The 21 members of the 2011 World Wrestling Teams will be in Colorado Springs, August 20th  for the second annual Living The Dream Medal Fund Benefit Telethon Webcast. 

The telethon will be streamed “live” on TheMat.com from 9:00 p.m.– 11:00 p.m. ET. Wrestling fans will have the opportunity to call in and talk to a World Team Athlete or Coach and get “On The List” by making a donation. 

Each fan that calls and makes a minimum donation of $20 will get a personalized, autographed poster! These posters will be autographed in real time and feature the athlete which the donor talks with.

Wrestling personalities Al Bevilacqua and Jason Bryant will host the telethon. Both hosts are known nationally for their colorful personalities and passion for the world’s oldest and greatest sport! Jerry Lewis has nothing on these guys! 

The Living the Dream Medal Fund was established to substantially increase the financial rewards for U.S. wrestlers who win Olympic and World medals during this four-year Olympic cycle.

Any U.S. wrestler who wins a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England will receive a quarter-million dollars ($250,000). Silver medalists in London will earn $50,000 and bronze medalists in London will receive $25,000. The payout for a World Championships medal in 2009, 2010, and 2011 will be $50,000 for a gold, $25,000 for a silver and $15,000 for a bronze.

Five wrestlers have earned Living the Dream Medal Fund bonuses by capturing medals at the 2009 and 2010 World Championships: Jake Herbert, Tervel Dlagnev, Dremiel Byers, Tatiana Padilla, Elena Pirozhkova

The World Team athletes expected to be “on the telephones” include:

Men’s Freestyle Team
55 kg - Nick Simmons
60 kg – Reece Humphrey or Shawn Bunch
66 kg – Teyon Ware
74 kg – Jordan Burroughs
84 kg – Cael Sanderson
96 kg – Jake Varner
120 kg – Tervel Dlagnev

Greco-Roman World Team
55 kg - Spenser Mango
60 kg – Joe Betterman
66 kg – Justin Lester
74 kg – Jake Fisher
84 kg – Cheney Haight
96 kg – Justin Ruiz
120 kg – Dremiel Byers

Women’s Freestyle Team
48 kg – Clarissa Chun
51 kg – Whitney Conder
55 kg - Helen Maroulis
59 kg – Kelsey Campbell
63 kg – Elena Pirozhkova
67 kg – Adeline Gray
72 kg – Ali Bernard

Updated information on the The Living The Dream Medal Fund Telethon & Benefit Webcast will be posted regularly on TheMat.com.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, August 20 and join our nation’s World Team members as they greet the wrestling community directly and thank them for their support.