It will be great to see Pratt CC wrestling this winter. Chock one up for the good guys but it's no time sit around feeling all proud of the additional program, it's time game plan and get another college to add wrestling to their varsity athletic program.
Are you aware that the NAIA national headquarters are in Kansas? The only Kansas NAIA college wrestling program, Newman University, and they has announced they are joining the NCAA. I would think the other NAIA schools would be very interested in starting a program as most are private schools that are tuition driven. Keep in mind NAIA schools do not have to follow T9. They only encourage equality between the sexes.
Now that Pratt has started a program other Jr. Colleges would be more apt to add wrestling as there is more competition in state which reduces travel costs.
What I'm getting at is the more wrestling the better, should we demand KU and KSU add wrestling sure but let's keep working on all levels of college wrestling.

More than anything, we have to let the NAIA schools know we will have our children and wrestlers look at and attend schools that offer wrestling. I have spoken to at least one NAIA president in Kansas about starting wrestling and they hardly gave the time of day, but that school did start sending my house promotional materials for the school. I agree, there is no excuse for some of these NAIA school to not offer wrestling. At a small school where you can likely get the types of numbers that Newman did, it just don't make sense.

Here is a personal theory of a few targets...

If they host wrestling camps (hmm...ring any bells, I can think of two of those)

If they host any MO-Kan Wrestling meet? hmmmm...

There is an extremely small school West of Pratt by maybe 30 miles or so that would be ideal, I think they got 4 sports total, and wrestling would add $$$ from bodies being there.

you don't mean barclay, do you? If so have you been to haviland?

Here's a list of NAIA & NJCAA Kansas colleges without wrestling programs. As you can see it's a lenthy list. Who will lead the Kansas wrestling community and meet with these colleges to sell our sport to them? It would be awesome if all these schools had wrestling.

Baker University, Baldwin City, Kan.
Benedictine College, Atchison, Kan.
Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kan.
Bethel College, North Newton, Kan.
Central Christian College, McPherson, Kan.
Friends University, Wichita, Kan.
Haskell Indian Nations University, Lawrence Kan.
Kansas Wesleyan University, Salina, Kan.
McPherson College, McPherson, Kan.
MidAmerica Nazarene University, Olathe, Kan.
University of Saint Mary, Leavenworth, Kan.
Southwestern College, Winfield, Kan.
Sterling College, Sterling, Kan.
Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kan.


Allen County Community College
Barton County Community College
Brown Mackie College
Butler Community College - Kansas
Cloud County Community College
Coffeyville Community College
Cowley County Community College
Dodge City Community College
Fort Scott Community College
Garden City Community College
Hesston College
Highland Community College - Kansas
Hutchinson Community College
Independence Community College
Johnson County Community College
Kansas City Kansas Community College
Seward County Community College

... and Ottawa University; Ottawa, Kansas!

I think you could start by forming a committee of individuals who are either alumnus or have close contact with those schools. The association or contact could be teaching or any variety of other things. I have contacts and/or close associations with

Tabor College
Bethel College
Southwestern College

I've been told that the NWCA can provide estimated costs to start a program and a estimated budget to sustain a successful program. Then I think a polished presentation is a must. I would also think the commitee should meet with the NAIA wrestling chairman and see if he can provide some assistance.

Title IX prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating on the basis of sex in education programs or activities.

Title IX broadly defines the term "educational institution" to include "any public or private preschool, elementary, or secondary school, or any institution of vocational, professional, or higher education..." 20 U.S.C. § 1681.

1. Examples of Federal Financial Assistance

(1) A grant or loan of Federal financial assistance, including funds made available for:

(i) The acquisition, construction, renovation, restoration, or repair of a building or facility or any portion thereof; and

(ii) Scholarships, loans, grants, wages, or other funds extended to any entity for payment to or on behalf of students admitted to that entity, or extended directly to such students for payment to that entity

Title IX regulations provide that:

No person shall on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, be treated differently from another person, or otherwise be discriminated against in any interscholastic, intercollegiate, club or intramural athletics offered by a recipient, and no recipient shall provide such athletics separately on such basis. 65 Fed. Reg. 52872 at § ___.450(a).

The regulations also provide that:

a recipient may operate or sponsor separate teams for members of each sex where selection for such teams is based upon competitive skill or the activity involved is a contact sport. However, where a recipient operates or sponsors no such team for members of the other sex, and athletic opportunities for members of that sex have previously been limited, members of the excluded sex must be allowed to try out for the team offered unless the sport involved is a contact sport. For the purposes of these Title IX regulations, contact sports include boxing, wrestling, rugby, ice hockey, football, basketball, and other sports the purpose or major activity of which involves bodily contact. 65 Fed. Reg. 52872 at § ___.450(b)

The regulations go on to provide that a recipient that operates or sponsors interscholastic, intercollegiate, club, or intramural athletics shall provide equal opportunity for members of both sexes. A number of factors are set forth to determine equality of opportunity including but not limited to the provision of equipment, scheduling of games and practice time, travel and per diem allowances, assignment and compensation of coaches, provision of locker rooms, provision of medical and training facilities, provision of housing and dining facilities and publicity. See 65 Fed. Reg. 52873 - 52874 at § ___.450(c).

All NAIA colleges participating in Federal Student Aid Programs, which include:

Federal Pell Grants
Federal Stafford Loans
Federal PLUS Loans
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
Federal Work Study
Perkins Loans

must comply with Title IX.

Don't matter if Haviland is a "dump" by the way you are kinda making it sound with the tone of your post. Barclay College makes sense...nobody has hardly heard of it, and wrestling would put it on the map in Kansas in my humble opinion...I also think Haskell Indian Nations College in Lawrence would be a wise choice to target Topeka and KC kids.

Several of these schools have had wrestling in the past. I know Haskell, Dodge, and Garden all had programs in the past. Garden won the National tourney the three years before it was dropped. I think they were burned out there, so I don't know if that is a good candidate. As far as recruiting KC and Topeka kids...Johnson County is a much better candidate. They have nice facilities and offer many academic options. The KC area has a healthy wrestling community that could help there too. Highland might be receptive to a program.
Has anyone had any contact with any of these AD's in the past?
The four junior colleges in the state offer the necessary local competition that an athletic department likes to see. I think this is a major selling point. The distance of travel for four year competition is considerable, but I don't know that it so far that it is a negative. How many of the NAIA schools in the state have significant athletic departments?

I think that Furches is on the right track. A lot of research needs to be done before an athletic department starts getting bombed with calls and crazy emails. A mailing list of people interested in helping with this effort and a spreadsheet of schools/alumni/local wrestling supporters/etc. would be a good thing to get started. I have a limited amount of free time, but I would be willing to help start the process and start making some contacts with other people in the wrestling community. I think there are some great salesmen/saleswomen of the sport around the state the could do a lot with just their background and reputation.

Thoughts???

In other words, don't do what we did to the D-1 schools?

We've got a guy working on this!

I think a lot of people have great intentions, but not the best presentation skills. An organized effort says something in itself. A bunch of form letters or emails don't have the same effect as a truly organized campaign. That is more or less what I am saying.

Who is working on the organization effort? I would be happy to help in a limited role, whatever that may be.

Ike Wennihan
ikew@southwindconservation.com

OK, I'd like to meet on a Saturday afternoon in a couple weeks as I would like to do a little more research, come up with an action plan and a meeting agenda. Hopefully we can get few more volunteers on board. When and where, I'm up for a road trip.

Jeffmmccall@aol.com

Jeff:

What do you see the focus of this meeting and group? Is it to form a group to target the next Kansas small college or junior college to add a wrestling team? Or do you see the focus to be broader than that?

Vince,

"Start small think BIG"

I think the creation on more wrestling opportunities on the college level in Kansas would be the main focus. If all three D1 schools added wrestling that's probably 90 slots. How many of those slots would be filled by Kansas kids? Do the big 3 need to add wrestling? YES

Let's first start by honing our ability to sell our sport by working with NAIA & Jr. Colleges first and see where that gets us.

90 slots? If you are allowed to have 30 in a room yes...sad thing is even programs that are succesful on the DI level and other levels many times have to cap the numbers in the room due to Title IX rearing its ugly head.

Jeff:

We started an advocacy group about 14 months ago for the purpose of bringing NCAA Division I wrestling to our three traditional D-I schools, KSU, KU and WSU. Ted Witulski of the national USAW organization convinced us to join forces with him to pursue that effort. We recruited well over 500 Kansas volunteers for that effort in a volunteer effort that ended with the Kansas Kids State tournament. Ted has not contacted all the volunteers yet with an action plan. Ted has established a non-profit entity and is in the process of working on a website to serve as a base for this effort. Mike Juby is planning on putting an updated letter from Ted in October on the Breaking News section of this website. Mike decided to wait until then since we would have more activity on the site then.

Personally I am still committed to Ted Witulski's plan for bringing Division I wrestling to Kansas. I know that several people are frustrated with the progress of this effort so far. I understand that but I believe that we will eventually see benefits from Ted's plan. I believe direction and assistance from the national USAW group will be very worthwhile in the long run.

That being said I am not opposed to the idea of working towards bringing wrestling programs to junior colleges and small colleges in Kansas too. I would like to see wrestling at all the schools mentioned at the beginning of this topic.

I would personally really like to see both Johnson County Community College and Kansas City Kansas Community College start teams. The Kansas City area really needs a wrestling program at one or both of these schools. If we are trying to get a wrestling league of Kansas junior colleges, I think it would be good for one or both of these schools to be a part of it.

Anyway I am willing to meet next Saturday or the Saturday after with a group of interested people. We could have the meeting in the Kansas City area or somewhere else in Kansas. If there are people who are interested I am willing to meet. I definitely willing to go to Wichita for this meeting if there is a Wichita group interested in this meeting that Jeff has suggested. A small group met last year in Overland Park so it might be good to have the meeting in Wichita or another Kansas location. I guess the first thing to determine is who is interested in meeting either Saturday August 5th or Saturday August 12th?

It's great that we have 4 jucos now, but we need more 4 year schools...lets forget about targeting Juco or DI for the moment and go for the 4 year univesities that are DII and NAIA in the state. 3 NJCAA teams prior to this year all won National Titles from 1999-present (at some point). But we get so much talent to the jucos and not enough places for them to filter back into in the state.

We need more 4 year programs to 2 year ones in my opinion in the state.

No doubt more opportunities on 4yr campuses are needed but any growth is a good thing. We should meet with any school that will let you in the door and is capable of adding a male sport to their athletic department. The schools that aren't able add a male sport shouldn't be ignored but kept informed of positives going on with Kansas wrestling. If a school adds a woman's sport they may go from the bottom of the list of potential schools to the top of our list. Every positive news worthy story about Kansas wrestling needs to be forwarded to all college AD's, presidents and board members.