand”? Is it – as Ed Aliverti so resoundingly proclaimed for so many years - “the world’s oldest and greatest sport”? Is it “the sport of presidents”? Is it “the sport of opportunity”? It could be any or all of those things. The brand should NOT be, as some fans like to suggest, “the minor leagues of mixed martial arts”. That’s like having Matthew McConaughey say, “Beef: you can use it in hash.”
Therein lies the real challenge – creating a unified brand for college wrestling. Wrestling is both blessed and cursed with several entities who are all trying to promote the sport, each with slightly divergent agendas. From the NWCA to USA Wrestling to the NCAA and even to Beat the Streets – everyone has a different approach. Is there a solution? Perhaps.
Could we organize “The Wrestling Promotion Council” with representatives from all governing bodies, the wrestling media, wrestling product companies – anyone that has a vested interest in the sport? Hold an organizational conference (Cedar Rapids is a very central location), develop a plan of action, raise some money and get started. Let’s not stop with changing the Division I season – let’s also get aggressive about using the other three “Ps”.
Monday, August 31, 2009
10 things to do in the next 81 days.
College football season in Iowa begins this week. That can only mean one thing – college wrestling practice will soon begin. Over the past month or so wrestling super-fan, Bill Lahman, has been periodically counting down the days until the season begins. For many, it will start 81 days from now with the Iowa Duals on November 20th.
Some folks are getting pretty restless for a taste of wrestling. Here are ten things you can do in the next 81 days to get ready for the college wrestling season.
1. Clean your wrestling memorabilia. No one likes a dusty Dan Gable autograph.
2. Read a wrestling book or two. I personally recommend A Season on the Mat, Four Days to Glory, Cowboy Up and anything by Mike Chapman, but especially Wrestling Tough.
3. Order season tickets. I ordered mine last week. Buying season tickets is one way every fan can help college wrestling – regardless of school.
4. Watch old match video. You can find lots of wrestling on youtube, flowrestling, The Wrestling Talk and Iowa Public Television.
This isn’t a college match but it certainly is one of my favorites. It features 2 of the greatest wrestlers in the history of the sport – John Smith and Sergei Beloglazov.
5. Rearrange the wrestling tee shirts in your closet.
6. Subscribe to one of the wrestling magazines. WIN, Amateur Wrestling News and Wrestling USA will add a depth to your appreciation that you can’t always get online.
7. Rent and watch Vision Quest.
8. Visit a wrestling museum. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater and the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo are probably the most prominent, but there are others.
9. Follow the US teams at the World Championships in Herning, Denmark September 21 – 27. Current team members Dustin Schlatter, Jake Varner and Tatiana Padilla will all resume college competition after their respective world championship events
10. Make a list of the 10 “greatest, most, worst… and post it on your favorite internet wrestling forum.
Just for fun, here’s one.
The 10 greatest wrestlers to come from Waterloo (IA) West High School
1. Dan Gable
2. Lowell Lange
3. Dale Anderson
4. Mike VanArsdale
5. Dick Hauser
6. John Bowlsby
7. Tom Huff
8. Akeem Carter
9. Doug Moses
10. Leo Thomsen
Some folks are getting pretty restless for a taste of wrestling. Here are ten things you can do in the next 81 days to get ready for the college wrestling season.
1. Clean your wrestling memorabilia. No one likes a dusty Dan Gable autograph.
2. Read a wrestling book or two. I personally recommend A Season on the Mat, Four Days to Glory, Cowboy Up and anything by Mike Chapman, but especially Wrestling Tough.
3. Order season tickets. I ordered mine last week. Buying season tickets is one way every fan can help college wrestling – regardless of school.
4. Watch old match video. You can find lots of wrestling on youtube, flowrestling, The Wrestling Talk and Iowa Public Television.
This isn’t a college match but it certainly is one of my favorites. It features 2 of the greatest wrestlers in the history of the sport – John Smith and Sergei Beloglazov.
5. Rearrange the wrestling tee shirts in your closet.
6. Subscribe to one of the wrestling magazines. WIN, Amateur Wrestling News and Wrestling USA will add a depth to your appreciation that you can’t always get online.
7. Rent and watch Vision Quest.
8. Visit a wrestling museum. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater and the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo are probably the most prominent, but there are others.
9. Follow the US teams at the World Championships in Herning, Denmark September 21 – 27. Current team members Dustin Schlatter, Jake Varner and Tatiana Padilla will all resume college competition after their respective world championship events
10. Make a list of the 10 “greatest, most, worst… and post it on your favorite internet wrestling forum.
Just for fun, here’s one.
The 10 greatest wrestlers to come from Waterloo (IA) West High School
1. Dan Gable
2. Lowell Lange
3. Dale Anderson
4. Mike VanArsdale
5. Dick Hauser
6. John Bowlsby
7. Tom Huff
8. Akeem Carter
9. Doug Moses
10. Leo Thomsen
Monday, August 24, 2009
An interview with Jeff McGinness
I first saw Jeff McGinness wrestle on television. That’s an advantage to living in Iowa - all state high school finals matches are shown on split screen. I can’t remember if it was Jeff’s sophomore or junior year. I just remember – wow!
I recently contacted Jeff and he graciously agreed to answer a few questions. Jeff was one of the most dominant high school in Iowa history – a four-time undefeated state champion and a US Cadet and Junior National freestyle champion. Wrestling got into Jeff’s blood early.
“I would venture to say that I was exposed to wrestling, and specifically Iowa wrestling, from the moment I was born. My father has been the treasurer of the H.A.W.K. fan group nearly since its inception in 1975. Thus, I pretty much grew up going to wrestling meets, Big 10s, NCAAs, and frequented the Iowa room as a youngster. While I didn't really get started wrestling competitively until later in grade school, I think it was this exposure and opportunity that really drove my interest level.
As far as who influenced me the most growing up, I started out going to the Iowa evening camps held in the top floor of the old Field House with clinicians like Barry Davis, the Banachs, Zaleskys, and Kistler brothers to name a few. Upon getting to junior high I began working individually with Keith Mourlam who by far played the biggest role in my development technically. Beyond that, having supportive but not overbearing parents helped foster my growth not only on the mat, but off it as well.”
There have been 18 four-time state champions in Iowa high school wrestling history. So far only three – Joe Gibbons, Jeff and Eric Juergens have gone on to win at least one NCAA title. I asked Jeff just how big the leap is from high school to college.
“You often hear NFL or NBA commentators talking about the biggest difference from the college to the pro ranks being the "speed of the game." I think that statement applies equally to the leap from high school to college wrestling. Everyone is faster, stronger and more technically sound.”
This was borne out in one of Jeff’s very first college matches. I used to make the annual trek to Madison for the old Northern Open because it was always one of the first chances in the year to watch wrestling. It also afforded the opportunity to see the incoming freshmen who would be redshirting. Jeff’s freshman year he drew 1992 Greco-Roman Olympian, Dennis Hall, in an early round. In the first period Jeff and Hall locked up upper body holds and Hall threw Jeff to his back for a five point move. I don’t remember the final score, but Jeff mounted a furious comeback in the final two periods to almost pull out the win. I couldn’t resist asking about that match.
“That match sort of serves as an example as to the type of wrestler I was from time to time. If a wrestler was a known upper body specialist, like Dennis Hall, I would want to prove to myself that I could beat him at his game. If someone was known to be a good leg rider, I would take down to prove I could get out of anyone. Getting thrown to my back for 5 understandably caused me to rethink that strategy a bit.”
Jeff’s college career took off from there. He went on to become a three-time All American and two-time NCAA champ and an exciting wrestler to watch. He also wrestled on some of the most impressive teams in Hawkeye history. I was curious about which of his teammates he most liked to watch.
“Practice room match-up: Joe Williams vs. Lincoln McIlravy. Easily some of the best wrestling never to be seen by the public. Beyond that, there were a number of teammates who had amazing skills but because of injuries or other bad luck only wrestled briefly or never cracked the starting line-up. Casey Gillis, Corey Christensen, and Justin Stanley come to mind. All three were some of my toughest competitors in the room and had some great stuff. Gillis could throw from almost anywhere and I saw him put plenty of big names on their head in the room. Christensen was an amazing athlete and nearly impossible to finish on. Stanley was a very well rounded technical wrestler who could pick up and perfect a technique from having seen it once.”
Inevitably, I had to ask what it was like to wrestle for Gable.
“For me it was obviously a dream come true having grown up in Iowa City, in the room, and literally sitting on the bench as a kid. Beyond that general statement, I think what captures my experience the best is my belief that Coach Gable never coached two persons the same - including the numerous twins he had come through the program. His ability to read and motivate wrestlers from very different backgrounds and having distinct personalities was, in my mind, one of the biggest reasons for his success.”
Jeff’s Hawkeye career was not without its hiccups. I asked him about his favorite memories.
“I would say my entire senior year. Unlike my previous years, and after having taken a year off to redshirt following my train wreck junior year, I was back having fun wrestling by only having to worry about wrestling. While the season had some ups and downs, including a partially torn MCL, the ability to not to worry about cutting weight got me back to wrestling for myself and without concern of the outcome - the way I wrestled in high school.”
After receiving his undergraduate degree, Jeff enrolled in the University of Iowa Law School and received his JD in 2001.
“I moved back to Iowa about 2 years ago after having gotten sick of the long hours and long commute working for a large Chicago firm. I was recruited by and joined Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman where I know specialize in general litigation.”
Jeff remains active in wrestling and still follows the Hawks closely.
“I continue to help out with camps and clinics from time to time. I was also placed on the H.A.W.K. fan board this last year to oversee the creation of the clubs first website. Even when I lived in Chicago I continued to follow the team and have only missed 1 NCAA tournament (Buffalo) for as far back as I can remember. My parents have always had season tickets and we typically go to every home meet.”
Does he have any thoughts on the upcoming season?
“It's hard to say exactly how the season is going to shape up this early in the year. I know the Iowa team has some pretty big holes to fill and has a number of people competing to step into, or back into, the lineup. One of my biggest expectations for the season will be to see whether Caldwell red shirts to pursue his football interests.”
Finally, I asked Jeff for his thoughts on what we, as fans, can do to keep the sport healthy.
“I think having knowledgeable and respectful fans is one of the biggest things we can do to help maintain and grow the sport. One of my biggest frustrations as someone who is proud of the sport is the many anonymous forum posters who hide behind a screen name while they make direct attacks on current wrestlers or spread rumors and innuendo. Myself and other former wrestlers used to post, under our own name, a great deal on sites like themat.com and attempt to give our own insight or personal opinions on topics. The negativity that now infests those boards I feel has driven a number of people away.”
I recently contacted Jeff and he graciously agreed to answer a few questions. Jeff was one of the most dominant high school in Iowa history – a four-time undefeated state champion and a US Cadet and Junior National freestyle champion. Wrestling got into Jeff’s blood early.
“I would venture to say that I was exposed to wrestling, and specifically Iowa wrestling, from the moment I was born. My father has been the treasurer of the H.A.W.K. fan group nearly since its inception in 1975. Thus, I pretty much grew up going to wrestling meets, Big 10s, NCAAs, and frequented the Iowa room as a youngster. While I didn't really get started wrestling competitively until later in grade school, I think it was this exposure and opportunity that really drove my interest level.
As far as who influenced me the most growing up, I started out going to the Iowa evening camps held in the top floor of the old Field House with clinicians like Barry Davis, the Banachs, Zaleskys, and Kistler brothers to name a few. Upon getting to junior high I began working individually with Keith Mourlam who by far played the biggest role in my development technically. Beyond that, having supportive but not overbearing parents helped foster my growth not only on the mat, but off it as well.”
There have been 18 four-time state champions in Iowa high school wrestling history. So far only three – Joe Gibbons, Jeff and Eric Juergens have gone on to win at least one NCAA title. I asked Jeff just how big the leap is from high school to college.
“You often hear NFL or NBA commentators talking about the biggest difference from the college to the pro ranks being the "speed of the game." I think that statement applies equally to the leap from high school to college wrestling. Everyone is faster, stronger and more technically sound.”
This was borne out in one of Jeff’s very first college matches. I used to make the annual trek to Madison for the old Northern Open because it was always one of the first chances in the year to watch wrestling. It also afforded the opportunity to see the incoming freshmen who would be redshirting. Jeff’s freshman year he drew 1992 Greco-Roman Olympian, Dennis Hall, in an early round. In the first period Jeff and Hall locked up upper body holds and Hall threw Jeff to his back for a five point move. I don’t remember the final score, but Jeff mounted a furious comeback in the final two periods to almost pull out the win. I couldn’t resist asking about that match.
“That match sort of serves as an example as to the type of wrestler I was from time to time. If a wrestler was a known upper body specialist, like Dennis Hall, I would want to prove to myself that I could beat him at his game. If someone was known to be a good leg rider, I would take down to prove I could get out of anyone. Getting thrown to my back for 5 understandably caused me to rethink that strategy a bit.”
Jeff’s college career took off from there. He went on to become a three-time All American and two-time NCAA champ and an exciting wrestler to watch. He also wrestled on some of the most impressive teams in Hawkeye history. I was curious about which of his teammates he most liked to watch.
“Practice room match-up: Joe Williams vs. Lincoln McIlravy. Easily some of the best wrestling never to be seen by the public. Beyond that, there were a number of teammates who had amazing skills but because of injuries or other bad luck only wrestled briefly or never cracked the starting line-up. Casey Gillis, Corey Christensen, and Justin Stanley come to mind. All three were some of my toughest competitors in the room and had some great stuff. Gillis could throw from almost anywhere and I saw him put plenty of big names on their head in the room. Christensen was an amazing athlete and nearly impossible to finish on. Stanley was a very well rounded technical wrestler who could pick up and perfect a technique from having seen it once.”
Inevitably, I had to ask what it was like to wrestle for Gable.
“For me it was obviously a dream come true having grown up in Iowa City, in the room, and literally sitting on the bench as a kid. Beyond that general statement, I think what captures my experience the best is my belief that Coach Gable never coached two persons the same - including the numerous twins he had come through the program. His ability to read and motivate wrestlers from very different backgrounds and having distinct personalities was, in my mind, one of the biggest reasons for his success.”
Jeff’s Hawkeye career was not without its hiccups. I asked him about his favorite memories.
“I would say my entire senior year. Unlike my previous years, and after having taken a year off to redshirt following my train wreck junior year, I was back having fun wrestling by only having to worry about wrestling. While the season had some ups and downs, including a partially torn MCL, the ability to not to worry about cutting weight got me back to wrestling for myself and without concern of the outcome - the way I wrestled in high school.”
After receiving his undergraduate degree, Jeff enrolled in the University of Iowa Law School and received his JD in 2001.
“I moved back to Iowa about 2 years ago after having gotten sick of the long hours and long commute working for a large Chicago firm. I was recruited by and joined Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman where I know specialize in general litigation.”
Jeff remains active in wrestling and still follows the Hawks closely.
“I continue to help out with camps and clinics from time to time. I was also placed on the H.A.W.K. fan board this last year to oversee the creation of the clubs first website. Even when I lived in Chicago I continued to follow the team and have only missed 1 NCAA tournament (Buffalo) for as far back as I can remember. My parents have always had season tickets and we typically go to every home meet.”
Does he have any thoughts on the upcoming season?
“It's hard to say exactly how the season is going to shape up this early in the year. I know the Iowa team has some pretty big holes to fill and has a number of people competing to step into, or back into, the lineup. One of my biggest expectations for the season will be to see whether Caldwell red shirts to pursue his football interests.”
Finally, I asked Jeff for his thoughts on what we, as fans, can do to keep the sport healthy.
“I think having knowledgeable and respectful fans is one of the biggest things we can do to help maintain and grow the sport. One of my biggest frustrations as someone who is proud of the sport is the many anonymous forum posters who hide behind a screen name while they make direct attacks on current wrestlers or spread rumors and innuendo. Myself and other former wrestlers used to post, under our own name, a great deal on sites like themat.com and attempt to give our own insight or personal opinions on topics. The negativity that now infests those boards I feel has driven a number of people away.”
Monday, July 20, 2009
Forty years ago today
Forty years ago today I was working at the East Locust Street Dairy Queen in Davenport, IA – trying to earn enough tuition money for my sophomore year at Saint Ambrose College. In between serving banana splits and Dilly Bars I watched Neil Armstrong land on the moon. The manager had brought in a black and white portable TV so that none of us would miss history being made. NASA taught us an important lesson – a group of people can accomplish anything if it means enough to them.
Forty years ago today Dan Gable was preparing for his senior season at Iowa State University. He had not lost a wrestling match in high school or college and on July 20, 1969 most of the American wrestling community thought him unbeatable. Just a few months later, in Evanston, IL, Larry Owings shocked Gable and the wrestling world by winning the 1970 NCAA wrestling championship. Gable would rebound from that loss and go on to a World Championship and an Olympic Gold medal as an athlete and then would coach the University of Iowa to 15 NCAA team titles. Dan Gable taught us another important lesson – you can triumph over setbacks and go on to greatness.
Forty years ago today 226,681 high school boys were anticipating the beginning of wrestling season. In the 2008-2009 season 259,688 high school boys and 5,527 high school girls wrestled interscholastically.
Forty years ago today there were over 250 more college wrestling programs than there are today. It’s a pretty simple observation – there are more potential college wrestlers than in 1969, but at least 6,000 fewer opportunities.
The wrestling world spends so much time fighting the elimination of college programs that we think very little about adding teams – and yet every year new squads enter intercollegiate wrestling. There are many roadblocks to starting a new program – finances in these economic times, lack of alumni recognition, Title IX, etc. Let’s use the lessons taught us by NASA and Dan Gable. Let’s join together and fight back.
Of all of the things standing in the way – the current interpretations of Title IX may be the most steadfast. It will be a long and arduous battle to bring sanity to gender equity discussions. Let’s look instead at schools where gender proportionality is not an issue. (I’ve picked a random school from all divisions but NJCAA). Please note that these selections are based primarily on numbers.
NAIA
Park University in suburban Kansas City has an enrollment that is 51% male and currently has three more women filling athletic roster spots than men. Three other schools in their conference have wrestling teams. One of those, Missouri Baptist, also has a women’s team. Even with Baker University beginning interscholastic competition in 2009-2010, Kansas high school wrestlers are underserved with future opportunities. Park would seem a good prospect for adding both a men’s and women’s team.
NCAA Division III
Green Mountain College
The reinstatement of wrestling at Norwich University still leaves Vermont with only one college wrestling team. Green Mountain’s enrollment is 52% male, but 59% of all athletic roster spots are filled by women.
NCAA Division II
Florida Institute of Technology is 65% male. They have more women’s teams than men’s, but roster spots are 53/47 male to female, leaving room, under proportionality, for a wrestling team. Major League baseball player, Tim Wakefield is a Florida Tech grad and has a history of supporting athletics in Florida (not just baseball).
NCAA Division I
Toledo University is evenly split by gender. According to data on their website they have 185 female athletes and 162 male. That leaves just enough room for a wrestling team. Toledo has a wrestling history, including 1971 NCAA HWT champion. Greg Wojciechowski. They are also in the MAC Conference, which has other wrestling teams.
Does this mean that establishing wrestling at these schools will be easy? No!
Does this mean that these are the only schools that should be targeted for expansion? No!
I offer this up only as a slightly different way to approach the growth of college wrestling.
Next week we’ll discuss the rest of the battle.
Forty years ago today Dan Gable was preparing for his senior season at Iowa State University. He had not lost a wrestling match in high school or college and on July 20, 1969 most of the American wrestling community thought him unbeatable. Just a few months later, in Evanston, IL, Larry Owings shocked Gable and the wrestling world by winning the 1970 NCAA wrestling championship. Gable would rebound from that loss and go on to a World Championship and an Olympic Gold medal as an athlete and then would coach the University of Iowa to 15 NCAA team titles. Dan Gable taught us another important lesson – you can triumph over setbacks and go on to greatness.
Forty years ago today 226,681 high school boys were anticipating the beginning of wrestling season. In the 2008-2009 season 259,688 high school boys and 5,527 high school girls wrestled interscholastically.
Forty years ago today there were over 250 more college wrestling programs than there are today. It’s a pretty simple observation – there are more potential college wrestlers than in 1969, but at least 6,000 fewer opportunities.
The wrestling world spends so much time fighting the elimination of college programs that we think very little about adding teams – and yet every year new squads enter intercollegiate wrestling. There are many roadblocks to starting a new program – finances in these economic times, lack of alumni recognition, Title IX, etc. Let’s use the lessons taught us by NASA and Dan Gable. Let’s join together and fight back.
Of all of the things standing in the way – the current interpretations of Title IX may be the most steadfast. It will be a long and arduous battle to bring sanity to gender equity discussions. Let’s look instead at schools where gender proportionality is not an issue. (I’ve picked a random school from all divisions but NJCAA). Please note that these selections are based primarily on numbers.
NAIA
Park University in suburban Kansas City has an enrollment that is 51% male and currently has three more women filling athletic roster spots than men. Three other schools in their conference have wrestling teams. One of those, Missouri Baptist, also has a women’s team. Even with Baker University beginning interscholastic competition in 2009-2010, Kansas high school wrestlers are underserved with future opportunities. Park would seem a good prospect for adding both a men’s and women’s team.
NCAA Division III
Green Mountain College
The reinstatement of wrestling at Norwich University still leaves Vermont with only one college wrestling team. Green Mountain’s enrollment is 52% male, but 59% of all athletic roster spots are filled by women.
NCAA Division II
Florida Institute of Technology is 65% male. They have more women’s teams than men’s, but roster spots are 53/47 male to female, leaving room, under proportionality, for a wrestling team. Major League baseball player, Tim Wakefield is a Florida Tech grad and has a history of supporting athletics in Florida (not just baseball).
NCAA Division I
Toledo University is evenly split by gender. According to data on their website they have 185 female athletes and 162 male. That leaves just enough room for a wrestling team. Toledo has a wrestling history, including 1971 NCAA HWT champion. Greg Wojciechowski. They are also in the MAC Conference, which has other wrestling teams.
Does this mean that establishing wrestling at these schools will be easy? No!
Does this mean that these are the only schools that should be targeted for expansion? No!
I offer this up only as a slightly different way to approach the growth of college wrestling.
Next week we’ll discuss the rest of the battle.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Second anniversary
For most of us, blogging is a self-indulgent endeavor. Yes, I know – there are professional journalists, scientists, business leaders and educators who write blogs with tangible value. Most of the rest of us, however, just believe that we have something to say and are arrogant enough to think that someone might care enough to read it.
Today marks the second anniversary of The View from Section GG. The title reflects the fact that I have watched a lot of wrestling from section GG (row 12, seat 1) in Carver Hawkeye Arena. It started as a myspace blog because I wanted a way to discuss “the world’s oldest and greatest sport” from a fan’s viewpoint. With the exception of winning an 8th grade intramural championship at Frank L Smart Junior High in Davenport, IA – I never wrestled. The first posting was called, “Blame it on Gable” and explained the beginnings of my love for the sport. Twenty-three people read it.
I tell this story all of the time. In the winter of 1970 a friend of mine who wrestled at Augustana College asked me to ride with him to Ames to watch Dan Gable wrestle. He just wanted someone to talk to and share the driving. I am just a little younger than Gable and had spent all of my youth as a sports fan in Iowa, so I was well aware of his accomplishments. Unless you lived here at the time, it’s hard for most people to grasp the full extent to which the state embraced his success. But – before that night I had never seen him wrestle.
I don’t remember the opponent – either the school or the individual. I don’t remember any of the other matches – except that the Cyclones won. I clearly remember Gable pushing this guy across the mat like he was pushing a wheelbarrow with a flat tire (my friend explained on the drive home that those were called “double arm bars”), then turning him and pinning him. Something struck a chord with me that night and over the years my love for wrestling has continued to grow.
During the season, roughly a thousand people a week read the blog. That number will spike to about 1,500 if the content is in any way related to the Hawkeyes. The busiest week ever was when Iowa Public Television allowed me to post the video of the Dave Osenbaugh upset of Lou Banach. There were 3,500 views that week – most of them probably Cyclone fans watching that match over and over.
It has been a rewarding two years. I’ve “met” some amazing people along the way – people with an unbelievable passion for wrestling.
Photographer, web developer, wrestler and now MMA fighter, Danielle Hobeika, graciously gave me my first interview. Then she did something for which I will ever be grateful – she introduced me to Al Bevilacqua.
Al is zealous about one thing – get as many American kids on the mat as possible. He’s very clear on the best way to accomplish that – make wrestling an urban sport. He walks the walk – Al and Michael Novogratz and the others at Beat the Streets have been phenomenal in bringing youth, middle school and high school wrestling to every borough in New York City. They (and others) are now reaching out to other areas of the country. A Beat the Streets offshoot in Detroit (led by Mark Churella) recently helped launch that city’s first middle school team. Others will follow.
I got to meet Karissa Avallone and her dad, Tony. Karissa is one of the thousands of girls in this country forced to fight prejudice and stereotype – and wrestle on the boys team – just to have the opportunity to compete in the sport she loves. By the way – she’s good.
Natural disaster – and blogging about it – introduced me to a dynamo of a wrestling mom, promoter, supporter and WIN Magazine “fan of the year” – Gail Rush. Gail and her son, 2X Coe College All-American, Clayton, responded to my friend Terrance’s flood loss with great kindness. They also contributed to the first of The Road to Cedar Rapids blogs, promoting the Division III Championships. On the night that I actually met Gail face to face in the Eby Fieldhouse at Coe, she had arranged to bring the entire middle school wrestling team from Aledo, IL to watch the dual meet between Coe and Cornell College.
Speaking of Cornell – the blog introduced me to Mike Duroe, the Rams’ head coach. Mike has coached at every possible level and has a treasure of experiences. Sitting in his office and talking with him about wrestling is just about as much fun as a wrestling fan can have.
The blog led to Mike Moyer of the National Wrestling Coaches calling me on the phone. Be prepared when Mike calls because he’s going to ask you to join in the fight to save college wrestling – and you won’t be able to say no.
Jason Bryant was one of my first regular readers. He and Kyle Klingman are now working diligently to improve wrestling coverage with Wrestling 411. Currently a webcast, it is their goal to also get the show on television as a weekly highlight broadcast. They are fighting an uphill battle – but they are fighting.
Lee Roy Smith, the executive director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, has been wonderfully supportive. Lee Roy and his staff strive to make the Hall of Fame so much more than a repository of wrestling memorabilia. In the past couple of years they have created outreach and educational programs stressing the relevance of wrestling in American history and culture. He was also kind enough to share personal memories for a blog about mothers and wrestling.
Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling honored me be inviting me to contribute to the College Wrestling Network. Gary – I’m just a fan (and occasionally I’m a little too “black and gold”), but thank you.
Thanks, also, to those folks who give me feedback – Sandy Stevens, Ken Chertow, Mark Palmer, Gregg Dinderman and Scott Casber. Maybe you shouldn’t encourage me so much.
I hope you’ll forgive me if I continue to indulge myself.
Today marks the second anniversary of The View from Section GG. The title reflects the fact that I have watched a lot of wrestling from section GG (row 12, seat 1) in Carver Hawkeye Arena. It started as a myspace blog because I wanted a way to discuss “the world’s oldest and greatest sport” from a fan’s viewpoint. With the exception of winning an 8th grade intramural championship at Frank L Smart Junior High in Davenport, IA – I never wrestled. The first posting was called, “Blame it on Gable” and explained the beginnings of my love for the sport. Twenty-three people read it.
I tell this story all of the time. In the winter of 1970 a friend of mine who wrestled at Augustana College asked me to ride with him to Ames to watch Dan Gable wrestle. He just wanted someone to talk to and share the driving. I am just a little younger than Gable and had spent all of my youth as a sports fan in Iowa, so I was well aware of his accomplishments. Unless you lived here at the time, it’s hard for most people to grasp the full extent to which the state embraced his success. But – before that night I had never seen him wrestle.
I don’t remember the opponent – either the school or the individual. I don’t remember any of the other matches – except that the Cyclones won. I clearly remember Gable pushing this guy across the mat like he was pushing a wheelbarrow with a flat tire (my friend explained on the drive home that those were called “double arm bars”), then turning him and pinning him. Something struck a chord with me that night and over the years my love for wrestling has continued to grow.
During the season, roughly a thousand people a week read the blog. That number will spike to about 1,500 if the content is in any way related to the Hawkeyes. The busiest week ever was when Iowa Public Television allowed me to post the video of the Dave Osenbaugh upset of Lou Banach. There were 3,500 views that week – most of them probably Cyclone fans watching that match over and over.
It has been a rewarding two years. I’ve “met” some amazing people along the way – people with an unbelievable passion for wrestling.
Photographer, web developer, wrestler and now MMA fighter, Danielle Hobeika, graciously gave me my first interview. Then she did something for which I will ever be grateful – she introduced me to Al Bevilacqua.
Al is zealous about one thing – get as many American kids on the mat as possible. He’s very clear on the best way to accomplish that – make wrestling an urban sport. He walks the walk – Al and Michael Novogratz and the others at Beat the Streets have been phenomenal in bringing youth, middle school and high school wrestling to every borough in New York City. They (and others) are now reaching out to other areas of the country. A Beat the Streets offshoot in Detroit (led by Mark Churella) recently helped launch that city’s first middle school team. Others will follow.
I got to meet Karissa Avallone and her dad, Tony. Karissa is one of the thousands of girls in this country forced to fight prejudice and stereotype – and wrestle on the boys team – just to have the opportunity to compete in the sport she loves. By the way – she’s good.
Natural disaster – and blogging about it – introduced me to a dynamo of a wrestling mom, promoter, supporter and WIN Magazine “fan of the year” – Gail Rush. Gail and her son, 2X Coe College All-American, Clayton, responded to my friend Terrance’s flood loss with great kindness. They also contributed to the first of The Road to Cedar Rapids blogs, promoting the Division III Championships. On the night that I actually met Gail face to face in the Eby Fieldhouse at Coe, she had arranged to bring the entire middle school wrestling team from Aledo, IL to watch the dual meet between Coe and Cornell College.
Speaking of Cornell – the blog introduced me to Mike Duroe, the Rams’ head coach. Mike has coached at every possible level and has a treasure of experiences. Sitting in his office and talking with him about wrestling is just about as much fun as a wrestling fan can have.
The blog led to Mike Moyer of the National Wrestling Coaches calling me on the phone. Be prepared when Mike calls because he’s going to ask you to join in the fight to save college wrestling – and you won’t be able to say no.
Jason Bryant was one of my first regular readers. He and Kyle Klingman are now working diligently to improve wrestling coverage with Wrestling 411. Currently a webcast, it is their goal to also get the show on television as a weekly highlight broadcast. They are fighting an uphill battle – but they are fighting.
Lee Roy Smith, the executive director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, has been wonderfully supportive. Lee Roy and his staff strive to make the Hall of Fame so much more than a repository of wrestling memorabilia. In the past couple of years they have created outreach and educational programs stressing the relevance of wrestling in American history and culture. He was also kind enough to share personal memories for a blog about mothers and wrestling.
Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling honored me be inviting me to contribute to the College Wrestling Network. Gary – I’m just a fan (and occasionally I’m a little too “black and gold”), but thank you.
Thanks, also, to those folks who give me feedback – Sandy Stevens, Ken Chertow, Mark Palmer, Gregg Dinderman and Scott Casber. Maybe you shouldn’t encourage me so much.
I hope you’ll forgive me if I continue to indulge myself.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Share wrestling with a friend
Tom Carr has been the wrestling administrative assistant at Michigan State University since 2007. Prior to that he was an assistant coach at Central College in Pella, IA and before that he was on the staff of the Buckeye Wrestling Club. Part of Tom’s work at MSU is developing marketing and promotional programs. He read last week’s “sales letter” from Mark Palmer and wrote a lengthy response which explores the concept of “sharing” wrestling. Here is Tom’s response.
“I think that there are two sides to selling wrestling though. Your responder attacked it very well from the practical side of things in selling it to ADs. But as you said we have to get John Fans butt in the seat!
Because of the decline in male students I believe that small schools are going to add more teams in the next few years in order to attract enrollment. I know from my experience when I was the head assistant at Central College in Pella that there was a huge emphasis on recruiting. Our AD of course wanted good wrestlers. Our Dean of Enrollment just wanted us to have 40 kids in the recruiting class.
At MSU it is about the experience.. We are responsible for having an experience for our athletes and our fans and that is the part of my job that I love the most! I love wrestling and I wouldn't say it is easy for me but when I sat down and made our marketing plan I looked at who we could invite in to be new fans. We reached out to students, local youth wrestlers, and the community around campus.
I talked to a local MMA promoter to ask him how he got thousands of people to come watch amateur MMA fights and one of the things he said that stuck out to me was that he puts his picture on all of the posters because he has people come to the shows because they know him from coaching youth lacrosse, running a charity tennis tournament or his job working for the state.
In promoting and drawing a crowd it is the coaches that are good at inviting other people into the mix and sharing their passion for the sport that are able to build boosters and a fan base. This comes at a price because anytime you invite people in you have to make sure there are barriers that ensure NCAA rules and the athletes life as a student are respected. If you look at the coaches at schools that draw well they have all done a great job of sharing their passion. Brian Smith, Dan Gable, Rob Koll. If you hear these guys talk wrestling they have a passion that gets you excited to watch wrestling. Whether you are a fan or not.
It is like fund raising. No one wants to hear about Muscular Dystrophy but Jerry Lewis is passionate about making an impact and finding a cure. His passion is so contagious that he is able to pull others in. Singers, athletes, politicians, and every imaginable type of celebrity have been pulled in and appear on his telethon. Their star power is huge but more than anything it is Lewis and his will to bring more people into the cause that has allowed them to raise over a billion dollars.
It was the passion of the Magic Johnson (Go Green!) and Larry Bird rivalry that took college basketball and made it a revenue sport. The passion of two of the greatest wills in sports colliding in a little arena in Utah lit the sports world on fire. When it took off the coaches ran with it, reinvested in their programs and fans, and look at it now. At MSU it always amazes me that Magic Johnson didn't play in a 20,000 seat arena. He played in the same 5,000 seat arena we wrestle in! Thirty years later MSU plays in a Final Four in a football stadium that draws close to 70,000 fans.
My father is from Mississippi, a state that until recently had no amateur wrestling. When I was in college my uncle came to visit us and he saw a Dan Gable book I had. He doesn't know what a headlock is but he knows who Dan Gable is and he knew about Gable's passion to compete and 30 years after Gable's Gold Medal he sat there and told me about how hard it was for him to follow what was going on in Germany but he checked the paper every morning to see if Gable had beaten the Russians.
I want to turn this around and ask people. Instead of selling wrestling… How do we share wrestling? I know wrestling has a passionate fan base that will travel anywhere in the country to see the NCAA tournament. Next year the tournament is in Omaha. In a region that supports the sport. How do we get those fans to bring their friends? How do we get an office worker in downtown Omaha to convince his coworkers to go watch some wrestling instead of going out for a beer on Thursday afternoon?
We have to answer that question if we want to grow the sport. A few winters ago I took my girlfriend to an Association of Volleyball Professionals tournament; if they can sell thousands of tickets for a beach volleyball event in Columbus, Ohio in February we can find a way to share wrestling.
One more note. Some places put a lot into the production of their matches. We have to make sure that we do more for the fans that do come so they enjoy themselves and come back. Just putting out a mat and some chairs doesn’t really do very much I could write a lot about this but I will leave it at we don’t have to sell wrestling. We have to share wrestling!
If you want an AD to ad a program bring him to the Iowa/ Minnesota dual in Carver Hawkeye Arena, Bring them to the MYWA Championships, or take him to the Ohio, Iowa, or Pennsylvania State Championships. Share the passion of wrestling with them, invite them in and help them understand the sport. Be positive, don’t talk down to them. Don’t talk about hard work and cutting weight! Talk about the legends, the scoring, and OK maybe a little about how hard the sport is. That is how we can sell the sport and grow the fan base.
Now that we have wrestlers going on to be celebrities in MMA how do we get them to bring their fans to the events? At MSU we definitely get people come check out a match because of Rashad and Gray. We try to capture and keep them. What MMA guys are going to host fan parties in Omaha next year?
So now, here is my challenge before I go back to work. Next year everyone reading this can see a marquee match… A high school or college rivalry, state tournament, or the NCAA finals. Who are you going to share the sport with?"
You can visit Tom's website at http://www.carrwrestling.com/
“I think that there are two sides to selling wrestling though. Your responder attacked it very well from the practical side of things in selling it to ADs. But as you said we have to get John Fans butt in the seat!
Because of the decline in male students I believe that small schools are going to add more teams in the next few years in order to attract enrollment. I know from my experience when I was the head assistant at Central College in Pella that there was a huge emphasis on recruiting. Our AD of course wanted good wrestlers. Our Dean of Enrollment just wanted us to have 40 kids in the recruiting class.
At MSU it is about the experience.. We are responsible for having an experience for our athletes and our fans and that is the part of my job that I love the most! I love wrestling and I wouldn't say it is easy for me but when I sat down and made our marketing plan I looked at who we could invite in to be new fans. We reached out to students, local youth wrestlers, and the community around campus.
I talked to a local MMA promoter to ask him how he got thousands of people to come watch amateur MMA fights and one of the things he said that stuck out to me was that he puts his picture on all of the posters because he has people come to the shows because they know him from coaching youth lacrosse, running a charity tennis tournament or his job working for the state.
In promoting and drawing a crowd it is the coaches that are good at inviting other people into the mix and sharing their passion for the sport that are able to build boosters and a fan base. This comes at a price because anytime you invite people in you have to make sure there are barriers that ensure NCAA rules and the athletes life as a student are respected. If you look at the coaches at schools that draw well they have all done a great job of sharing their passion. Brian Smith, Dan Gable, Rob Koll. If you hear these guys talk wrestling they have a passion that gets you excited to watch wrestling. Whether you are a fan or not.
It is like fund raising. No one wants to hear about Muscular Dystrophy but Jerry Lewis is passionate about making an impact and finding a cure. His passion is so contagious that he is able to pull others in. Singers, athletes, politicians, and every imaginable type of celebrity have been pulled in and appear on his telethon. Their star power is huge but more than anything it is Lewis and his will to bring more people into the cause that has allowed them to raise over a billion dollars.
It was the passion of the Magic Johnson (Go Green!) and Larry Bird rivalry that took college basketball and made it a revenue sport. The passion of two of the greatest wills in sports colliding in a little arena in Utah lit the sports world on fire. When it took off the coaches ran with it, reinvested in their programs and fans, and look at it now. At MSU it always amazes me that Magic Johnson didn't play in a 20,000 seat arena. He played in the same 5,000 seat arena we wrestle in! Thirty years later MSU plays in a Final Four in a football stadium that draws close to 70,000 fans.
My father is from Mississippi, a state that until recently had no amateur wrestling. When I was in college my uncle came to visit us and he saw a Dan Gable book I had. He doesn't know what a headlock is but he knows who Dan Gable is and he knew about Gable's passion to compete and 30 years after Gable's Gold Medal he sat there and told me about how hard it was for him to follow what was going on in Germany but he checked the paper every morning to see if Gable had beaten the Russians.
I want to turn this around and ask people. Instead of selling wrestling… How do we share wrestling? I know wrestling has a passionate fan base that will travel anywhere in the country to see the NCAA tournament. Next year the tournament is in Omaha. In a region that supports the sport. How do we get those fans to bring their friends? How do we get an office worker in downtown Omaha to convince his coworkers to go watch some wrestling instead of going out for a beer on Thursday afternoon?
We have to answer that question if we want to grow the sport. A few winters ago I took my girlfriend to an Association of Volleyball Professionals tournament; if they can sell thousands of tickets for a beach volleyball event in Columbus, Ohio in February we can find a way to share wrestling.
One more note. Some places put a lot into the production of their matches. We have to make sure that we do more for the fans that do come so they enjoy themselves and come back. Just putting out a mat and some chairs doesn’t really do very much I could write a lot about this but I will leave it at we don’t have to sell wrestling. We have to share wrestling!
If you want an AD to ad a program bring him to the Iowa/ Minnesota dual in Carver Hawkeye Arena, Bring them to the MYWA Championships, or take him to the Ohio, Iowa, or Pennsylvania State Championships. Share the passion of wrestling with them, invite them in and help them understand the sport. Be positive, don’t talk down to them. Don’t talk about hard work and cutting weight! Talk about the legends, the scoring, and OK maybe a little about how hard the sport is. That is how we can sell the sport and grow the fan base.
Now that we have wrestlers going on to be celebrities in MMA how do we get them to bring their fans to the events? At MSU we definitely get people come check out a match because of Rashad and Gray. We try to capture and keep them. What MMA guys are going to host fan parties in Omaha next year?
So now, here is my challenge before I go back to work. Next year everyone reading this can see a marquee match… A high school or college rivalry, state tournament, or the NCAA finals. Who are you going to share the sport with?"
You can visit Tom's website at http://www.carrwrestling.com/
Monday, May 4, 2009
Could you sell college wrestling? - results
On April 13th I announced a contest to determine who could write the best sales letter to “sell” college wrestling. One entry took a slightly different angle and is worthy of posting. However, there may be a permission issue that I am investigating. The other two entries came from wrestling historian, writer and fan – RevWrestling’s Mark Palmer. Mark did an outstanding job. I’m going to post his letter to fictional administrator, Pat Killwrestling this week and his letter to Aaron Sportsjunky next week. I hope you agree that Mark has hit both targets.
“Pat Killwrestling, PhD
President, Whatsamattawith U
123 Administration Center
College Town, US 12345-6789
Dear Dr Killwrestling,
These days, you have plenty of concerns. Your endowments have taken a huge hit from the stock market plunge. The current recession is putting added downward pressure on your budget, causing prospective students to delay -- or deny -- their dreams of attending college.
At times like these, the last thing you may be considering is -- adding another sport. Right now, intercollegiate sports may seem like an unnecessary luxury.
But... what if a sport could pay its own way... and then some? What if a sport could attract intelligent, high-achieving scholar-athletes -- men and women -- to your school who might not otherwise compete in sports?
That sport is wrestling.
Yes, the oldest sport, the sport of ancient Greek and Roman cultures, is the right sport for your college, right now. Here’s why:
Low initial investment: To launch a wrestling program, all you need is a room and a wrestling mat. You probably have a storage room in your gym, fieldhouse or student activity center large enough to serve as a wrestling room. Compare that to the acreage required for field sports… or the unique facilities necessary for water sports or equestrian activities.
Low ongoing costs: You already know what it costs to keep your existing football and basketball programs going for an entire season. By contrast, it takes only a fraction of that amount to sustain a college wrestling program. Top-tier mat programs report yearly costs in the $50,000 - $100,000 range.
Number of new students: By sponsoring an intercollegiate wrestling program for men, you can expect to add at least one to three dozen new students to your overall college enrollment. Add in a separate program for women, and you can double those numbers. Those scholar-athletes mean additional tuition payments now… and a source of additional alumni support after graduation.
Loyal fans = school support: Wrestling fans are among the most loyal of any sport. They never miss a single wrestling event during the season, which means enhanced revenues from the sale of tickets, programs, refreshments and souvenirs. What’s more, this loyal support can translate to increased donations to your college.
Positive notoriety: What do John McCain and Howard Dean have in common? The same thing that Chief Justice John Roberts and the late Paul Wellstone share -- they were all wrestlers in school. You might be surprised to learn that Oscar-nominated actor Tom Cruise, ABC News’ George Stephanopolous, and novelist and Oscar-winning screenwriter John Irving once wrestled. Think of the positive press coverage your school would receive if one of your wrestler-graduates goes on to a successful career on the silver screen... or in service to his/her country.
These are just some of the benefits you and your school can experience by establishing an intercollegiate wrestling program. I’ll be contacting you next week to further discuss the tangible benefits of having your college become the newest school to offer “the oldest and greatest sport” – wrestling.
Sincerely,”
“Pat Killwrestling, PhD
President, Whatsamattawith U
123 Administration Center
College Town, US 12345-6789
Dear Dr Killwrestling,
These days, you have plenty of concerns. Your endowments have taken a huge hit from the stock market plunge. The current recession is putting added downward pressure on your budget, causing prospective students to delay -- or deny -- their dreams of attending college.
At times like these, the last thing you may be considering is -- adding another sport. Right now, intercollegiate sports may seem like an unnecessary luxury.
But... what if a sport could pay its own way... and then some? What if a sport could attract intelligent, high-achieving scholar-athletes -- men and women -- to your school who might not otherwise compete in sports?
That sport is wrestling.
Yes, the oldest sport, the sport of ancient Greek and Roman cultures, is the right sport for your college, right now. Here’s why:
Low initial investment: To launch a wrestling program, all you need is a room and a wrestling mat. You probably have a storage room in your gym, fieldhouse or student activity center large enough to serve as a wrestling room. Compare that to the acreage required for field sports… or the unique facilities necessary for water sports or equestrian activities.
Low ongoing costs: You already know what it costs to keep your existing football and basketball programs going for an entire season. By contrast, it takes only a fraction of that amount to sustain a college wrestling program. Top-tier mat programs report yearly costs in the $50,000 - $100,000 range.
Number of new students: By sponsoring an intercollegiate wrestling program for men, you can expect to add at least one to three dozen new students to your overall college enrollment. Add in a separate program for women, and you can double those numbers. Those scholar-athletes mean additional tuition payments now… and a source of additional alumni support after graduation.
Loyal fans = school support: Wrestling fans are among the most loyal of any sport. They never miss a single wrestling event during the season, which means enhanced revenues from the sale of tickets, programs, refreshments and souvenirs. What’s more, this loyal support can translate to increased donations to your college.
Positive notoriety: What do John McCain and Howard Dean have in common? The same thing that Chief Justice John Roberts and the late Paul Wellstone share -- they were all wrestlers in school. You might be surprised to learn that Oscar-nominated actor Tom Cruise, ABC News’ George Stephanopolous, and novelist and Oscar-winning screenwriter John Irving once wrestled. Think of the positive press coverage your school would receive if one of your wrestler-graduates goes on to a successful career on the silver screen... or in service to his/her country.
These are just some of the benefits you and your school can experience by establishing an intercollegiate wrestling program. I’ll be contacting you next week to further discuss the tangible benefits of having your college become the newest school to offer “the oldest and greatest sport” – wrestling.
Sincerely,”
Monday, April 13, 2009
Could you sell college wrestling?
It’s confession time. I write sales letters that end up in your mailbox. Oh – I do other things, but the whole thrust of what I do professionally is that I send you, your friends and your neighbors mail with the sole intent of selling you something (or getting you to donate to a charity). Over the years I may have sold you jewelry, shoes, cell phones, pizza, sub sandwiches, ocean cruises, tractors, a plasma TV, fishing gear or a tuxedo. I might have prodded you into contributing to a veteran’s group, a youth center, a food pantry or a shelter for abused women. My clients seem to think that I’m pretty good at it.
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how I would write letters selling college wrestling. My objectives have been twofold – how do we save all of the programs we have now and how do we get more colleges to offer wrestling as a varsity sport.
There are several keys to successful sales letters. First you must write to just one person. Sure, you might be mailing thousands of them, but letters only work when one person writes to another person. This requires that you know as much about your audience as possible and then “talk to one of them” just as if he or she is sitting in your living room. Selling college wrestling requires separate messages to at least four different people.
You have to convince Rosemary Titleix about the true meaning of opportunity. Eliminating one person’s access to intercollegiate athletic participation builds no opportunity for anyone. Progressive, cooperative thought must replace dogmatic rhetoric.
Pat Killwrestling (and administrators like him) must be sold on the value that wrestling brings to his institution. For many enrollment-driven colleges the equation is fairly simple. Adding wrestling can immediately bring in 25 – 30 new students – and another 15 – 20 if someone has the courage to add a women’s program. Not only can the additional tuition and fee revenue exceed the cost of the wrestling program, the potential for future alumni support increases with every additional enrollment.
You need to get Aaron Sportsjunky’s butt into a seat at a wrestling event. He may not like it once he gets there, but you can’t really attract him as a new fan until he experiences the sport.
In these times, the most important letter just might go to Max Dollars. College wrestling needs financial support. Look at the reality of recent history. The University of Oregon, Fresno State, Arizona State, Wagner, Portland State, Slippery Rock, etc., etc., etc – all announced the elimination of varsity wrestling. Which school rescinded the decision? Arizona State – because Art Martori and other donors guaranteed enough money to save the team. Every school in America needs its own Art Martori. If one isn’t readily available, he or she must be recruited and sold on the value of college wrestling.
If the future of the sport depended upon it – could you sell college wrestling to any one (or all) of those people? You can? Well then – here’s your opportunity. Write a sales letter for wrestling and send it to me at jim@dmsolutions4u.com by April 30, 2009. I’ll pick four finalists and post them in my May 4th blog. Blog readers will then vote. The contest is open to anyone that reads the blog. The winner will get two wrestling season tickets for the college of his/her choice.
Here’s a tip to help you write the letter. You must convince the reader that there is a benefit to him or her.
Share your thoughts. The future of the sport just might depend upon you.
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how I would write letters selling college wrestling. My objectives have been twofold – how do we save all of the programs we have now and how do we get more colleges to offer wrestling as a varsity sport.
There are several keys to successful sales letters. First you must write to just one person. Sure, you might be mailing thousands of them, but letters only work when one person writes to another person. This requires that you know as much about your audience as possible and then “talk to one of them” just as if he or she is sitting in your living room. Selling college wrestling requires separate messages to at least four different people.
You have to convince Rosemary Titleix about the true meaning of opportunity. Eliminating one person’s access to intercollegiate athletic participation builds no opportunity for anyone. Progressive, cooperative thought must replace dogmatic rhetoric.
Pat Killwrestling (and administrators like him) must be sold on the value that wrestling brings to his institution. For many enrollment-driven colleges the equation is fairly simple. Adding wrestling can immediately bring in 25 – 30 new students – and another 15 – 20 if someone has the courage to add a women’s program. Not only can the additional tuition and fee revenue exceed the cost of the wrestling program, the potential for future alumni support increases with every additional enrollment.
You need to get Aaron Sportsjunky’s butt into a seat at a wrestling event. He may not like it once he gets there, but you can’t really attract him as a new fan until he experiences the sport.
In these times, the most important letter just might go to Max Dollars. College wrestling needs financial support. Look at the reality of recent history. The University of Oregon, Fresno State, Arizona State, Wagner, Portland State, Slippery Rock, etc., etc., etc – all announced the elimination of varsity wrestling. Which school rescinded the decision? Arizona State – because Art Martori and other donors guaranteed enough money to save the team. Every school in America needs its own Art Martori. If one isn’t readily available, he or she must be recruited and sold on the value of college wrestling.
If the future of the sport depended upon it – could you sell college wrestling to any one (or all) of those people? You can? Well then – here’s your opportunity. Write a sales letter for wrestling and send it to me at jim@dmsolutions4u.com by April 30, 2009. I’ll pick four finalists and post them in my May 4th blog. Blog readers will then vote. The contest is open to anyone that reads the blog. The winner will get two wrestling season tickets for the college of his/her choice.
Here’s a tip to help you write the letter. You must convince the reader that there is a benefit to him or her.
Share your thoughts. The future of the sport just might depend upon you.
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Second Annual View from Section GG College Wrestling Awards
The championships have all been won and all of the awards except the Hodge Trophy have been handed out. Its time for the second annual View from Section GG college wrestling awards.
The Ron Santo “Heart on Your Sleeve Award”
The longtime Cubs radio announcer (and “should be” Hall of Fame third baseman) has long been known for his emotional eruptions during his broadcasts. We present a Santo award to former Hawkeye wrestler, Mark Ironside, who is the color commentator for KXIC-AM’s University of Iowa wrestling coverage. Iowa All-Access streams the audio for KXIC so fans across the country can now hear Mark. If you wanted to get a feel for the emotional roller coaster that was this year’s NCAA Division I Championship you just had to listen to Ironside, “Gol dang it, (fill in wrestler’s full name), what are you doin’? Attack!” His eruption after Dan Erekson pinned David Zabriskie rattled my windows.
The “We Really Care” Award
This goes to all of the Division III wrestlers, coaches and fans who came to Cedar Rapids this year for the DIII Championships. In the past two weeks I have heard a number of stories about your generosity – from holding receptions at flood recovering businesses to making donations to recovery funds. Thank you. I look forward to seeing you all again next year.
Rookies of the year
The women’s award goes to Jamestown College of North Dakota. In their first year of competition they finished fourth in the Women’s College Wrestling Association national championships and had an individual title winner (Tani Adler).
Another first year program, Grand View University (Des Moines, IA), takes the men’s award with an eighth place finish at the NAIA Championships. They also had an individual titleist in Matt Burns.
The “Stuff it” Award
There’s a tie here. We have 15,955 winners – all of the fans who packed Carver Hawkeye Arena for the Iowa/Iowa State contest and broke the dual meet attendance record.
The “Real Opportunity” Award
Longtime readers know that I believe wrestling to be the most democratic of sports. You don’t need to win some kind of genetic lottery (great height, a large body mass or blazing speed) to become a champion. The athlete that works the hardest and learns the most almost always triumphs. It goes beyond that – wrestling offers real opportunity for excellence not always presented by other sports. This year I’ve chosen to name a runner-up and a grand prize winner.
Michaela Hutchison is already a wrestling pioneer. In 2006 she became the first girl in America to win a boys state wrestling championship when she won the Alaskan 103 pound title. Now wrestling at Oklahoma City University, Michaela won the 55kg class at this year’s Women’s College Wrestling Association Championships and was named Outstanding Wrestler. In February she broke more ground. When the 125 pounder on the Oklahoma City men’s team went down to injury, Michaela stepped in to fill the spot. She took a lot of lumps but did win at least one match.
There can be no question, however, about the grand prize winner of this award – Anthony Robles of Arizona State University. As most know by now, Anthony was born with just one leg. After an amazing high school career that included an undefeated senior season, an Arizona state championship and a National High School championship, he chose to become a Sun Devil. Last year, as a freshman, he reached the round of 12 at the Division I championships. In May it seemed as if he was going to face even more adversity when ASU announced the elimination of the wrestling program. Anthony became an active spokesperson, helping to raise awareness about the plight of the program. Fortunately for him and all involved, major alumni donors stepped up and gave the program the necessary financial backing to save the team.
Saturday in Saint Louis Anthony Robles became an All-American – finishing fourth in this year’s tournament. In past interviews he has acknowledged that he is aware that others look to him as a role model – and he accepts the role with grace. In an Associated Press interview after his semi-final loss to Paul Donahoe of Edinboro Anthony said, “He didn’t beat me because I was born with one leg. He beat me because he was just the better wrestler tonight. Its that simple.”
Congratulations, Anthony. I’m glad you chose wrestling.
The Ron Santo “Heart on Your Sleeve Award”
The longtime Cubs radio announcer (and “should be” Hall of Fame third baseman) has long been known for his emotional eruptions during his broadcasts. We present a Santo award to former Hawkeye wrestler, Mark Ironside, who is the color commentator for KXIC-AM’s University of Iowa wrestling coverage. Iowa All-Access streams the audio for KXIC so fans across the country can now hear Mark. If you wanted to get a feel for the emotional roller coaster that was this year’s NCAA Division I Championship you just had to listen to Ironside, “Gol dang it, (fill in wrestler’s full name), what are you doin’? Attack!” His eruption after Dan Erekson pinned David Zabriskie rattled my windows.
The “We Really Care” Award
This goes to all of the Division III wrestlers, coaches and fans who came to Cedar Rapids this year for the DIII Championships. In the past two weeks I have heard a number of stories about your generosity – from holding receptions at flood recovering businesses to making donations to recovery funds. Thank you. I look forward to seeing you all again next year.
Rookies of the year
The women’s award goes to Jamestown College of North Dakota. In their first year of competition they finished fourth in the Women’s College Wrestling Association national championships and had an individual title winner (Tani Adler).
Another first year program, Grand View University (Des Moines, IA), takes the men’s award with an eighth place finish at the NAIA Championships. They also had an individual titleist in Matt Burns.
The “Stuff it” Award
There’s a tie here. We have 15,955 winners – all of the fans who packed Carver Hawkeye Arena for the Iowa/Iowa State contest and broke the dual meet attendance record.
The “Real Opportunity” Award
Longtime readers know that I believe wrestling to be the most democratic of sports. You don’t need to win some kind of genetic lottery (great height, a large body mass or blazing speed) to become a champion. The athlete that works the hardest and learns the most almost always triumphs. It goes beyond that – wrestling offers real opportunity for excellence not always presented by other sports. This year I’ve chosen to name a runner-up and a grand prize winner.
Michaela Hutchison is already a wrestling pioneer. In 2006 she became the first girl in America to win a boys state wrestling championship when she won the Alaskan 103 pound title. Now wrestling at Oklahoma City University, Michaela won the 55kg class at this year’s Women’s College Wrestling Association Championships and was named Outstanding Wrestler. In February she broke more ground. When the 125 pounder on the Oklahoma City men’s team went down to injury, Michaela stepped in to fill the spot. She took a lot of lumps but did win at least one match.
There can be no question, however, about the grand prize winner of this award – Anthony Robles of Arizona State University. As most know by now, Anthony was born with just one leg. After an amazing high school career that included an undefeated senior season, an Arizona state championship and a National High School championship, he chose to become a Sun Devil. Last year, as a freshman, he reached the round of 12 at the Division I championships. In May it seemed as if he was going to face even more adversity when ASU announced the elimination of the wrestling program. Anthony became an active spokesperson, helping to raise awareness about the plight of the program. Fortunately for him and all involved, major alumni donors stepped up and gave the program the necessary financial backing to save the team.
Saturday in Saint Louis Anthony Robles became an All-American – finishing fourth in this year’s tournament. In past interviews he has acknowledged that he is aware that others look to him as a role model – and he accepts the role with grace. In an Associated Press interview after his semi-final loss to Paul Donahoe of Edinboro Anthony said, “He didn’t beat me because I was born with one leg. He beat me because he was just the better wrestler tonight. Its that simple.”
Congratulations, Anthony. I’m glad you chose wrestling.
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