It was good to see the Kansas College Wrestling Fund table at this tournament. This tournament is really what it is all about. So many of the college wrestlers participating today at this tournament have wrestled for many years in USAW-KS youth wrestling tournaments. Many of these young men were wrestling ten to fifteen years ago all thru Kansas youth and high school tournaments. It was great to see so many of them getting the opportunity to still wrestle in their college years in Kansas. I don't how many times I heard the tournament announcer say that both wrestlers were from Kansas high schools.

This is what this fund was established for about eight months ago to benefit the future generations of Kansas youth wrestlers so they can further their higher education and continue to wrestle in Kansas during their college careers. This fund will mainly benefit in the future the young kids who are wrestling today in Kansas high schools and especially the very young wrestlers currently in the youth USAW-KS wrestling clubs. This KCWF fund is establishing a strong foundation for them that will help insure that there are college wrestling programs available for them in the future.

The Fund is in its first year and has received contributions from individuals, clubs and from tournaments especially youth tournaments in District I. We need to build on this momentum. I urge every individual to consider personally donating to this fund. Make the committment to add the Kansas College Wrestling Fund as one of your annual donations. Also I urge all clubs to consider fund raising for this Fund. A good way to do that might be thru contributing a $1 per ticket and/or entry fees as many clubs have already done. Clubs could find other ways to fund raise too for the Fund.

This has got to be a state wide effort for it to be successful. All individuals, clubs and high school programs need to participate. I know many of you would like to have a D-I program in Kansas. I believe if over a period of years we can strongly support this Fund that we will show that the Kansas wrestling community is willing to financially support college wrestling in the State of Kansas. This would be a very strong message to potential D-I programs at WSU, KSU or KU.

I hope the entire Kansas wrestling community will step up to do this across the state of Kansas. Thank you very much to all of you individuals and clubs that already have.

Please consider sending the KCWF a contribution today.