Update on KCWF after year 3

Dear USAW-KS Kids Club Coach, Club President or Club Administrator:

Hello, my name is Sean McCarthy, Head Coach of the STA Kids Wrestling Club in Kansas and Chairperson of the Kansas College Wrestling Fund. It is in my role with the Kansas College Wrestling Fund that I am sending you this letter. I am appealing to each of you, the leaders of Kansas Kids clubs, to help the Kansas College wrestling fund meet its goals and objectives. The Fund needs your help every year!

About three and one half years ago, the United States wrestling community was shocked to learn that the University of Nebraska-Omaha announced it was dropping its legendary NCAA D-II wrestling program. Unfortunately over the last few decades this has become an all too common occurrence for college wrestling programs. Incredibly, the UNO coach was informed of this decision on the very night their program had just won and was celebrating another National D-II team wrestling championship! It was their third consecutive national team title and the eighth national team title overall. For many of us this was a call to action!

In the spring of 2011 a small group decided that the wrestling community needed to become proactive to combat this continual erosion of college wrestling opportunities for our current and future wrestlers. This group worked with the USAW-KS in establishing the Kansas College Wrestling Fund. The fund has now been in existence for a little over three years. The Fund has collected about $65,000 in donations, plus approximately $6,000 in support for promotion materials and operating expenses by the USAWKS Corporate Board. We have also donated $11,000 to the 10 colleges in the first year and $10,000 the second year, and plan to give $11,000 this year to the 11 colleges with wrestling programs – as established by our parameters. After all contributions we will start year four with approximately $32,500. This is a very good beginning for the Fund but we know that a lot more is required to help the Kansas collegiate wrestling programs thrive and grow.

It is vitally important that everyone in the Kansas wrestling community become part of this effort. It is the Fund’s goal for it to be a Forever Fund that will be annually supported by all members of the Kansas wrestling community. Ultimately this Fund will benefit the entire Kansas wrestling community but especially our future young Kansas college wrestlers many of whom are now wrestling in our USAW Kansas Kids Clubs. A strong and thriving state collegiate wrestling presence in Kansas offers more opportunities for current and future college wrestlers. More young families will become involved and stay involved at the Kids wrestling club level if they can see both good collegiate academic and wrestling programs in Kansas.

Many of the USAW-KS clubs have already contributed in the first three years of the Kansas College Wrestling Fund’s existence. The Kansas College Wrestling Fund committee greatly appreciates all of these previous contributions. These clubs have done so by charging and contributing an extra $1 from their tournament entry fees and/or ticket sales. We hope these clubs will continue to do so and we are hoping that more clubs running tournaments will join them this year and in future years. We urge you to consider doing so this year. If your club does not run a tournament, perhaps instead you could run a fundraising campaign within your local wrestling community to benefit the Kansas College Wrestling Fund this year.

Educate your local wrestling community including the parents of your kids club wrestlers about the Fund and the need to support it. We urge all kids club leaders to learn more about the Kansas College Wrestling Fund and how you can help it reach its goals and objectives. Go to following link for information on the Fund’s website: http://kcwf.usawks.com/

Sincerely,


Sean McCarthy
Chairperson of Kansas College Wrestling Fund



http://kcwf.usawks.com/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/KansasCollegeWrestlingFund

• Baker University
• Benedictine
• Bethany College
• Colby Community College
• Fort Hays State University
• Labette Community College
• Neosho County Community College
• Newman University
• Northwest Kansas Technical College
• Pratt Community College
. Ottawa University (new program 4 year NAIA school 2014-15 season)


Colby Community College –
Wrestling Website link –

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Colby-Community-College-Wrestling/253557661321939

http://www.colbycc.edu/


Labette:
Website Link: http://www.labette.edu/dept/athlet/wrestling/index.htm

Northwest Kansas Technical College – http://www.nwktc.edu/Athletics/wrestling.php
Website Link: http://www.nwktc.edu/Athletics/wrestling.php

Fort Hays State Athletics
Website Link: http://www.fhsuathletics.com/index.aspx?path=wrestling&tab=0

Benedictine - http://ravenathletics.benedictine.edu/athletics/sports/wrestling/schedule
Website Link: http://ravenathletics.benedictine.edu/athletics/sports/wrestling

Newman University
Website Link: http://newmanjets.com/index.aspx?path=wrestling&tab=0

Neosho Community College
Website Link: http://goneosho.com/index.aspx?path=wrestling&&tab=0

Baker University - http://www.bakeru.edu/sports/wrestling

Website Link: http://www.bakeru.edu/sports/wrestling

Bethany College Kansas
Website Link: http://www.bethanyswedes.com/sport/0/28.php

Pratt Community College
Website Link: http://prattcc.edu/pcc-athletics/wrestling

Ottawa University
Website link: http://www.ottawabraves.com/sport/0/26.php