The summer wrestling schedule has finally concluded and as you can see with the results the state of Kansas Wrestling can be very proud of their performances.
I would personally like to start off by thanking everyone involved in making the program run. Mike Juby and the other board members deserve a huge amount of credit for allowing all of our competitors this great opportunity to better themselves over the summer. Without the financial support from USA Wrestling Kansas our wrestlers would be asked to pay quite a bit more to compete.

The coaching staff also does a great job at preparing our athletes to compete at their highest level. These men and women on staff put in many hours behind the scenes with our athletes to make sure their needs are met before competition begins.

To the coaches out there that allowed for our Regional Training Centers to develop, we owe you a huge "thank you" as well. I have talked with the staff and it was agreed that these workshops really allowed our wrestlers great opportunities to train and work out on specific techniques that were going to make them more successful wrestlers. I really appreciate those schools and universites opening their doors to allow these workouts to take place. Our goal at the beginning of all of this was to make us better and I truly believe we have done that. We still have a long way to go, so hopefully we will continue to be proactive with our training situations.

Randy H., your support and updates from the tournament are time consuming and keeps you from actually watching matches but I am sure there are many parents that are unable to make the trip that will agree with me when I say that they very much appreciate them.

Heather Guillen did a great job at streaming our athletes. She did run into a little problem, but after we got that all worked out she was able to continue. At one time I believe she told me that we had over 600 people viewing our matches as they were being streamed. That is incredible. Good Job Heather!

Our officials and pairers-thank you to all of you. It is always easy to forget these VOLUNTEERS, but they too put in a ton of time and the only thing we give them is a pat on the back and a bag of gear. They deserve much more. We need more people involved in both of these categories!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The parents that support us by sending their children along with the teams also deserve to be recognized. I understand that these athletes are gone from home for a couple of weeks and this sometimes can be hard. With work schedules and other activities taking place the parents are making sacrifices to make sure their son/daughter has these chances and for that we want to make sure and tell you thank you.

To Will Cokeley and Eric Johnson for scheduling and making travel arrangements and dual rosters. You guys do not get the credit deserved and I really appreciate all of your help this year.

I know there are plenty of others out there that I am forgetting at this time and I apologize but we send out a very sincere thank you to any of you that help this program. We are making progress with our athletes but we still must set our standards high and continue to work hard. The program is only as good as the athletes that we are presented with, and without numbers this would not be possible.

Sincerely,
Russ Hermreck
Kansas Cadet & Junior Director

I would also like to thank all the people mentioned by Russ. Our success as a state is the result of the efforts of many, starting with the club coaches who first began working with these athletes and their parents who made countless trips for practice and competition, waking at ungodly hours and sitting patiently through long days in the gym.

None of these wrestlers would be where they are if not for the work that their high school and middle school coaches put into their development. These coaches should be thanked and recognized for their efforts on behalf of their athletes.

The wrestlers should be particularly commended. They were warriors on the mat, but beyond that they represented Kansas well off the mat. Between the Duals and the National Championships, there were over two weeks during which we never experienced any significant problems out of these guys. It was a pleasure being associated with such a great group of guys.

Russ mentioned the coaching staff, but I'd like to acknowledge them by name:
· Eric Akin (Junior Duals)
· Brooke Bogren (Women's Duals & Fargo)
· Dennis Charbonneau (Fargo & Cadet Duals) - my favorite pain-in-the-neck coach (inside joke)
· Mike Church (Fargo)
· Austin Devoe (Fargo)
· Richard Fergola (Fargo & Junior Duals)
· Cody Garcia (Fargo)
· Danny Grater (Fargo)
· Brandon Jobe (Fargo & Cadet Duals)
· Travis Keal (Fargo & Cadet Duals)
· Tom Peterman (Fargo & Cadet Duals)
· Zac Poague (Fargo)
· Scott Rieck (Fargo & Junior Duals)
· Clint Slyter (Fargo & Junior Duals)

Most importantly, I wanted to recognize the work done by Russ Hermreck. In his first year as director, he took over the duties previously being performed by two individuals. Both of the prior directors had done a great job in the positions, making a tough comparison for Russ. Russ more than lived up to the demands, instituting a new regional site program and efficiently managing the logistics of putting together multiple teams and camps, including training, traveling, lodging and other duties. Well Done, Russ!!!

Don't forget about Coaches Charlie Knox, Coach Nick Flynn, Coach Tom Williams, who were the Schoolboy Duals staff members.

Guys like Ed Edison, Mike Schauer, Steve Herman, etc., put in a lot of hours and miles.