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OCTOBER 5, 2022

TO: SOUTHERN PLAINS COACHES & LEADERS

FR: RUSTY DAVIDSON

RE: NATIONAL COACHES’ COUNCIL UPDATE

Coaches and Leaders,

Happy Autumn ! I’m sure you share my excitement as we speed toward our Scholastic season. The pre-season money tournaments are on and we start regular season workouts, as November begins.

Your National Coaches’ Council has not met since late July… right after Fargo. This must mean that everything’s OK ! USA Wrestling hosted our State Leaders Summit and our Board of Directors met.

We have all celebrated strong performances and amazing medal counts in Continental and World Championship events. Our Cadets (U17), Juniors (U20), Beach Wrestlers and Seniors have all made us proud. Our Veterans are competing as I write.

Eva and I are back in the States after a productive summer in Slovenia. We successfully hosted our first American age group tour in late June. Special gratitude to Southern Plains Coach Marty Hauck for his tireless efforts in assembling our inaugural group.

I have one request / suggestion. As you initiate your Scholastic preparation, please teach a little positive history and development. Notice that the bulk of our NFHS rule changes focus on Uniform and Hair.

This focus, especially the facial hair component, presents us all with a chance to brag about Wrestling. We are an ancient sport, living on, because of our willingness to stay modern. Defining our uniform and weigh in rules to increase comfort and inclusion for girls and women testifies to our open-mindedness.

Our new interpretation on Facial Hair gives us another opportunity to magnetize student athletes, parents, and spectator fans. It’s really 2022 and wrestling is really part of some larger conversations. Let’s not miss a chance to tout the way our beloved sport molds productive citizens.

The values of an earlier day celebrated wrestlers for being and appearing as “Clean-Cut Young Men”. Today’s values must celebrate wrestling as being considerate of young women and men, regardless of their family religious and/or ethnic traditions.

Make sure your kids and their families can discuss wrestling’s proactive willingness to do the right thing for the right people at the right time. Yeah, it’s a little weird for me to even bring it up. But… you know what… if it helps us grow wrestling… I’m in.

Thanks for listening.

Love You,

Rusty