Paula McGahee of Powder Springs, Ga. has been named the 2001 Woman of the Year by USA Wrestling. This award recognizes an outstanding woman for her contributions to the sport of wrestling.    McGahee has served as the USA Wrestling State Chairperson in Georgia for more than six years, and has been one of the most successful leaders in the organization on the national level. She was named 2000 USA Wrestling State Chairperson of the Year.    The Georgia association has grown in size and expanded its activities in recent years. From the beginning of her involvement in the program, she has had one goal: "Let's do it for the kids." She has helped build stronger USA Wrestling programs all across the state.     Georgia teams have attended each major USA Wrestling regional and national event and have reached new levels of success at these competitions. Under her direction, the state membership has almost tripled in size.    McGahee has used great creativity in leading the Georgia association. She has instituted a bronze-level coaches certification requirement at all state championship events, improving the quality of coaching in the state. She has saved long waits by parents and athletes by splitting weigh-in and wrestling times. To help build the sport all across the state, she has established scholarships for wrestlers in rural areas that could not afford the cost of travel to national and regional competitions.     She has been actively involved in leadership positions in her region on all levels. She is well-respected by her peers among grassroots leaders. McGahee is an efficient administrator who provide quality service to the members in her state. Prior to becoming state chairperson, she served as the state association's secretary for two years. She has served as trip leader for a number of Team Georgia teams on all levels during the last decade.    She has also served in a number of leadership positions in her local high school booster club, the McEachern High School Takedown Club, including vice-president and secretary. The team has won the state high school title a number of times and is one of the most respected high school programs in the nation.    McGahee received the respected Gene Collier Memorial Award in 1998-99, which is given by the Georgia Wrestling Officials Association for dedication and support of wrestling. She was the first woman to receive this prestigious honor.    Her involvement in wrestling began when her two sons, A.J. and Brian, joined wrestling and became active in Georgia's state wrestling programs. A.J. recently graduated from Cornell Univ. and plans to become a wrestling coach. Brian won a Georgia state high school title as a freshman and is one of the nation's top young wrestling talents.    USA Wrestling will be announcing major award winners each day this week on TheMat.com, the official web page of the Amateur Wrestling Alliance.