Home » Wire » Blogs » Jimharshaw

Wrestling Blogs - Jim Harshaw


« older | newer »

Saving a Program 2.0

Jim Harshaw | Profile
May 15, 2009

So I read an interesting blog post (http://gg121and2.blogspot.com/2009/03/tom-brands-in-twilight-zone.html). It’s a hypothetical situation about Iowa dropping their program. As the author mentions, two more D1 programs have been dropped with little uproar from the wrestling community. It seems that we all are close to a program that has been dropped or have a good friend who is. My former assistant coach at UVA, Brendan Buckley (Columbia Univ Head Coach) wrestled at Clemson until the program was dropped then transferred to Fresno, which has since been dropped. I coached at Slippery Rock University which has been dropped. My former teammate, Steve Garland, Virginia’s Head Coach, wrestled at Central Connecticut until it was dropped before he transferred to UVA.

It’s happening all around us. Our world is shrinking. We’ve all heard the cries before and are becoming immune to them. After all, what really can we do? We can sign the online petitions, maybe drop an email or two to the AD and university president. Then, inevitably, the energy fades for the outsider and only the alumni and those close to the program are left with the will to fight. Even they lose steam. We’re all busy… we have jobs and/or families and/or other fronts on which we need to battle. AD’s & University president’s return to tending to the squeaky wheels and wrestling is out of sight- out of mind.

What if we had a plan to maintain that momentum? What if we approached the situation as if it were political (wait… maybe it is)? What if a campaign could be launched that was organized, structured, and sustained?

I recall J Robinson saying that if he had 300 committed people he could get a wrestling program back at Notre Dame. What if there was a way to minimize the time commitment needed? A systematic approach? What if you just needed 27 people to commit 10 minutes per month?

What if this plan could work….

The March is a system to save or reinstate any wrestling program through consistent, coordinated contact with key decision makers. It requires the moderate dedication (3 hours per month) of 3 individuals and minimum dedication of at least 27 constituents (10 minutes per month). If a program cannot raise an army of 27 supporters to join in it’s March, the program is not worth saving or reinstating.

The Premise

Athletics is like politics: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If we want to save wrestling we need to squeak more. Our voices need to be coordinated, educated and consistent. This requires a system directed by a few and executed by many.

More here…

http://riotsportspromotions.com/themarch.aspx



Post a Comment

Enter Your Name

or Login Here
Please enter this code to post comment. Login to skip Captcha.
captcha img
#17
Jim Harshaw   July 23 at 2:00pm
There have been programs saved or reinstated. Namely Bucknell recently. I know there are more but they escape me at the moment. There would be more if we had a systemized and sustained effort.
If we market our programs to strengthen our fan base, increase attendance and media coverage as well as increase fundraising, we'd have to worry less about saving programs. I look forward to volunteering time towards implementing The March. I've contacted a few dropped & endangered programs with no interest. Afterall, we're wrestling people- we don't need to change our ways- right?
reply  
#16
Noah   July 23 at 12:39pm
It's a shame to see any D-1 program leave, be it Iowa, Fresno or James Madison. Dropping a program means less opportunities for wrestlers to compete, less jobs for coaches, and fewer scholarships for wrestlers. As we have more high schools and more HS wrestlers with fewer college programs, it gets even more difficult for a HS wrestler to have the possibility of competing.

Harshaw, I think it's great that are you working on processes to keep or reinstate D-1 programs. I have a question - in the past couple of years, have efforts kept a program from being cut? I think it's important to at least one good example of saving a program or reinstating a program.
reply  
#15
Alex Ant   July 23 at 11:47am
wrestlers said:
“right on Jim, we are horrible politicians. Pathetic. It is the problem, we are busy fighting Title IX instead of doing an easy cost-analysis of where the most bang for our buck.

I think you have interesting concept, would love to see more about it.”
So true.

Maybe wrestling needs to die to come back stronger or not at all at some schools.
Title IX is probably an issue to wrestling for a valid reason. Rather than blame Title IX... maybe an analysis of why we are afraid is a better reason. Especially now with tough times in the economy and tuition going up.. cutbacks all over the place... if push comes to shove.. the underperformers get pushed out.
Something like TheMARCH should be championed by the wrestlers themselves but we also need some top attention from USA Wrestling and active/constant PR.
In a different thread on a different subject I was discussing how MMA might be the way to champion the sport to get the kids interested and the college kids wrestling. Kids/teens want heroes... teens/college students want a career path... wrestling doesn't offer this, but MMA does.
Rather than leading its own charge... maybe wrestling should piggyback on MMA to grow its numbers, its popularity and overall image.
reply  
#14
OCW   May 20 at 9:50am
WHO IS JIM HARSHAW ANYWAY? NEVER HEARD OF HIM? HE'S THE BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO MY KID IN COACHING... IN ANY SPORT... EVER. BUT THE PUBLIC OR AD'S OF THE SURROUNDING HIGH SCHOOLS OR OUTSIDE OF WRESTLING DON'T KNOW THAT. EVERYONE IN THIS TRACK IS RIGHT... PROMOTION AND CONSTANT ACTIVITY IN FUNDRAISING AND POLITIKING... JUST LIKE THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SPORT... WE HAVE TO WORK HARD AT REQUIREMENTS OF KEEPING THE SPORT GOING IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS... WRESTLING REQUIRES A FULL TIME STAFF DEDICATED TO MAINTAINING THE SPORT IN OUR COMMUNITY. AS PARENTS AND VOLUNTEERS AND COACHES WE HAVE TO WORK AS HARD OFF THE MAT AS OUR COACHES, WRESTLERS AND KIDS WIRK ON THE MAT. WE HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROGRAM... OWNERSHIP AND STEWARDSHIP OF THE BEST CHARACTER BUILDING SPORT IN EXISTANCE. HARSHAW SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE UVA WRESTLERS GRADE POINT AVERAGES AND THEYIR RECRUITING CLASS COMING IN... HE SAID THEY RECRUIT WRESTLERS THAT ARE SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE NOT JUST GOOD WRESTLERS... LET'S GET TO WORK RECRUITING SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO CONTRIBUTE TO OUR PROGRAMS... KEEP IT UP HARSHAW.
reply  
#13
Mike L   May 19 at 8:43pm
I wrestled at a small D1 school as a walk on. I feel like it helped my through my four years. If it had not been for wrestling I may not have stayed in school. I was not the most talented athlete but my coach allowed me to stay on the team four years and I learned so much about the sport that I would have never learned if I had not had the opportunity at a four year school. This is not a sport where we compete to make millions of dollars, it is a sport that we compete in because we love the sport. I feel like I would not be the person I am today without wrestling. I am 31 years old and wish I still had the opportunity to practice and compete. I do not know of a better sport for developing chacater in young athletes than wrestling. I would like to help save the sport, it has been losing ground for several years. What are some things a person could to help protect the sport at the college level.
reply  
#12
DevilsAdvocate   May 19 at 3:04pm
I suspect no one would have heard of Steve Garland if he had completed his career at Central Connecticut. It was probably good for him that their program closed, led him to where he is now. Possibly the same could be said about Buckley. I understand there is strength in numbers, but there is also strength in concentration to improve the quality.
reply  
#11
MYWAY   May 18 at 12:00pm
There is a plan that works. We are doing it in Michigan. It is too much to explain in a blog. Call Roger Chandler at MSU or Dave Dean in Lowell, Michigan sometime. They are more than willing to help with a viable solution that already works.
reply  
#10
Wrestlingscholar   May 16 at 12:56pm
kbill23 said:
“most people would not say a word if the Iowa program went away, in fact it would be a dream come true for most.”
BS. I would riot.
Nobody wants to see an excellent program like that go away. They are a dynastic program of excellence in wrestling and they have brought greatness and a tougher stronger outlook to wrestling that you wont see in any other program, same as Okie State brings a more technical and speed oriented look in it's dynasty.
without iowa wrestling would lose not only a great program but possibly the fiercest rivalry in wrestling.

btw does anyone know what happened to Syracuse's program?
reply  
#9
Rich   May 16 at 11:50am
Title IX: Proportionality has really hurt us. Encouragingly enough, a growing quantity of states are passing resolutions telling Washington D.C. that DC's powers are restricted to those ennumerated in the U.S. Constitution. All other powers, such as the right to implement Title IX, are entrusted to the states, themselves, and its individuals. For the latest on which states are leading the way on States' Rights, see the interactive map near the top here:
.

http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2009/02/23/state-sovereignty-resolutions
How's YOUR state progressing on this pioneering 21st Century front?
reply  
#8
TJ X   May 16 at 10:07am
I agree, Title IX has been very good for many facets of our society but terrible for wrestling unfortunately. Let's start there, how about finding a way to be compliant with Title IX which would cease the terminations of wrestling programs across the United States. I am not an expert or attorney specilizing in Title IX so take this for what it's worth: Maybe we can officially convert high school and collegiate wrestling into a coed sport where both male and females would be encouraged to join and compete for sports on the team I know this has, on a small scale, been incorporated into some high school programs. A second choice: How about the male wrestling team raising funds to sponsor and create a counterpart female team thereby skirting around Title IX constraints? Again, I admittedly no expert in this area but I believe avoiding Title IX snactions is a good place to start. I guess we can always take Red Dog's advice and overthrow the government then re-write Title IX but that is not an easy thing to do, Germany and Japan tried it in the 1940s and were blown off the face of the Earth.
reply  
#7
Jeff Mucha   May 16 at 9:50am
I just wrote a persuasive essay on how Title Nine takes away from non-revenue sports. It is in a way sad how many schools have actually done away with wrestling. I think that if anyone is going to help get this back, it is the people who actually care about wrestling, and this website is probably the best place to start.
reply  
#6
Red Dog   May 16 at 7:42am
I say the hell with squeaking, LET'S RIOT! BURN DOWN WASHINGTON DC AND BRING BACK POWER TO THE PEOPLE! TAKE IT TO THE STREETS BABY, WE DEFY THE MAFIA!
reply  
#5
WOW   May 16 at 5:51am
so your idea will not be effective if its just organized complaining ... the name of the game is financing...
reply  
#4
Krush   May 15 at 11:16pm
man these UVA guys are so genius ..... all i hear at tech is gobble that beer.dam you smart asian girls who knocked me into the waiting list their
reply  
#3
Gang Green Wrestling Club   May 15 at 9:53pm
kbill23 said:
“most people would not say a word if the Iowa program went away, in fact it would be a dream come true for most.”
Possibly the dumbest thing ever said here.
Without Iowa whom do you have to hate?
Without Iowa whom do you have to cheer?

Is it s dream come true so your team can finally win?
reply  
#2
Kbill23   May 15 at 7:08pm
most people would not say a word if the Iowa program went away, in fact it would be a dream come true for most.
reply  
#1
Wrestlers   May 15 at 3:29pm
right on Jim, we are horrible politicians. Pathetic. It is the problem, we are busy fighting Title IX instead of doing an easy cost-analysis of where the most bang for our buck.

I think you have interesting concept, would love to see more about it.
reply  


5.0/5 (5 votes cast)