Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Why college wrestling should go bowling (as in football bowls)

TDR EDitor’s Note; An interesting article with some creative ideas for expanding coverage of wrestling and broaden the fan base.
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By Caryn Ward 1/3/2017 from InterMat Wrestling
From cheeseburgers to clothing to shampoo, any brand executive will tell you that to get more people to try your product, you have to get that product in front of more new people. The same goes for college wrestling. If college wresting wants to thrive and grow instead of stagnate and die it needs to increase its fan base. That’s a fact. To do that the sport needs to get fresh eyeballs. The current model is woefully inadequate for that. Right now fans have dual matches streamed live online and sometimes on the Big Ten Network. Fans have the big tournaments streamed live online. If they’re lucky the finals will air on a network, such as the Big Ten does with the Midlands. And fans have the NCAA Championships streamed and aired on an ESPN channel. That might get someone who is channel surfing to check it out, but it’s not going to bring new folks to the sport in the numbers needed. The one event that brought 42-thousand plus fans, many of them not the college wrestling-faithful, was the Grapple on the Gridiron in Iowa City in November of 2015. Iowa and Oklahoma State held a dual meet in Kinnick Stadium that brought in a record number of fans. It was done in conjunction with the Iowa versus Minnesota football game that night. The teams treated tailgaters, who were there anyway and might not ever watch college wrestling, to an exciting match in a unique environment. So to build on that model and take the concept to the next level, let’s have a college wrestling dual as part of college bowl game festivities in a warm weather city or even a domed stadium. Rest of the story at …. http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/17317?mc_cid=485bda824f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

January 10, 2017 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Univ. Great Falls Makes Official Announcement to Add Women’s Wrestling

TDR Editor’s Note; Another new program for next fall. Wrestling offers opportunities for scholastic improvement and additional motivation to continue on in college. We look forward to more school realizing that this sport is great and worth sponsoring.
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University of Great Falls to Add Women’s Wrestling in 2017-18
GREAT FALLS, Mont. – As the first step in President Anthony Aretz’s vision for big, bold, and fast growth for Argo athletics, the University of Great Falls has announced the addition of women’s wrestling to the school’s list of varsity sports for the 2017-18 season. The program will be the first of its kind in the state of Montana and joins a wave of support for women’s wrestling that has made the sport the fastest growing in college athletics. “Over the past five months, the university, and specifically Dave Gantt, have been looking into the best ways that athletics can grow and help the school bring in more new students,” University President, Dr. Anthony Aretz said. “Women’s wrestling is the right beginning to that effort. It is a team that we can add immediately and effectively, and will put us in a position to succeed in a sport with rapidly increasing popularity.” Adding women’s wrestling will be the beginning of an effort to grow the university’s enrollment both through general admissions and through athletics. While all sports are on the table as options for the growth of the athletic department, this particular program proved to be a logical first step due to its logistical and financial feasibility. In its first year, the program plans to draw 20 new students to the UGF campus followed by five in each of the next two years. While adding revenue to the school, the expenses can remain relatively low due to the infrastructure already in place for UGF’s nationally ranked men’s wrestling program. Of Argo wrestling’s 11 dual opponents on the 2016-17 schedule, 6 already have women’s wrestling programs and many of which are regional opponents. The two teams will be able to travel together for most contests, bringing to a minimum the effort and cost of scheduling opponents and making travel arrangements. The university’s recent 5-year lease of an off-campus building as a new wrestling facility will also provide ample practice space for both a men’s and women’s wrestling team. Rest of the story at …. http://www.kfbb.com/story/34230097/ugf-makes-official-announcement-of-adding-a-womens-wrestling-program

January 10, 2017 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Wrestling to return to Oregon’s Umpqua Community College

TDR Editor’s Notes; Another new wrestling program is announced at a Community College in Oregon. They can somehow afford to start new Men’s and Women’s teams. They join at least twelve other schools that have announced a new team for the fall of 2017. Only one of those schools is in Division I. With Division I schools raking in more money than ever why can’t the SEC, Alabama or Clemson afford increasing opportunities for student athletes in wrestling. Look those two poor schools are running back and forth on a field to split up some of the huge piles of TV money.
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Wrestling will be returning to Umpqua Community College this fall, the Oregon-based two-year college announced. Craig Jackson, who took over as UCC’s athletic director in August, confirmed Thursday night that men’s and women’s wrestling — along with men’s and women’s cross country, and men’s and women’s obstacle course racing — will begin competing at the beginning of the 2017-18 academic year. Men’s wrestling was among Umpqua’s intercollegiate sports until the early 1980s, while women’s wrestling will be a completely new offering. Rest of the story at …. http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/17381

January 10, 2017 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment