USA Wrestling, the national governing body for amateur wrestling in the United States, is proud to report that the organization's membership has continued to grow, setting membership records in four major categories.    The 2002-2003 membership year, which ended on August 31, 2003, set annual records for athletes, coaches, clubs and sanctioned events. All of these records had been set one year ago, at the conlusion of the 2001-02 season.    The number of registered coaches jumped an impressive 10%, climbing to 18,983 from the previous record set one year ago at 17,222.    Among the reasons for this dramatic increase was the expansion of USA Wrestling's National Coaches Education Program, as well as the innovative  USA Wrestling Fall Coaches Clinic Series.    USA Wrestling chartered clubs reached a new record level, with 2,927 club programs, up from 2,840 clubs last year.    Sanctioned events were also at a new level, with 1,675 USA Wrestling events during the 2002-03 season, breaking the  previous year's record of 1,666 events.    During the 2002-03 year, USA Wrestling registered 133,295 athlete members, topping the record of 133,289 set a year ago.    The membership records were possible through the efforts of USA Wrestling's volunteer leaders on the regional, state and local levels, who provided the most comprehensive program of wrestling activities in the nation.    "USA Wrestling's membership is the foundation of our organization," said Mark Scott, Director of State Services. "Each and every member of USA Wrestling plays a vital role in developing and preserving our great sport. It is again tremendous to set new records in the various categories."    "Our state leaders and volunteers are to be commended for their outstanding efforts to 'grow the base,' one of USA Wrestling's core business objectives. I want to again challenge our state leaders to set new records in 2004. With so many exciting programs and events scheduled for 2004, I believe we can achieve 10% growth in all membership categories of USA Wrestling."    For the membership year ending August 31, 2003, USA Wrestling is proud to announce that 26 states increased their athlete membership over 2002.  Those state organizations and their leaders should be commended for their hard work and effort. The states with athlete growth this year were: Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.    The USA Wrestling Partner membership program provides wrestling volunteers, parents, former athletes and fans the opportunity to participate in the organization and support amateur wrestling. Since the program was launched in July 2001, more than 760 individuals have become USA Wrestling Partners.