Mike Moyer and the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) have often been in the national news recently. The NWCA filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education concerning the interpretation of Title IX. This lawsuit has received considerable support from many segments of the sports community, as well as tremendous opposition from others.    With the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Title IX, as well as a deadline later this week for the response from the Department of Education to the lawsuit, wrestling's Title IX challenges are a major issue at this time. TheMat.com caught up with Moyer this morning to discuss the status of the lawsuit and the battle against proportionality.    TheMat.com: What have been the most positive things to come from the NWCA lawsuit?  Moyer: Clearly, it is the pulling together of other sports groups in support of the lawsuit. The U.S. Track Coaches Association and the College Swimming Coaches Association of America are particularly important. They represent both men and women athletes. The statements of support from USA Diving and USA Wrestling are also very positive. One of the questions I get asked the most is what is different about this lawsuit than other previous legal efforts about Title IX. Ten years ago, these other sports didn't recognize the carnage. Ten years later, it is very real, not just for wrestling but its affecting all sports groups. Right now, it is more than just wrestling that is taking on Goliath.    TheMat.com: What was the inspiration for the NWCA Title IX lawsuit?  Moyer: I have been working with (former Princeton wrestling coach) Eric Pearson for two years trying to get the College Sports Council going. As you know, coalitions are often slow in forming, and are not always strong at the beginning. This lawsuit was in the works for quite some time. What made it happen now is that the statute of limitations for the suit was on January 16, 2002. This is because the lawsuit had to do with the 1996 OCR ruling. It was a combination of having a head of steam behind the College Sports Council and getting enough funding for the effort.    TheMat.com: Funding is always a challenge. How has that been going, and what lessons have you learned through the process?  Moyer: It is evident to me that there is a relentlessness in the wrestling community and we are starting to see that in the other sports. The wrestling community has been relentless in working on this issue. A lot of the credit goes to the Princeton alumni group, which got the fundraising off the ground. From there, we have had momentum and have been able to include other groups and individuals. When you get the kind of attention we have gotten from this lawsuit, it makes it easier to fundraise. Granted, it is never easy to fundraise for this kind of thing. We are now getting emails and messages from people all over the nation and the world. Last week, I heard from a person in Finland who is very excited about this effort. It has been amazing.    TheMat.com: A big part of the effort concerning the lawsuit has been in public relations. Could you explain how that is working?  Moyer: We realized that sometimes, you really need to pay the professionals to get the job done correctly. In the past, mostly because of finances, we have tried to do it ourselves. We have retained a professional public relations firm in Washington, D.C. to handle this with us. It is evident that it is working with the kind of attention that this has received in the national media. I also see our opponents changing their response on the Title IX issue. In the past, they found ways to attack us. I see a softer response from them lately. In this area, it is apparent that our message is having an impact.    TheMat.com: In short terms, what is that message?  Moyer: Gender quotas do not belong in athletics. Actually, gender quotas do not belong anywhere in society. To our knowledge, gender quotas do not apply to our society anywhere to the degree they are being applied to athletics. We want to replace the gender quotas with a more reasonable interpretation of Title IX. This needs to be one based upon interest.    TheMat.com: This past week was the 30th anniversary of Title IX. In many of the stories on this, there was mention of the NWCA lawsuit or the effect of Title IX on men's sports. Has there ever been this kind of attention on the problems with the law?  Moyer: It has become clear that our opponents in the lawsuit perceive this as a threat. You see it in the media reports. What has them concerned is that it is hard to refute our position. It is not about men versus women. It is about a fairer system. The law was never intended for women to gain at the expense of men.     TheMat.com: Often, those against the lawsuit are giving other reasons and solutions for the problem. They are pointing at the size and cost of having a football team, as well as advocating capping men's teams to stop the loss of men's programs. How do you answer this?  Moyer: In regard to football, we respond to that by saying we have additional plaintiffs in this case. Marquette's wrestling alumni is a perfect example. The school did not have football, and alumni raised all the funds to support the wrestling team. I ask them what Marquette is using for football and how that was a factor there. The second example is Bucknell. When they announced that they were dropping wrestling, some generous alumni agreed to fund the program. It was denied by the university. It wasn't about money; it was about proportionality. Certainly in athletics and all businesses, there are always ways you can save money. You always need to identify places to trim the fat. But that is not what this lawsuit is about. It is about the elimination of men, or capping of men's programs, just because they are men.    TheMat.com: Explain your thoughts about roster caps?  Moyer: I have been in fundraising for much of my career. The very student-athletes they are asking us to eliminate for roster management are the people who are most likely to be generous in the future. It is often the athletes who were not superstars that become the best donors. We are biting the hand that feeds us. Let me tell a personal story. Last Saturday, we launched our Leadership Training program on the U.S.S. Intrepid Museum in New York City. Bruce Baumgartner was there on behalf of USA Wrestling and we had many outstanding high school coaches attending the program. Lt. General Martin Steele was addressing the coaches. He shared the storied history of the Intrepid aircraft carrier. He explained how the Intrepid took five kamikaze hits and other bombings and made it back to port, to be rebuilt and come back stronger. I couldn't help but think about the Title IX issue when he was speaking. In the wrestling community, every time we have had a setback, we have come back stronger. General Steele's son wrestled at George Mason University. He walked on, earned a small scholarship and qualified to compete in the NCAA Championships. He is now representing our nation by flying helicopters in Afghanistan. General Steele asked his son how he handles the challenge of combat. He said three things: One was faith in God; two was the training from the Marine Corps; three was his lessons from wrestling. Under today's rules, Dave Steele would not have had a chance to wrestle. He would have been a roster cap casualty. There are hundreds of thousands of people like Dave Steele that we have to step up and fight for.     TheMat.com: The Department of Education is supposed to respond to the lawsuit this week. What do you expect?  Moyer: We will hear from them. They are required to respond and say something. We have no idea what they will answer. It doesn't matter what they answer. We will go forward. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.    TheMat.com: What is the end game for this lawsuit? When will it be resolved?  Moyer: That is what is attractive about this. It has a more defined timeline. Sure, in the court systems, you never know. The nature of this lawsuit is that it is much more efficient than other lawsuits.     TheMat.com: Does the NWCA have any