Oregon State Wrestling Fans,
Since the announcement was made that Boise State was dropping their men's wrestling program, I have heard from several people with ideas on how to respond to this latest blow to the sport. Thought I would share those ideas with you.
Keep in mind, that if you feel compelled to react with phone calls or letters, keep them positive. Negative thoughts generally do not win you any friends.
From Mike Clock - Pacific U. Wrestling:
I think it would be good for you to encourage your OSU database to each write a letter to the BSU AD and President regarding this decision. I am going to encourage all members of the RCWOR leadership group to do so AND we are going to encourage our supporters to do so also. This is NOT primarily about money, in spite of the rationale given.
As was so eloquently said long ago: NOT TO SPEAK IS TO SPEAK.
Mike
The BSU President is: Robert Kusta and AD: Curt Aspey---based on online information.
From Michael Denison - FALL Board member:Feel free to comment on the newspapers social media accounts. Let your voice be heard.
Lots of fans are chiming in about the mistake.
Someone with money wants baseball and they do not want to fund 3 women’s sports to get it.
So they drop a men’s program to lessen the load. Sound familiar?
Everyone of us needs to find a way to take football out of the Title IX equation. It is unfair
To count it, since there is no women’s equivalent numbers wise. I am for equality. But Football is too
Popular to drop and the only sport that many colleges make any money on. There needs To be a change. This is one place to start, IMHO.
Wrestling alumni need to keep working on many aspects of College Wrestling support.
We need:
More talented HS coaches and athletes in Oregon, so that OSU can afford to survive. Can’t take all out of state guys.
More support for junior clubs across the NW.
More support for tournaments at all levels across the NW
More support for senior clubs for international travel and competition
Stronger support in fan clubs.
More attendance for wrestling events.
We need to fund an intern to cover OSU Wrestling in the SI department. A dedicated person year round.
We need to fund wrestling advertising in the Oregonian, Statesman, etc. Build influence as a paying customer and get the word out.
We need the OSU Athletic department to show up at nationals and see how much support it gets. 115,000 tickets sold is a large number.
- It has to be close to what basketball sells for their last 6 ball games. So tied for 2nd in the NCAAs. That’s big time.
We need HS fans to become soldiers in the cause too. HS kids need schollies. I think HS fans get the big picture.
We need to give colleges absolutely no reason to drop Wrestling.
Sorry about the rant and I am sure you already know this and do your best to support wrestling.
Oooh and why was the football spring game around the wrestling NCAAs time frame?
There is a lot we can do if we put our minds to it.
I am disappointed in BSU. It will be missed in many ways.
Maybe a big donor will come up and save them like Sunkist did for ASU.
Michael DenisonFrom Mike R Jones - former Oregon State Wrestler:Sorry to hear news regarding Boise. Still think these teams need to explore adding Women's wrestling program. It remains the number one growing sport in North America, would supply an answer to many title nine concerns with no need for new facilities, new coaches etc. With just a few more college programs it will reach emerging sport status. I have pulled the plug on coaching after 41 years here at SFU , I know I should have given it more of a chance but getting too old.
Started the women's program 27 years ago and have coached exclusively women for past 12 seasons. Have had privilege of working with USA's first Women's Olympic champion Helen Maroulis, as well as Canada's first gold medalist on both Men's and Women's side in Daniel Igali, and Carol Huynh.
Mike r.JonesAnother thought from Mike Clock:Mike & others,
Thanks for your thoughts.
I am going to suggest that we not make this too complicated right now. I believe that the one thing that ALL of us who care can do that could make a difference is to write a letter to both Robert Kusta(President BSU) and Curt Aspey(AD BSU) expressing our concern with the wisdom of their decision. I suggest focusing on the fact that BSU is the ONLY 4 year college/university in Idaho with a wrestling program and hence they(BSU) have both an opportunity & an obligation to educate the next generation of coaches/leaders in Our Sport.
This is NOT about $$, as baseball is not generally a revenue generating sport(very likely not even at OSU who is currently ranked #1 in the country!!). This is about a misguided AD who thinks the sport will go quietly. Let's show him it WILL NOT.
If the AD & President get hundreds/thousands of letters it WILL make a difference.
Dr Mike Clock
Prof Emeritus Mathematics, Pacific U/Long time sports advocate.
PS The very recent announcement by BSU that they are reviewing the decision should NOT keep you from writing the letters. It may well be a ploy by the Admin to reduce the amount of input they get re. this decision. These people are not stupid, but often VERY devious.Don't sit back and assume they will do the 'right thing' without pressure.
"Not to speak is to speak", as was so eloquently said by Dietrich Bonhoeffer during the rise of the Third Reich. He paid with his life, but those who do not speak up now will likely pay only with a guilty conscience.
Thanks for all of those thoughts.
One other piece that went with that story - where Fresno would be. I have been told that Fresno will be a part of the Big 12 Conference, so another loss for the Pac-12. Thanks to Jana Iwasaki for the link to the Big 12.
Upcoming news - a contingent of young wrestlers from Oregon State will be heading to Las Vegas later this week to compete in the National Junior Freestyle/Greco tournament. More on that in another email.
One last item - the FALL Board will be looking for new members, as they always are once the season is over. The Board would like to thank Brandon Perkins, our former Treasurer, for his years of service. He has resigned from the Board. If you love the sport of wrestling - at Oregon State in particular - and have time and energy to spare, we'd love to have you!!
Go Beavs!
