I would be very careful with this subject. Not even sure this is the place to discuss it. K.S.A 22-4707 I understand that if I use this information to injure, harass, or violate civil rights or committ a a criminal act against any person, I may be subject to criminal prosecution.

Have you contacted the person in question to obtain all of the facts or at least their side of the story?

How long ago did this happen? 5 years ago? 10 years ago? or more?

that's just another example of the good ole' boy system we have in ks. wrestling. How is public records harassment?

Who is more at risk, the criminal or the kids he is in close proximity to every weekend? I have a good friend that had possession of marijuana charge several years ago & he is not allowed to coach with the club that he loves and gave hundreds of hours of volunteer work for years. But a ref that allegedly has a checkered past is ok? I don't get it.

I did not mean as some type of learning experience for your club members. Remember, all athletic directors have to have a pecking order to determine priority sports and that is, the gate. If we don't support our sports by attendance then we should not expect any special treatment coming from the other direction. We have to support our sports financially, not just in spirit.

If we are going to make background checks mandatory for coaches then it should be that way for everyone.
Coaches
Refs
Board Members
etc

Jerry:
After our conversation after the Derby Tournament I did follow up on this issue.

There is a flaw in our system. Many of the freestyle/greco officials are licensed through the USWOA which is a division of USA Wrestling. It is my understanding officials in this organization must pass a background check.

In order to officiate a USAW Kansas Kids Tournament an official must be KSHSAA Registered and also pay the $5.00 USAW Kansas Kids registration fee.

I forwarded the KASPER online information in a PDF file to the Kids Executive Director, the Officials Director, and our State Director.

It is my understanding since the official is KSHSAA registered he was allowed to register as a USAW Kansas Kids official.

I can assure you, as long as I am on the USAW Kansas Kids and USAW Kansas Corporate boards, this issue will be resolved.

blt, i agree with you on this one. remember all the crap i went through last year. all i needed was a coach. i had to make my wife get a coaches card so Robert could wrestle. and now you guys are saying the refs don,t have to get the background chks? i dont think so. i really dont see a ref getting out of control with 2 to 4 coaches at matside. and they dont have any personal contact with the kids outside the mat. But whats good for one should good for all of us. Period!

I agree with you officials should have to get a background check just like coach's, and Yes, the board members all get coach's cards so they would then have to have a background check. Things to think about:

Contact with kids
17 dollar cost for officials to get the background check
the number of officials we have to choose from

Maybe we as coaches and parents should treat the officials with a little more respect. They are out there just like you doing a job. Coaches helping their wrestlers, parents supporting their children.

I hate to say it, since I have coached more than I have officiated but in all the wrestling tournaments I have been too in the last 30 years, I have seen more bad coaching and parents acting a fool than bad officiating.
I plan to stop by the JOCO tournament tomorrow I guess I got a question to ask people I see.
Do we want to have our officials get a background check?

I say yes, but I am still just 1 vote to the 100's of Dstrict 1 USA-Kansas memebers.

Tom Peterman

I don't have a problem with a coach being so passionate that he argues for his wrestler. Officials are not always right. Most of the time they don't even know what an ejectable offense is. They just abuse their authority.

Sport0, do you have a problem with Bobby Cox, Atlanta Braves long time manager and a lock for he baseball Hall of Fame? Bobby holds the Major League record for being asked to go to the locker room! How about Dean Smith? The man who was thrown out of a NCAA Final Four game? Bobby Knight? Virtually every week in the world of professional sports a coach is being ejected for qestioning a call or being fined for criticizing officiating when the replay supports their position... Come on, it is okay to argue and to disagree. It is a part of sports not unsportsmanlike! Where there is passion there will be conflict and as long as we don't have FLAGRANT MISCONDUCT happening there shouldn't be any ejections. If officials practiced 20% as much as our wrestlers they would be much better. Worry about what is going on in the circle and don't worry about what is being said in the corner. Openly accept coach's advice/criticism, they might be right!

[quote=P. Pitbull's Old Dog
Maybe we as coaches and parents should treat the officials with a little more respect. They are out there just like you doing a job.

Tom Peterman [/quote]
The differense if they are getting PAID to do that job.
I'm not getting paid. I donate my time for the love of the kids and love of the sport!!
The $17 that a ref pays for a BCG then they make that $ up in the 1st 20 minutes!
I say BGC us ALL!!!
BETTER SAFE THEN SORRY!!

We have plenty of board members who are not coaches so they do not have to have a card or a background check.

All of those that you mention are paid to coach and are not coaching at the youth level of course. I have problems with anyone who can't recognize the difference between youth sports and those you use as an example!

i don't mind submitting to a background check, i am a coach and a ref. BUT i believe that everyone deserves a second chance. i didn't say third and fourth, A SECOND CHANCE. under today's rules one of the best coaches i have known wouldn't be able to help. he plead guilty to aggravated burglary when he was 19 yrs old. it's a long story,he was just "stealing" back his own stuff, he needed a better lawyer. the end result is he can't coach little league, youth football, wrestling, etc. he was one of the few dads i have ever coached with that cared as much about the wrestling team as he did his own kid. most care about their kid and seem to forget that the rest of the room exists.

I was under the impression that convictions such as your friends were not of the type to cause them to fail a background check. I thought it was convictions of a sexual or a battery charge?

You thought wrong.

USA Wrestling Background Screening Policy

USA Wrestling Background Screening Policy

USA Wrestling
09/03/2008

It is the policy of USA Wrestling (USAW) that all coach, referee/judge and pairings official members, and prospective coach, referee/judge and pairings officials members seeking to become a member and intending to participate in any USAW sanctioned event, camp, club practice or activity must submit to and pass a background screening in order to become a member, or remain a member of USA Wrestling, and participate in the above mentioned sanctioned activities. In addition, all non-athletes on State Association national and regional team staffs or who work with such teams at events, camps, club practices or other activities must submit to and pass a background screening. Failure to submit to a background screen or pass the background screen may be grounds for automatic denial, suspension or termination of membership privileges and participation in any USAW sanctioned event, camp, club practice, or activity.

Any individual who fails the background screen will have the right to dispute the findings of the background screening through the appropriate measures established by USAW.

USAW will enforce the appropriate actions resulting from a negative background screening report.

USAW, any USAW club or any USAW recognized State Association will not register, or allow to be registered, any individual who refuses to consent to a background screen or fails a background screen if that person intends to participate in any USAW sanctioned event, camp, club practice or activity.

The Screening data and results will be in conformity with the screening criteria of USAW at time of screening. Any individual’s back ground check shall only be valid for two consecutive USAW recognized membership years, beginning with the membership year in which the individual successfully completes a background check. However, USAW reserves the right to require additional background screenings at any time.

The following shall disqualify an individual from being a member of USA Wrestling, and shall disqualify said individual from participating in any USAW event or activity:

"Conviction of, imposition of a deferred sentence for, or any plea of guilty or no contest at any time, past or present, or the existence of any pending charges, for (i) any crime involving sexual misconduct, (ii) any crimes of abuse against children, (iii) any crimes involving firearms, and (iv) any offense involving distribution or intent to distribute illegal drugs or substances, (v) felonious assaults or batteries."

USA Wrestling reserves the right to change these criteria at anytime.

So, let me get this straight, Coaches who are professionals, getting paid, and not coaching youths can yell, scream, kick dirt, bump officials, etc and it is okay but a VOLUNTEER who spends many nights, days, and miles of their time without ANY compensation cannot argue or disagree with an official passionately? Furthermore, just because a guy is wearing a striped shirt they are ALWAYS right and they are always within their right to eject anyone for whatever reason??? Please...

Uh maybe you can find in the article supplied by Mr. Salyer where criminal theft is a disqualifier?

Why stop at just "passionately" disagreeing? If the official is obviously wrong just bust him up side the head. That will teach him to learn the rules! I'm sorry you are unable to understand the difference between youth sports and those played at a professional level.

trust me he was disqualified, and won't fight it. he uses it as a lesson to his kids. like i said upstanding guys, SOMETIMES deserve second chances, but i also know that there is no room for gray- we are now a black/white society. either you're in or your out no in- between.