EXECUTIVE NOTES By Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director
THE LEGACY OF WRESTLING ICON MYRON RODERICK This issue of USA Wrestler we report on the loss of one of wrestling’s true legends and heroes, the great Myron Roderick, who passed away at the age of 77 in late December. Myron was an American wrestling treasure. Within USA Wrestling, we salute Myron as one of the found- ing fathers of this organization. Not only was he a leader who helped form the U.S. Wrestling Federation, which later became USA Wrestling, but he served its early years as its Executive Director. This organization would not be here today without the leadership and vision Myron provided for the sport. All you have to do is read his resume and you can see that he excelled at everything he did in both wrestling and life. Myron was an NCAA champion and Olympic athlete, an NCAA championship coach and perhaps one of the greatest adminis- trators our sport has ever known. Myron was not only driven for his own success, but he was the kind of leader who inspired others to reach for their highest level of achievement. In everything he did, Myron helped bring the sport of wrestling to the forefront, working tirelessly for its growth and promotion. Those of us who knew Myron and worked with him recognize him as a visionary, but also a practical and talented man who got things done.
I was blessed to call Myron Roderick a mentor and friend. He had a very unique personality, with the ability to make people laugh and to enjoy themselves. We already miss Myron. However, we can celebrate his rich life, the difference he made in the lives of others, and the amazing legacy he has left for the sport.
ENTERING OLYMPIC YEAR WITH GREAT OPTIMISM With the start of the 2012 year, USA Wrestling is very excited about the Olympic year ahead of us. Every four years, the wrestling community has the opportunity to participate in the Olympic Games, the greatest sporting event in human history. Being part of the Olympic quest inspires everybody who is involved in wrestling at all levels.
Ke e
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en Cherto We start by looking at the Olympic
Trials process, which is already underway. At press time, it was announced that 6,000 tickets had already been sold to our Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City. Our goals are to host the largest and best Olympic Trials ever, in a community which truly loves wrestling. We enter the Olympic year with strong national team programs, coming off a good showing at the 2011 World Championships. We have faith that the athletes who earn the right to compete in London this summer will be top challengers for Olympic gold medals and will represent our nation with skill and pride.
Having the Olympic Games in England makes this amazing event more accessible to American fans, and we expect many to come out and support our team this summer. We are also pleased that Americans have been included among the wrestling volunteers at the Games. As an organization, USA Wrestling enters the new year with many things to be proud about. Our membership base contin- ues to grow as more wrestlers and their families find out about the outstanding events, programs and activities which we pro- vide. We have started some innovative new programs on the local and state levels, as well as developed a number of new promotional materials to assist in the growth of our sport. Our commitment to college wrestling continues with the growth of the Making A Difference Tournament series. In addi- tion, many of our state associations are providing support to col- lege wrestling through initiatives of their own. One of the neat things about an Olympic year is the opportu- nity to promote wrestling to the general public in addition to the sports and wrestling community. Going into 2012, we are excit- ed about the many media platforms we have developed to tell wrestling’s story, including our website
TheMat.com, video portal
TheMat.tv, magazine USA Wrestler, Facebook page, Twitter site, YouTube Channel, video streaming program, weekly televi- sion show and more. I encourage you to follow this exciting year for wrestling through these many communication outlets.
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