F.A.Q.

1. 1.Is this just a case of athletes not liking their coaches?
   

1. Athlete preferences are not the issue in our Sports Act compliance action.
   
   

2. All of us supporting this movement to improve USA Wrestling have had many coaches in our long careers — both good and bad.  We have all found ways to win, on occasion, regardless of who was in our corner.  Furthermore, it is not lost on any of us that different coaching styles affect athletes quite differently, and different athletes learn differently from all kinds of coaching styles and skill levels. 
   
   The bottom line is that USA Wrestling is in violation of the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act.  We made a simple choice in filing the Grievance based on the inescapable conclusion that our National Governing Body cannot be as strong as it needs to be to take our programs to the top of the world if it is out of compliance with federal law governing the Olympic movement. Sooner or later, USA Wrestling must run its programs consistent with the law and the Olympic Ideals of fairplay, excellence, and sportsmanship without discrimination of any kind and will be stronger the sooner it does so.
   
   

3. 
   

2. 2.How is USA Wrestling’s non-compliance hurting the development of our sport?
   

3. 
   The National Team Program under the direction of USA Wrestling has a tremendous power to influence each and every athlete aspiring to compete for Team USA. 
   
   It has chosen to use its power over its female athletes to limit their freedom and opportunities to pursue their Olympic dream at their preferred training environments. The college pipeline that feeds men’s freestyle—which has been embraced and supported by USA Wrestling—is inexplicably under attack in women’s freestyle. 
   
   Perhaps more dangerously for the future of our sport, USA Wrestling’s National Team Program for women has shown that it will attack female athletes that will not acquiesce to their illegal policies, even after it is shown that the environment created by the national coaching staff is intolerable and damaging to many athletes’ elite preparation.
   
   Since 2005, there has been a large exodus from the Training Center indicating that the environment there threatens the elite level preparation of many. Instead of working to fix the problem at the OTC, USA Wrestling has put into place policies that have ended the careers of some of our most decorated and promising young athletes. 
   

3. 3.Who is harmed by an NGB’s non-compliance with the Sports Act?
   

4. 
   

5. Every member of USA Wrestling and the sport as a whole is harmed by USA Wrestling’s non-compliance with the Sports Act.  The Sports Act sets forth the requirements that an amateur sports organization must meet in order to be recognized as a national governing body (NGB) by the USOC.
   
   The provisions of the Sports Act are designed to help our athletes achieve medals in the World Championships and the Olympics while providing the protections and rights that we promise to all our U.S. athletes.  Coming into line with the mandates of this federal law will strengthen our international performances and the development of strong athletes and ultimately human beings.
   
   

4. 4.What do you hope to accomplish with the Section 10 Complaint?
   

1. We simply desire to compel USA Wrestling to come into line with the Sports Act.  The Section 10 Complaint at the USOC level allows a neutral body to look at the merits of the Complaint and decide whether USA Wrestling is or is not in compliance with federal law.  It is our hope that the compelling evidence that USA Wrestling is not following the guidelines will be heard and the ongoing negative impact to the Women’s program be stopped.
   

5. 5.Are there allegations of sexual misconduct in the Grievance or Complaint?
   

1. No, there is not and has not ever been allegations of sexual misconduct in the Grievance or the Complaint. To the extent the USA Wrestling personnel has disseminated contrary information is disingenuous.
   

6. 6.Are you asking for all women’s weight classes to be funded like Olympic weight classes?
   

1. No.  One of the main aims of the Grievance initially filed with USA Wrestling was to get USA Wrestling to treat their men’s and women’s programs with “equitable support.”   This requirement does not mandate a level of funding on a per weight class basis (based on the Olympic/non-Olympic distinction) and therefore the Olympic/non-Olympic distinction is not part of our action.
   

7. 7.What remedies did you originally ask USA Wrestling to consider?
   

1. Our Grievance to USA Wrestling asked for the following remedies to be considered:
   

1. 1.USA Wrestling to create an oversight structure with the distinct responsibility to understand and oversee the wrestling programs to ensure equal application of sanctions and incentives across genders.
   

2. 2.USA Wrestling to provide equal caliber coaches for their female athletes (which necessarily includes a review of their current women’s coaching staff to ensure that the caliber, experience, professional behavior, compensation, and on the job performance is equitable in comparison to the men’s program).
   

3. 3.USA Wrestling to compensate their athletes for past unjust sanctions. (For example, any National Team stipends that have been denied to female athletes through a sanction not similarly being enforced against male athletes would be reimbursed.)
   

4. 4.USA Wrestling to write a public letter of apology to the women’s wrestling community for their part and to the extent that they failed to comply with Federal Law.
   

5. 5.USA Wrestling, to the extent they provide support to developing athletes in the men’s programs at the high school and collegiate level, they also provide support to female wrestlers at those same stages.
   

8. 8.   Are you all going to keep wrestling?
   

1. Many of our best female athletes are currently facing the difficult question whether to continue to wrestle for a fundamentally flawed program that is rejecting the freedom, support and encouragement policies that made Team USA a world force in women’s wrestling just 5 years ago.
   
   Until we reach a satisfactory resolution to the well-documented concerns which we are trying to bring to light, we will continue to invest our efforts into improving our National Program for the sake of all U.S. women wrestlers.
   
   

9. 9.What do you have to gain personally by bringing this action?
   

1. We each take a sense of having done the right thing by bringing this action, but have no other personal gain associated with it. We are doing this for the future of our sport and for athletes to benefit from someone taking a stand for their rights on their behalf.  Each one of us has stuff we would rather be doing, or enjoying more, then watching our character be attacked by USA Wrestling for bringing these athlete concerns forward. We gain only the pride in knowing that we took the right road, even if it was not pleasant.
   

10. 10.Why are you three brining this action now and not earlier or later?
    

1. We tried working for change informally within USA Wrestling for a number of years leading up to the summer of 2009. USA Wrestling was completely and dishearteningly unresponsive. As soon as it became apparent that enough athletes were being harmed, discarded, and going unheard, to the detriment of the National Program as a whole, we worked to put the Grievance together and formally submitted it to USAW on July 15, 2009, to correct actions that were in violation of the Sports Act.
   
   

11. 11.How come you brought the action to the USOC level?
    

1. The Sports Act allows for Grievances to be submitted to the USOC for review (they are referred to as “Complaints” at that point) when things are not being resolved promptly and equitably at the NGB level. After 100 days at the NGB level with only one preliminary phone call transpiring between President Ravannack and us, we understood the clear message that USA Wrestling was not motivated to resolve our compliance concerns.
   

2. 
   Therefore, we reached the stage where a neutral body like the USOC is needed to resolve the non-compliance issues, so we filed a Section 10 Complaint with the USOC on October 23, 2009.
   

12. 12.Did USA Wrestling know about your concerns before you filed the Grievance and the subsequent Section 10 Complaint?
    

1. Yes, USA Wrestling leadership has known, and had an opportunity to address, most all of the athlete concerns raised in our Grievance for a long time, and in most cases, several years, prior to the filing of the Grievance.
   

13. 13.Why did you allow there to be media attention on your Grievance?
    

1. The Grievance contained the testimony of many brave athletes that were willing to speak out about the mistreatment and due process violations that they have endured. These athletes made their submissions despite the real threat of retaliation from USA Wrestling leadership. Media and community interest provide a measure of protection for all athletes associated with the Grievance and Complaint against USA Wrestling retaliation.
   
   

14. 14.What are the stages of the USOC Section 10 “Complaints of Non-Compliance” process?
    

15. 
    

16. •First, a Complaint must be properly filed with the USOC, with a copy sent to the Respondent NGB, along with a filing fee.
    

17. •The USOC CEO assembles a USOC Hearing Panel that is comprised of at least three individuals with no direct interest in the outcome of the proceedings from designated groups within the Olympic family.
    

18. •At any point in the proceedings, at the request of a party, the Hearing Panel may allow the parties to mediate the complaint.
    

19. •After receipt of the complaint, the Respondent NGB has 30 days to file a Motion to Dismiss.
    

20. •If a Motion to Dismiss is filed, the Panel will rule on this motion and hold a hearing if they deem necessary.
    

21. •If the Hearing Panel rules against the respondent NGB as to the Motion to Dismiss, or if no Motion to dismiss was filed, the NGB has 30 days to file an Answer to the Complaint, though it is not a required filing.
    

22. •The Hearing Panel may then hold a preliminary hearing where the future conduct of the proceedings is discussed and other preliminary matters are attended to.
    

23. •The Hearing Panel may then order an Exchange of Information between the parties.
    

24. •The Hearing Panel then holds a hearing on the merits of the Complaint.
    

25. •The Hearing Panel issues a written decision of its findings and that decision is posted to the public.
    

26. •If the Hearing Panel finds the NGB in compliance with the Sports Act, the parties and the USOC Board will be notified of that finding.
    

27. •If the Haring Panel finds the NGB out of compliance with the Sports Act, the parties and the USOC Board will be notified of that finding and the Hearing Panel will also make a recommendation to the USOC board to whether they should place the NGB on probation or revoke the recognition of NGB status.
    

28. •However, if the Hearing Panel determines that the NGB’s non-compliance can be readily rectified, then prior to making a recommendation to the USOC Board, the Hearing Panel may issue an order directing the NGB to correct the deficiency and if such deficiency is corrected, the Hearing Panel may make a finding of compliance.
    

29. •If a non-compliance report and recommendation is made from the Hearing Panel to the USOC Board, the Board will determine whether to place the NGB on probation or to revoke the recognition of the NGB.
    

30. •If probation is ordered, the Hearing Panel will review the NGB’s report at the end of the probationary period and will determine whether the NGB is now in compliance, needs additional time to comply, or is out of compliance triggering the penalty of NGB status revocation. 
    

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