Calling all coaches, and wrestlers. We are going to be hosting a clinic in Wichita for 8 year old cancer victim Tyler Graebner on Thursday December 30. We are not certain as to the location but have it narrowed down to hopefully one of 2 places. Eric Akin has made the commitment to be here and head up the clinic. On December 20 we had numerous All Americans and NCAA Qualifiers attend to help with the clinic in Paola KS, all of their time was donated. We are hoping to do the same thing in the Wichita area. We want coaches and wrestlers who may be willing to donate their time to help raise funds for this young man who has both liver and pancreatic cancer. His family is in need of funds for the medical expenses involved. I will be posting more information about the Wichita clinic as it becomes available but if you are a coach, wrestler, or individual who would be willing to donate your time and service to help with this clinic, please email me ASAP so we can work out the details. If needing a place to stay in Wichita we can work that out. You could stay the weekend, get a great clinic in on Thursday, Enjoy the community and take a break on Friday and get in a tournament on Saturday and another on Sunday. Please help, it would especially be great if someone could make additional contacts to any of the state college wrestlers and coaching staff, and/or wrestlers that wrestle out of state that may be in for the holiday. All assistance would be appreciated. My cell number is 316-841-5814, and my email is posted in my profile.

Here is the link for some photographs from the Paola KS Clinic.

Another note here. There is so much going on with Tyler it is unreal. I just got off the phone with Eric and we raised in the neighborhood of $1,600 last night for this family. We want to do more though and there is so much more that is in the planning. I just finished emailing a web site designer who wants to do a web site for Tyler, we are looking at ways to make it easier for people to contribute. We are going to be setting as a goal to have the wrestling community pay for his medications on a month-to-month basis, currently around $800. The wrestling community is a family and that is something that is special, especially during this time of year. Right now we realize that some may not be able to attend, but they can still help. We found out last night that items to auction for Tyler will also bring in substantial dollars. I won't say who but just the signed hat from Wyoming brought in $100. If you, or your club or team have wrestling memorabilia please consider donating it for Tyler. Again all monies go to help the family out. If willing to donate items for auction, please email me or call.

http://www.PictureTrail.com/mikefurches

Thursday, December 30 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Derby High School Practice Room. Hosted by the Derby Jr. Wrestling Club

All American Wrestling Clinic for Tyler Graebner: 100% of all proceeds go benefit the family with medical expenses.

Cost $10 per wrestlers. Additional donations will gladly be accepted for the fund.

Thursday, December 30 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Derby High School Practice Room.


Clinicians include:

Eric Akin - World Class Wrestler and former NCAA All American and Real Pro Wrestling

Eric Prichard - Head wrestling coach for Wichita Northwest have committed to being at the clinic.

Craig Adams - Carroll Jr. Wrestling Head Coach

Ed Edison - Head Coach of the Kansas Crusaders, Kansas Women's team

Derby Jr. Wrestling Club Coaching Staff

How about some other coaches, from Newman, or wrestlers for example? Would also love to hear from other high school coaches. How about any other's to help.

Just a note because I have been asked. I did contact the KSHAA during the first of last week to obtain a clarification of the rule regarding High School students attending to watch, or assist in demonstrating at the clinic. I would have really have liked a response from them but as of tonight I have heard nothing regarding my request for an easement of the ruling or a clarification of attending but not wrestling. Anyone having any additional contacts may request information; so far again, I have heard nothing in response to my requests.

Tyler Trust Fund established. Just in, a Tyler Graebner Trust Fund has been established. This process makes it easy to make monthly donations to assist Tyler with his medical expenses. With little effort donations can come out of your monthly payroll check or at your request and be routed automatically to the Tyler Trust Fund. The goal as established by the wrestling community is to raise $800 a month to meet the medication expenses. So far, before the first post is up, we already have a contribution of $200 a month to go into this account, leaving us $600 short of our initial goal. Anyone desiring information on how to make a monthly contribution to this fund may email me at mike@furches.org for additional information. This is not a time commitment pledge, persons contributing may do so anonymously and may withdraw their donation at any time they wish. Also http://www.tylergraebner.com will be up and running by the end of the day. Everything there looks good.

Mr Furches,
Can high school boys participate in this clinic, or is there some high school regulation that prohibits them from participating?
Thanks for all you do!

That is the question I was trying to get answered from the KSHAA. I know that sometimes you can get an "easement" to a rule. I even looked at the possibility of could they come and just watch if they didn't put their shoes on and practice. So far no answer. It is a shame that I can't get that answer. Hopefully someone associated with the KSHAA will see that some of us are now talking about it and respond.

Another note and clarification on the above fund. This is still the same fund that Tyler currently has. It is just that we are making it easier for people to give. Since it is a checking or electronic bank account, we can make donations to the fund in that way. There are no restrictions on any deposits. The following is a more detailed description of the account.

How it works:
Tyler has a trust fund that everyone already knows about through Peoples Bank and Trust in Hutchinson. The fund is simply a bank account. No one has debit access to that account except Tyler and his guardians. However, there are no restrictions on deposits. Deposits can be made in the ways we have already seen with checks made out to the "Tyler Graebner Fund" c/o Peoples Bank and Trust. Since the Tyler Trust fund is simply a bank account, it has a routing number and an account number. These two values allow electronic fund transfers to occur. If your paycheck is electronically deposited into your bank account, then you have the opportunity to have any portion of that check routed to different accounts. By going to your payroll office, you can fill out a form that could designate a certain amount of money per paycheck to be routed to Tyler's Trust fund. Once the paperwork is submitted, it normally takes about two weeks for the first transaction to appear. You can stop this transcaction at anytime by returning to your payroll office and filling out paperwork to stop the transaction.

The Wrestling community is trying to get enough of these recurring transactions to cover all of Tyler's monthly prescription requirements. I was told by the family representative that this equates to about $800.00 a month. We currently have donations that equal $200.00 a month.
Obviously, if we can get more than $800.00, then that is fantastic for the family. This monthly transaction approach is a good way to ensure more regular and reliable support for the family's continued challenges. The Christmas season will soon be over, but not so for Tyler's challenges. I fear the possiblity of "out of sight, out of mind." This kind of recurring donation better ensures a continuity of support that can bring some peace of mind to that family.

This just in, LeBron James is sending an autographed jersey to be auctioned off next week at the clinic. You must be there to have a chance on this and other items. LeBron was moved with Tylers story enough to go out of his way and make this contribution.

Other coaches I would like to see involved, what about the Biddles, the Taylors, Coach Knox? Others that anyone can think of? What about more of the High School Coaches?

Richard, here is a question I have been asked, and I think it is a good question and I obviously don't have the answer. If a high school student never puts their wrestling shoes on, never gets on the mat and wrestles, and all they do is watch, are they violating the rules. This is one of the questions I asked but never got an answer to. It doesn't seem to be answered in the rule in question. Another thing, as indicated as a possibility in the first paragraph here, it does appear like the Executive Board could have given a waiver. Don't know, maybe they just didn't have time to respond to those questions. I have all kinds of high school wrestlers who are asking about just coming and watchin but I don't know what to tell them. I also want to remind them that this is a benefit for Tyler's family, so anyone who comes to watch, would be welcome to bring a donation to go to the family.

We need to have a separate rules committee from the KSHSAA.

New and just in is items coming in from T.C. Dantzler 2X World Team Greco Member and Dremtel Byers, 2002 World Champion

Teague Moore has to coach at Midlands but is going to try and send something to auction and has committed to donate his time and service in the future, including travel from Boston.

Anyone wanting to bid on these or any other items may contact me. I will be glad to call anyone interested in the items available on my cell phone from the clinic. I will even mail the items to you at my own expense. There will be numerous other items available from people like Eric Akin, Danny Hodge plus possibly others that are coming in. I will say the names at this point are big for wrestling fans but until I know for certain I won't list the items available.