USA Wrestling and IL/USA Wrestling hosted a “Making a Difference” tournament on April 9th at Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois, with net proceeds donated directly to college wrestling.  The event was a success on the mat, with nearly $4,000 raised to support college wrestling.  These funds will be directly contributed to wrestling programs in Illinois and to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), which protects and promotes college wrestling programs.

“Illinois/USAW and the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation (IKWF) are committed to our college wrestling programs and last weekend, our wrestlers were proud to make a difference in our state,” said Jim Considine, Chairperson of IL/USA Wrestling.  “The overwhelming turnout speaks to our athletes’ passion and dedication. We thank USA Wrestling for developing this program and for bringing it to Illinois.”

The 374 athletes who participated, each of whom received a specially designed t-shirt and a customized award, marked a strong turnout for this first-ever event in Illinois. The April 9th tournament was a freestyle wrestling event, held with USA Wrestling Bantam through Junior age groups and weight classes.

During the one-day event, wrestlers also had the opportunity to attend a free technique clinic by World champion and two-time NCAA champion Les Gutches and NCAA champion and U.S. World Team member Steve Marianetti.

“Making a Difference” is a new program that reflects USA Wrestling’s strong commitment to creating opportunities for wrestlers of all ages and skill levels.  College wrestling is a critical part of this cycle but has come under attack in recent years.  Because there is an undeniably strong link between college wresters and youth programs, every program that is lost has a ripple effect across the country and across all levels of wrestling.

The tournaments so far have been extremely successful, attracting large turnouts and raising thousands of dollars in direct support of college wrestling.  The “Making a Difference” tournament in Oregon earlier this season attracted almost 1,000 competitors and raised nearly $10,000. Another “Making a Difference” tournament will take place in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday, April 30. Organizers expect to raise more than $9,000 for college wrestling.

USA Wrestling is looking to expand this program into other states.  Those interested should contact USA Wrestling Director of Program Development Les Gutches at lgutches@usawrestling.org