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MARCH 20, 2024

TO:       SOUTHERN PLAINS COACHES, OFFICIALS & LEADERS

FR:       RUSTY DAVIDSON

RE:       NATIONAL COACHES’ COUNCIL UPDATE / CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Coaches, Officials and Leaders,

It’s been six months… a long time for me to be quiet !  I hope you had a wonderful fall and winter season and are excited about Spring and Summer ’24.  I know I am !

I’d love to tell you all about how busy your National Coaches’ Council has been, since September.  Truth is… we haven’t.  For the most part, that’s a good thing.  In the Olympic Styles, we just came off a fabulous 2023 performance… all levels and styles… domestically and internationally.

Many Council members, like you, are deeply immersed in Scholastic Wrestling.  As such, their time and focus on Olympic styles is precious, but not abundant.  In our few brief meetings, we have focused on preparing for Olympic Qualification and protocols.  Nothing new, or alarming, there.  All is well.

Every Olympic year stretches us all, more thinly than other years.  We will soon select our Paris Team Members and go about the task of completing qualification.  We will also select Age Group Continental and World Team members.

With all that brewing, we also kick off our Regional Championships and qualify State Reams for the summer’s National Championships.  Knowing how busy this makes you, I have one pressing need.

That is the Southern Plains Selection / Nomination process for our three Regional Developmental Coaches of the Year (DECOY).  The process calls for us to choose One Each: Freestyle; Greco; Women’s coach.  We need to complete this process on or before May 10th.

Our Region takes pride in accomplishing this task On Time and with full transparency.  Please o your part.  First, get with your peers and SEND ME One Name per Style, per State, along with a brief Nomination Bio.   Do this Before April 10th.

Next, I will share all names nominated with the entire Region, along with Bios.  We will accept voting through May 4th.   With oversight from Missouri’s Mike Tuck, I will tabulate votes and announce winners to The Council, to the Region, and to USA Wrestling’s Coach Education Manager, on or before May 10th.

(Note:  Our selection for Women’s DECOY goes forward to the Women’s Age Group Committee.) 

Read This Part !  I’m about to ask you for something special.  

Last Spring (’23), we went through the exact same process.  We nominated and selected Emily Tew (WM), Mac Borrego (FS), Brian Graham (GR).  Everything went well, EXCEPT… Through some clerical error, somewhere (Don’t know… Can’t Blame), Coach Graham’s nomination never made its way into the file for National Selection.

I hope we can collectively support Re-nominating Missouri’s Brian Graham for the 2024 Southern Plains GR DECOY.  This will give Coach Graham and the Southern Plains a fair shot at National Recognition.  I believe this is Fair and ask your support.

If anyone has an objection, please share it with me or with Coach Tuck.  We will protect your confidentiality, while making the Region aware that we need to pursue another end.  THANX !!!

Please get me your nominations / bios for WM and FS Southern Plains DECOY !  Enjoy this final weekend of the Collegiate Season.  Prepare well for our upcoming Age Group Championships and Olympic Trials.  (Our Southern Plains looks to make a big impact on Paris !)

Thanx for Who You Are and What You Do !  With Love…

Rusty



Team New Mexico’s 2023 Fargo experience has come to an end. So many highs and lows with this event, just like any wrestling event.

Here are some highlights:

-3 Fargo All Americans, first time having 3 AAs in one year since 2005

-Fargo All Americans each of the last 3 years (2021, 2022, 2023)

-Highest Individual Placement (Luttrell 3rd) since 2012

-Largest group of wrestlers (28) attending Fargo in 20+ years. 21 boys & 7 girls

-16U Greco Boys finish in 19th place as a Team

-Emily Tew named USAW Women's Age Group Council Person of the Year

-Mac Borrego recognized as USAW Southern Plains Freestyle Developmental Coach of the Year

To the 28 wrestlers that made the trip to Fargo, we thank you for your dedication and hard work over this summer. Fargo is a different beast and to have the courage to test themselves against the best wrestlers in the nation is something these wrestlers can hold their heads high about.

To the parents of these wrestlers thank you for giving them the love and support to get them to Fargo.

To Coach Rey Gallegos, Coach Erwin Morris and Coach Paul Wilson we thank you for your help this year with Team NM and Fargo. It takes a big commitment to attend this event as a coach.

To Coach Emily Tew, Coach Adam Benavidez, Coach Lorenzo Martinez, Coach Nathaniel Augustson and Coach Macario Borrego we thank you for your endless dedication to the New Mexico wrestling community year after year. From clinics to training camps, state events to national events, folkstyle to freestyle to greco, these coaches can always be seen helping coach and develop wrestlers regardless of what school or club they might represent. If we are truly trying to grow wrestling here in New Mexico, regardless the style, we can all do a little more of what the aforementioned coaches do. They participate, they develop and they encourage everyone they come into contact with for the benefit of New Mexico Wrestling!

#newmexicowrestling

#growingtogether




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