The KCWF had a good weekend at the Kids State Tournament many individuals, clubs and businesses stopped by the KCWF booth - an updated list of contributors will be posted soon.
USA Wrestling Kansas Inc., and the KCWF Committee also recognized and presented an award to Vince and Linda Nowak for their contributions to the KCWF. A very deserving standing ovation by the crowd.
Vince and Linda Nowak were introduced to wrestling in 1997 when their son Jacob was in the first grade. Jacob went on to wrestle for 15 years thru his junior year in college. Jacob had a successful youth, high school and college wrestling career. Their son was on the first Baker University wrestling team in 2009-2010. He was a two time NAIA national qualifier as well as a NAIA Academic All American. Jacob is graduating in May 2013 with a Business/Accounting degree. Jacob begins law school this summer on scholarship at the University of Kansas Law School.
The Nowak’s became very interested in trying to help combat the dropping of college wrestling programs early in their son’s youth wrestling career. Vince wanted to see increased college wrestling and academic opportunities for our young Kansas wrestlers.
The Nowak’s believed that the best way to achieve more college wrestling and academic opportunities was thru increased financial support from the wrestling community. Two years ago it was announced that UNO in Omaha, Nebraska had decided to drop its wrestling program. The UNO wrestling coach was informed of this decision immediately after his team had just won its third straight and overall seventh NCAA Division II national title. This news shocked the national wrestling community that even this successful of a program could be dropped. This news spurred the Kansas wrestling community into action.
Immediately after UNO’s announcement Vince got involved with a small group including Sean McCarthy, Ned Price and Randy Hinderliter to form the Kansas College Wrestling Fund. The group contacted USAW-KS Board of Directors Chairman Mike Juby about forming Kansas College Wrestling Fund to be administered by the USAW-KS organization. Mr. Juby asked the group to draft a mission statement and operating guidelines for the Fund. Vince and the other group members worked many hours over the next two months to prepare the guidelines of the new Fund. The Fund was tentatively approved in May 2011 by the USAW-KS Board of Directors. Vince was an original Kansas College Wrestling Fund foundation committee board member which met for the first time on June 12, 2011 in Salina, Kansas. The Fund’s guidelines were finalized and approved that fall by the USAW-KS Board of DIrectors.
In the first two operating years of the Kansas College Wrestling Fund, Vince and Linda Nowak became Gold Level Donors. It is their hope that everyone in the Kansas wrestling community will work to develop and maintain college wrestling in Kansas for our future generations of youth wrestlers by becoming donors and by actively promoting the Kansas College Wrestling Fund in their local wrestling communities.
Funds like this one should have been established in the 70’s and 80’s in every state. Today's athletes will also be our future generations of teachers and coaches.
