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... However, I do believe that we need to take care of the programs currently in existence and work to build new programs at all levels. The environment for adding a college wrestling program is a little different at some of the smaller schools and it actually works in our favor to get new programs added at those schools vs. a bigger university like our D-1 schools. That is why we have additions of programs at schools like Newman, Baker and now Bethany in recent years. Right now we have four 4 year universities with programs: Fort Hays State, Newman, Baker and Bethany. We have five junior college wrestling programs in Kansas at Labette (long time national power), Neosho, Pratt, Colby and NW Kansas Technical College. We need to make sure all these smaller Kansas colleges thrive and that maybe will entice the growth of more smaller programs and possibly eventually a D-1 school will take notice. Perhaps Baker University was influenced to add a program by seeing Newman University starting one. And perhaps the recent addition of the Baker program and it's early success helped influence Bethany College to announce that it was adding a wrestling program next year....
I know most of you are understandably focused on the upcoming State Championship tournament in Topeka this weekend. I wanted to make you aware though that our Kansas wrestling community received more good news this week that could someday have a positive effect on your young wrestlers future college plans. More future college wrestling opportunity was created this week for our young Kansas wrestlers. Another Kansas NAIA wrestling program is being started in Kansas with the announcement this week that Benedictine College of Atchison, Kansas is starting a college wrestling program for the 2012-2013 wrestling season. Benedictine College will first hire a coach whose main work will be recruiting during the next season 2011-2012. This is the second new NAIA college in Kansas to announce a new program this year as Bethany College a new program earlier in the year. This is great news for our Kansas wrestling community. It is especially important for the members of the Kansas wrestling community with young wrestlers like the ones who are wrestling this weekend in Topeka. Your young wrestlers will now have more opportunities to extend their wrestling and academic careers due to this growth of college wrestling programs in Kansas.
Remember though what is happening at UNO this month where the AD announced the intention to drop the very successful current 3 time defending NCAA D-II national championship wrestling program the day after it just won this year's national championship. Too many college wrestling programs have dropped over the last several decades including programs at the University of Kansas and KSU. It is good that Kansas is on a recent trend over the last few years of adding programs at Newman, Pratt, Baker, Northwest Kansas Technical College, Bethany and now Benedictine College. This is the way we want to go. However, as a wrestling community is very important that we support these programs. Wrestling is not a sport that gets a lot of extra financial support from interest generated by the general sports public like football and basketball. Consequently if we want these programs, the wrestling community itself needs to financially support the programs. If we all do our part we can make this happen. That is what this proposed Kansas College Wrestling Endowment fund is about. It is an investment in the future of our young wrestlers. For it to be a success it will need the active participation and support of the families of the youth wrestlers.
I really believe as a wrestling community if we actively commit to this proposed endowment fund and participate in it that the trend of growth in college wrestling will continue to grow and thrive at our state colleges and universities. And maybe someday a D-1 university in Kansas will take notice and also add a D-1 program at WSU, KSU or KU.
Good luck at State this weekend.
