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Our vision for the future of women's wrestling includes:

1. •A national environment building strong women, as well as championship athletes;
   

2. •Programs facilitating the pursuit of every athlete's aspirations; 
   

3. •A system providing support to athletes by respecting the variety of locations, methods and innovations that help any individual succeed; 
   

4. •A National Program providing the same freedom, opportunities, and rights to every athlete regardless of gender; 
   

5. •And a vibrant development pipeline where young women are exposed to athletic and academic opportunities that enable growth and elite performance across every area of life.
   

We recognize that the growth of our sport must utilize the vast collegiate athletic network unique to America and which helps propel many of our Olympic sports, including men’s wrestling, to international success. Developing this collegiate network necessarily means providing the women athletes the same freedom and encouragement to utilize these varied training environments. Doing so without delay is critical in the race to build a development pipeline that will yield sustainable success for Team USA and return us to the international podium once more. 

Our Vision: A Promising Future

The are several current and ongoing issues threatening the promising future for women’s wrestling we envision. Following the 2004 Games, we saw a distinct shift (by the National Governing Body - USA Wrestling) away from principles of innovation, merit and support that previously characterized U.S. programs.

Whether it was intentional, an oversight, or a natural progression as our young sport grows, the fact is, USA Wrestling appears, through words and deeds, interested in controlling their female athletes in a way that:

1. •limits the development pipeline and competitive pool;
   

2. •discourages innovation in training;
   

3. •violates the rights of athletes under important federal laws designed to facilitate competitiveness; and
   

4. •ultimately shifts away from the American principles that led our National Women’s Program to world prominence in wrestling as recently as 2003 and 2004.

Our Concern: Issues Requiring Attention

Before taking any formal action, a series of informal reports and conversations had occurred over the course of several years with coaches, staff, and athletes regarding the issues mentioned above. Unfortunately, not all the problems have been worked out, and USA Wrestling is at odds with the three of us about both the level of seriousness and the need for some significant changes.

There are a significant number of athletes who agree with our concerns, and quite frankly, many athletes that have been more directly negatively impacted by USA Wrestling’s troubling new direction. We are taking the lead on fighting for positive resolution because the three of us can better withstand the personal and character attacks that come from tying to change the establishment; Olympic medals are earned with blood, sweat, and tears... and with that honor comes a high degree of responsibility. We are exposing our lives and families to a lot of pressure, facing this problem is not easy, but it is necessary because our nation’s young women deserve the full rights and freedoms guaranteed to them by Olympic governing law.

The Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act (the Sports Act) sets out national guidelines that strengthen amateur athletics through the Olympic Ideals of fair-play, excellence and sportsmanship without discrimination of any kind. It is actually a Federal Law, and the roots of the Olympic movement in the United States. One of the great things about the Sports Act is that any member of a national governing body (NGB) can bring “an action” under the Sports Act if they believe their NGB is not in compliance with the law.

Bringing an action under the Sports Act to USA Wrestling and the USOC is part of our effort to secure the promising vision for the future of our sport that our young women deserve. For information on how this compliance battle is going, please click on the “Section 10” link where you will find an ongoing history and current event section as well as a PDF of the Section 10 Complaint itself.

Together, we can make things better!

Action: Working Towards Positive Resolution

Thanks for visiting this site! Please feel free to explore, read and share... and, as always, we look forward to hearing from you.

All the best,

Sara, Patricia & Randi

Email us! Sara@buildWrestling.com, Patricia@buildWrestling.com, & Randi@buildWrestling.com