Kansas Wrestling Forums General Discussion Kids Folkstyle KU It Is Time To Add Wrestling!!!

It is being reported today in a KC Star article that KU just signed a seven year contract extension with ESPN for $40.2 million dollars ($5.74 million per year). It stated that this was more than a 300% increase. It also stated that this money will lead to deparment-wide improvements in KU athletic programs.

I can't think of a better one than the addition of a Mens and Womens NCAA wrestling teams. I think everyone should e-mail Lew Perkins or the KU athletic department with that suggestion.

Here is one of Lew Perkins, KU athletic director's comments from the KC Star article today:

"You can safely say this is one of the largest agreements in the country...I'm telling you, this is huge. We're not talking peanuts here. We're playing in the big time now."

I say KU will be playing in the big time along with Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Missouri once they wisely use some of this windfall to add college wrestling for both men and women. It obviously could be done now.

yes, that would be great if they had a wrestling program.

I know they have a wrestling club, but I had seen some of these kids at a trny long ago at FHSU. I wanted to cry for them they got beat so bad. hahaha. That money would more than likely try to improve the football and basketball program. Just cause they have money. It doesn't mean squat. The are basketball country. Another reason their football program won't take off....It's just not in their interest. Also I have seen people suggest NCAA womens wrestling. Do they have many or any Womens college programs and where?

Scott, that is the point of the topic. I want them to add a wrestling program. Since they received all this money from ESPN for the next seven years, they should not give out lack of money as a reason to not start a wrestling program. If you want to see college wrestling in Kansas this is as good as time as any to try at KU due to this ESPN contract. That is a lot of money and I bet a portion of it could make wrestling happen at KU. I would encourage you and everyone who wants college wrestling in Kansas to send Lew Perkins the KU Athletic Director an e-mail or letter. It does not have to be long. Just congratulate them on the contract and ask them to consider using part of it to start a Kansas wrestling team. A try is worth a try.

TCarmona, if they added an NCAA college wrestling program at KU the wrestlers would not come from the current club team. Sure they are basketball country, but Nebraska and Oklahoma are football country and they have wrestling teams. Send them an e-mail and do not let their love affair with basketball discourage you. Heck wrestling is probably not even the favorite sport of most Oklahoma State sports fans and we know how good they are in wrestling. As far as the women's college programs, I don't think there are a lot of programs yet. I found a few programs listed at this site: http://www.themat.com/articles/showquestion.asp?faq=18&fldAuto=282

I am all over it Vince. Actually, some kind of Grass Roots deal needs to happen. Rather than just a bunch of e-mails. I am sure the e-mails can not hurt. But, maybe a letter from the Graters and/or all the Head People from USA Kansas Wrestling. Then have it signed by every club director - who happened to be tax paying citizens in the state of Kansas. Who help financially support KU and Mr. Perkins and all the colleges in Kansas each and every year. Who do you think helped build all the class rooms and sports facilities - we did. I agree now is a good time to lean on them a little or lean on them a lot. It must have to do with the new program ESPN - "U". The college and university coverage portion of ESPN. Maybe each club director could write a letter and have all the kids sign it. Have all the High School coaches and athletic directors (who support wrestling) in the state write a letter and have the athletes sign it.
Take a letter to these upcoming freestyle tournaments and have the kids, coaches, and refs all sign it. Need to go. I have to do some real work before I head off to Olathe Northwest for some freestyle & greco today. Just some ideas. Maybe you could follow up Vince and keep the ball rolling.

Do not let them forget who pays some of their salaries, and who built the facilities they work at - just a reminder. They are suppose to represent all students not just the tall or big ones. Boys and Girls, Men and Women LEAN on them Kansas Wrestling Community and see if we can re-start a Division I program in Kansas.

Smokeycabin,

Those are two great posts with some excellent points and ideas. You are exactly right we need a big push from the our organization and all its leaders. It would be great to get all the Club directors to get a petition up that would be signed by the parents and the kids. The high school coaches need to do that too. Maybe if some of the above groups see this then they will start the process. I will start trying to contact these individual and groups with the ideas.

You are definitely correct that we need to point out to them that we taxpayers help pay for their salaries and the facilities that they work in and play their sports in so the facilities should be for us too and so should the athletic department services. They should be representing all the athletes of our state not just the tall or big ones.

Great thoughts, Sean. Someone took my topic off of the high school forum. I had put it on three forums (Kids, High School and College). I know I am not supposed to do that but I thought it could be an exception this time because I think the message needs to reach everyone and we need some action now. I will include this something about this topic in the Division 1 program ideas topic on the high school forum and hopefully it will not be deleted there.

Oh, I do agree that if we can get a lot of action from our leading State wrestling organizations that will be more effective than e-mails or mail to the KU Athletic Department. However, like Sean said e-mails and letters can't hurt so let them fly. I say bombard them with them but be direct, diplomatic, and even congratulatory about their new ESPN contract. Make sure to include Smokeycabin's ideas about wrestling families are taxpayers who pay their salaries and that we need to be represented too.

Smokeycabin:

I just sent this letter to all the Kansas Kids Officers and Directors that have an e-mail address listed. I got to do some things at home now but I will work more on it later by sending it to KWCA leaders, high school coaches and club directors if they have e-mails. If someone else has some time to help me with this, I would appreciate it. We just need to contact these people to tell them to get their petition letters ready to send to the KU Athletic Director and the KU Chancellor.

Hello,

I would like for you to read a topic that I have introduced both on the Kids Forum and College Forum on the USAW-Kansas Kids Forums. I even added to the High School Forum breaking all the rules about only introducing a topic on one forum. I thought it would be permissible this time since I believe it is so important for all of us to act now. This is the reason why:

QUOTE]Originally posted by Husker Fan:
It is being reported today in a KC Star article that KU just signed a seven year contract extension with ESPN for $40.2 million dollars ($5.74 million per year). It stated that this was more than a 300% increase. It also stated that this money will lead to deparment-wide improvements in KU athletic programs.

I can't think of a better one than the addition of a Mens and Womens NCAA wrestling teams. I think everyone should e-mail Lew Perkins or the KU athletic department with that suggestion. [/QUOTE]

I would like for you to visit the topic on either forum and closely study the call to action for wrestling organizations, wrestling clubs and high schools wrestling coaches that Smokeycabin, (Sean McCarthy), the STA wrestling coach has made to all of us. See his ideas and suggestions for our organizations leaders.

I hope we all act. Please consider being a leader in this effort. Get a petition together from your organization and send it to the KU Athletic Director and the Chancellor.

Remember CARPE DIEM (Seize the Day or Opportunity). I believe it is now or never at KU. Let us not let this opportunity slip by us.


Thank you,


Vince Nowak
Wrestling Parent and Tax Paying Kansas Citizen

maybe k- state should add wrestling to their program to im not a k-state fan or ku fan but it is long over due that one of these schools add wrestling to their program why not kansas has the wrestlers in our state to compete with the other big schools

golden dad,

I would love to see it at KU, KSU and WSU. I think we should concentrate on KU due to this $40 million dollar ESPN windfall that KU just received. Golden dad, please send the KU athletic director and chancellor an e-mail.

Thank you

I am loosely working on an action plan and started to put it into place.

1. We should concentrate on KU right now. I know some of you would have preference for the first one to be at either Wichita State or Kansas State. I ask you to put your allegiance away at this time and concentrate on getting it added at KU right now. We need to do this because they just signed this ESPN contract for over $40 million in the next seven years and they have the money to spend. We eventually want and need a wrestling program for men and women at all three schools. I really think the other two are more likely to follow once we get one to start one. The proximity to Kansas City, Lawrence and Topeka would be a media and fan base advantage for a KU start too. So I am hoping we can all agree to concentrate on KU right now and once we get their program going then we will work on KSU and WSU.

2. I think our petition letters should be addressed to Lew Perkins, the KU Athletic Director, the KU Chancellor, and possibly State legislators.


3. We need to get all the Kansas high school coaches to get a team petition letters signed by all the coaches and wrestlers. TheY should also encourage the wrestlers, parents and coaches to write their own personal petition letters too.

4. We need girl wrestlers and girl coaches to contact KU about adding a Women's Wrestling Team. We need to promote the growth of women's wrestling and this will help here in the Title IX issue for KU.

5. We need to get all the Big 12 wrestling coaches involved in petitioning. It is definitely in their interest for KU to add a team and of course eventually KSU too. For that matter I think any support from any NCAA wrestling school would be helpful. It is in the interest of all of them to have KU add wrestling.

6. We need high profile wrestlers like Cael Sanderson and Eric Akin to petition KU.

7. We especially need recent Kansas Division 1 wrestlers like Zach Roberson, Joe Johnston, Shawn Bunch, Justin Dyer, Matt Murray, etc. to also petiton KU and maybe legislators. I think that would be especially effective if they could say how they would have loved the opportunity to wrestle Division 1 in their home state.

8. We need Kansas kids clubs to send petition letters signed by parents and kids and they should encourage individual letters too.

9. Major national wrestling organizations need to send petition letters.

10. If anyone has any contacts with any major KU donors that we could maybe influence, then we should enlist their support.

11. Need some facts about all the costs of running a Division 1 program both initial setup and on going annual costs.

12. Need Kansas wrestling participation facts. I saw where Richard Salyer posted where wrestling participation ranked nationally. I believe it was sixth for number of participants but where does it rank in the State of Kansas? I think we have a little over 11,000 participating in both youth and high school. I used half of the 13 & 14 Kansas kids numbers of 1,115 in that estimate.

13. We need to contact relatives and friends to also send these petition letters.

14. Remember as Smokeycabin has posted we are all taxpayers and we pay for our universities. They are there to serve all of us, not just the tall and big ones.

15. Determine if there is a current KU facility that can be used. I was at KU yesterday to attend the KU Relays. While there I took some time to see if Robinson Gymnasium could be used. The young man at the desk told me that he was a member of the KU Wrestling Club and that he felt that either Robinson or the other student rec center where the current KU wrestling club works out could be used for this purpose.

Well that is the action plan so far and I am on it. I hope everyone else is too. Let me know if we need to do something else. I think we need to get on it now. Remember CARPE DIEM (SEIZE THE DAY OR THE OPPORTUNITY)!!! Basically we are mad as you know what and we are not going to take it anymore!

Vince you might look over your shoulder. My guess is the wife is close to taking away the computer till next season.

sportfan02,

you don't know how right you are. I thought I was done for the day but I go to read the sports page in the KC Star and guess what? Headline: Kansas to announe $25 million deal with adidas today. "A source close to negotiations between KU and adidas told The Star that KU has signed a contract that will pay the school appproximately $25 million over the next eight years."

They have to be able to afford a program. That would mean about 65 million over the next eight years if that is true with the ESPN deal. Wow!

You are right I am probably going to be retired for the season though.

I wrote all the Big 12 AD's and coaches that have wrestling programs asking them for support. One AD that I will not reveal has already written me back and said that he will offer his support to wrestling if asked by KU. He also told me the annual cost to run a division 1 program would be approximately $600,000. If KU gets the Adidas deal along with the ESPN deal they would be averaging over $8 million a year. So a wrestling team would only be about 7.5% of that budget.

Just heard from Danielle Hobeika who has offered to help on the women's end of thing as well as helping solicit help from "National" wrestlers. For those that don't know do a search on her and you will see the company she keeps. She did Tyler Graebner's web site and also Kendall Cross, Jamil Kelly and numerous others. She is also a highly ranked international women's wrestler.

Good work, Mike. Thank you, Danielle. Mike, I am going to start sending e-mails and letters to the Kids Clubs in District 1. I am going to suggest to them to send a petition letter to both KU Athletic Director Lew Perkins and Chancellor Robert Hemenway congratulating them on the two new ESPN and Adidas contracts totaling approximately $65 million over the next eight years and requesting them to now consider starting a men & women's wrestling teams. I am going to ask them to have their kids and parents sign the petition letter and to suggest that they also send personal letters.

Mike, would you be able to do this or get someone to do it in District 2?

We also need someone to do this in District 3 and 4. It would take me a while to go thru every club in every District by myself. In fact I wouldn't mind some help with District 1 if someone wanted to do that.

We could also use someone to contact the high school coaches.

I am open to ideas if anyone has a better way of approaching this.

National Attention: WE NEED IT, we need national attention right now, FILA USA Wrestling Etc. but we're on a great start. I will be sending my letters right now.

Thank you, Bronco. Mike has got us on the Mat forum with this topic.