In just the last few days, 16 more organizations joined the brand new Coalition to Keep Wrestling In the Olympics, a coalition of organizations who support the effort to retain wrestling on the Olympic program. The 3D Wrestling Club, a USA Wrestling sanctioned wrestling club in Auburn, Wash., became the first local wrestling club to join the Coalition to Keep Wrestling. Club programs are stepping up quickly for this effort, with the Norse Force Youth Wrestling Club of Story City, Iowa and the Summit Wrestling Club of Summit, N.J. also joining and making donations. The 2013 U.S. Men’s Freestyle World Cup Team, which competed in the World Cup in Tehran, Iran, last week, joined the coalition and made a donation to the Keep Olympic Wrestling effort. Joining the coalition this week is TW Promotions, which manages the wrestling market for USA Wrestling sponsor ASICS and has been a longtime partner with USA Wrestling in building the sport of wrestling. Trackwrestling, a company which has been a leader in developing effective on-line wrestling tournament operations and results reporting, is also a coalition member. The Appalachian State Regional Training Center became the first of the USA Wrestling Regional Training Centers to join the growing coalition. Amateur Wrestling News, the nation’s oldest wrestling publication which dates back to 1956 and has helped build our sport, joins a growing list of wrestling media in the coalition. AWN has also pledged to donate $5 from every new subscription for the Keep Olympic Wrestling effort. Ken Chertow Wrestling is the first wrestling camp and training organization to join the coalition. It is led by 1988 Olympian Ken Chertow. The first college wrestling team joined the coalition, New Mexico Highlands, a Div. II college in New Mexico coached by Doug Moses. A pair of Wrestling Leagues from Colorado have become coalition members, Pikes Peak Wrestling League of Colorado Springs and the South Suburban Wrestling League of Highlands Ranch. Prodigy Elite Sports, a Maryland company which provides talent and event management solutions, has now joined. The Friends of Section IV Wrestling, a group of wrestling supporters in Section IV in upstate New York, has also been added to the cause. Baldwin Athletics from Kissimmee, Fla. is a new coalition member, as is United States Youth Wrestling (USYW.org), a wrestling website. The number of coalition members has now grown to 28 and is increasing daily. Four wrestling organizations came together to launch the effort on Thursday: USA Wrestling, the National Wrestling Coaches Association, the Amateur Athletic Union and the National United Wrestling Association for Youth Wrestling. Many other organizations have contacted USA Wrestling about joining, and are in the process of sending in their information and donation. We expect to be able to add to this list on a regular basis going forward. New Coalition to Keep Wrestling in the Olympics members as of March 4 3D Wrestling Club, Auburn, Wash. Amateur Wrestling News Appalachian State Regional Training Center Baldwin Athletics, Kissimmee, Fla. Friends of Section IV Wrestling Ken Chertow Wrestling New Mexico Highlands Wrestling Norse Force Youth Wrestling Club, Story City, Iowa Pikes Peak Wrestling League, Colorado Springs, Colo. Prodigy Elite Sports South Suburban Wrestling League, Highlands Ranch, Colo. Summit Wrestling Club, Summit, N.J. Trackwrestling TW Promotions United States Youth Wrestling (USYW.org) U.S. Men’s Freestyle World Cup Team This new coalition will include any and all organizations who are willing to stand up and work together for a common goal, which is to insure that wrestling remains on the program of the Olympic Games. This is not an organization of individuals. There are other ways that private citizens can support this cause. This is geared entirely to organized groups willing to publically add themselves to the coalition. This will be a collection of groups of all sizes, including both non-profit and for-profit organizations, basically any organization which stands behind the effort to keep wrestling in the Olympics. In order to join the coalition, a group must provide a contact name, email address and phone number, which will allow us to network together and execute the strategy. The donation can be made online at: http://www.KeepWrestlingInTheOlympics.com The donation can be made by check, made payable to USA Wrestling and mailed to: USA Wrestling c/o Coalition to Keep Wrestling in the Olympics 6155 Lehman Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80918 The financial support will help fund all of the actions which together makes for a successful campaign. It will be used directly on projects such as public relations, international communication, research, education, promotional materials, networking and international travel for meetings with the IOC and members of national federations and national Olympic Committees. Additional projects will be developed by the leadership committee for this effort. Coalition membership will help keep this issue in the forefront and allow wrestling to make its case to the world. It will only be used for this project, not other wrestling programs COALITION TO KEEP WRESTLING IN THE OLYMPICS MEMBERS (listed alphabetically as of March 4, 2013) 3D Wrestling Club, Auburn, Wash. All-American Wrestling Supply Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Amateur Wrestling News Appalachian State Regional Training Center Baldwin Athletics, Kissimmee, Fla. Beat the Streets New York Cliff Keen Athletic Friends of Section IV Wrestling Ken Chertow Wrestling Kemp by Forza Louisiana USA Wrestling National United Wrestling Association for Youth (NUWAY) National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum New Mexico Highlands Wrestling Norse Force Youth Wrestling Club, Story City, Iowa Pikes Peak Wrestling League, Colorado Springs, Colo. Prodigy Elite Sports South Suburban Wrestling League, Highlands Ranch, Colo. Summit Wrestling Club, Summit, N.J. Trackwrestling TW Promotions United States Youth Wrestling (USYW.org) USA Wrestling U.S. Men’s Freestyle World Cup Team WrestlingGear.com, Ltd. Wrestlers Are Warriors