EXECUTIVE NOTES By Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director
Amazing opportunity for wrestling is ahead as the next 15 months could transform sports After a successful U.S. Open at a new venue at the South
Point Arena, and a historic and spectacular Beat the Streets USA vs. Cuba dual meet in Times Square, USA Wrestling heads into one of the most active and important periods ever. The next 15 months in the sport of wrestling will be very busy.
It will be one of the most important stretches in the history of wrestling. It’s a chance for our sport to go to the next level of relevancy in our country and entrench wrestling on the Olympic Program for generations to come. In early June, we have our World Team Trials events to com-
plete the selection of our 2015 U.S. World Teams. Fans will see some great wrestling, whether in person or watching from home on Flowrestling, NBCSN or Universal Sports Network. First is the Greco-Roman Trials in Ithaca, N.Y., with a new for-
mat in which the top two wrestlers in each weight class battle for the World Team spot in their weight class. Exciting Greco- Roman stars such as Andy Bisek, Spenser Mango, Justin Lester and others will display their skills in a new way. We next head to Madison, Wis., where our men’s and women’s freestyle wrestlers compete to make the World Team. The star-studded field will be headlined by Olympic champions Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner, Olympic medalists Randi Miller and Clarissa Chun, World champions Adeline Gray and Elena Pirozhkova and others. The showdown at 74 kg, with Burroughs, David Taylor, Kyle Dake, Andrew Howe and others, along with great rivalries in other divisions, should be fantastic. The reward for winning the World Team Trials is a berth on
the U.S. team at the 2015 World Championships, set for U.S. soil at the Orleans Arena on Sept. 7-12 in Las Vegas. It is the first time that the USA has hosted a Senior Worlds since 2003 in Madison Square Garden in New York City. The World Championships has tremendous importance. This
is the first and largest qualifier for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is also a chance for wrestling to take a prominent stage within the sports community. We have a
chance to showcase our sport with the international media watching, right when interest in the Summer Games begins to heat up. We can showcase the positive changes the sport has taken since the 2013 Keep Olympic Wrestling campaign, including the improved wrestling rules and a more inclusive, effective and democratic international wrestling federation, United World Wrestling. Fast forward to 2016, and the schedule heats up even more.
USA Wrestling will host the Pan American Championships and the Pan American Olympic Qualifier in back-to-back weeks in Frisco, Texas. The Olympic Qualifier will be another chance for Team USA to qualify additional spots in the Rio Olympics, once again with a home-field advantage. The U.S. Olympic Team Trials return to Iowa City, Iowa in
April, where a sold-out arena will be inspired by our best wrestlers pursuing a lifelong dream of making the Olympic Team. The emotion, passion and skill which our athletes display at the Olympic Trials is both inspiring and entertaining. USA Wrestling has also secured the World Cup of Freestyle
Wrestling for the third straight year in Los Angeles, Calif., set for June. The U.S. will enter its Olympic Team, and the other wrestling powers should bring their top Olympic athletes in a key tune-up for the Rio Games. This is followed by an Olympic Games held in a Pan American nation, as Brazil welcomes the world for what will be another showcase opportunity for our sport. As a wrestling family, this series of events allows us to put our best foot forward at a critical time. As we go to press, we mourn the loss of one of the great
leaders in USA Wrestling history, my dear friend Frank Rader, who passed away in May. Frank did it all within wrestling, serv- ing as Treasurer, state chairperson, interim Executive Director, club director, event director and coach. He led with his heart, giving not only his amazing skills but also his love and passion for the sport to others. Our sport is so much better because of Frank, and he has touched thousands of lives, including mine, in a positive and caring way.
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