Elections were held for USA Wrestling officers, at-large positions on the Board of Directors, as well as openings on the Executive Committee and the Governance Committee.
Bruce BaumgartnerElected as First Vice President was Mark Reiland of Iowa City, Iowa. Elected Second Vice President was Greg Strobel of Bethlehem, Pa. Elected as Secretary was Kerry McCoy of University Park, Md. Elected as Treasurer was Van Stokes of Clarksville, Tenn.
McCoy will be serving as an officer of USA Wrestling for the first time, while all of the other officers elected have previously held at least one term as an officer of the organization. Each of the officers will serve a two-year term.
Elected to the Board of Directors as at-large members were Jordan Burroughs of Lincoln, Neb., Joan Fulp of El Granada, Calif., Don Reynolds of Frankfort, Ill., Mike Juby of Hutchinson, Kan., Eric Guerrero of Norman, Okla. and Bill Swink of Spotsylvania, Pa. All are first-time Board members except Juby.
One position on USA Wrestling's Executive Committee was up for election, with Mike Juby of Hutchinson, Kan. winning that election.
Three individuals were elected to open positions on the USA Wrestling Governance Committee: Duane Morgan of Hollister, Calif., Jim Considine of Carol Stream, Ill. and Bill Grant of Inverness, Fla.
At the conclusion of the election, Baumgartner thanked four leaders who completed their service on the Board of Directors at the conclusion of the meeting: Duane Morgan of Hollister, Calif., Dave Black of River Falls, Wis., Jim Considine of Carol Stream, Ill. and Chris Kallai of Wadsworth, Ohio.
In the President's Welcome to kick off the Board meeting, Baumgartner thanked those within USA Wrestling for their leadership during a successful year.
"We have had an unbelievably good year, in the year between our Board meetings. The support of our volunteers and our staff is really what makes USA Wrestling great, as we provide our young wrestlers, both men and women, the opportunity to grow, not just as athletes but as people. It is the grass roots of our organization which provides the foundation to all levels of USA Wrestling, and allows athletes like Jordan Burroughs and Helen Maroulis to do what they do for our country. I thank you all for your hard work and dedication. I am very proud to be associated with this organization," said Baumgartner.
In his Executive Director report, Rich Bender thanked Baumgartner for his leadership, and the credibility that his service brings to the organization. He also thanked the Board of Directors for their impact on USA Wrestling and the sport.
"It is a pleasure to work every day in an organization that has few agendas. We might disagree on some things at times, but at the end of the day, everyone involved in our organization and our grassroots leadership wants one thing - for kids to experience the greatest sport on earth. It is inspiring for me to be a part of that, and to serve as your Executive Director. I also thank the staff at USA Wrestling and the effort they put forth each day for kids and for wrestling," said Bender.
Bender commented upon the year which has concluded, and the vision for the future.
"Our competitive success was historic. Our 32 medals across all age-groups and all styles is an all-time high. We have run the business with financial accountability, and, from a business perspective, we are on very solid footing. We continue to set the pace within the Olympic movement for our member services and how we provide resources and benefits for kids, coaches and adult members. As we look forward to the next year and the next Olympic quadrennium, we will continue to work hard to push the sport forward. We will discuss SafeSport here, and how vital that is for our long-term sustainability and success. Women's wrestling continues to be in the forefront of our opportunities to grow the sport. Greco-Roman wrestling is a priority for us to establish a platform and program for which the United States can achieve the same competitive success as in freestyle. I continue to challenge everyone in this room, and on our staff, to innovate and find new ways to move wrestling forward," said Bender.
During his report, Bender led the Board in a moment of silence for a number of wrestling leaders who passed away in the last year, including past Board of Directors members Mike Duroe and Chuck Elvin, USA Wrestling state leaders John Carlson and Bob Siar, Olympic champion Bill Smith, plus Hall of Fame inductees Dr. Stanley Henson, Bill Nelson, Frank Bertucci, Tony Gizzoni, Bill Weick and John Harmon, among others.
In his Treasurer's report, Duane Morgan reviewed the fiscal year which is now concluding, and thanked staff and the Finance Committee for their outstanding work.
"USA Wrestling has had another banner year. We have had back-to-back successful years financially. Staff has done a fantastic job. They stick to budget. They control expenses at all levels. That has paid off with dividends on our bottom line. Staff has used all the internal controls and stay tight to their procedures which leads to accountability. They have worked tirelessly to find different sources of revenue. We have good oversight on our financials and investments," said Morgan.
On behalf of the Finance Committee, Morgan presented the proposed Fiscal Year 2019 budget, which was approved by the Board of Directors unanimously, and included $14,682,219 in revenue and $15,276,666 in expenses.
Secretary Van Stokes, who chairs USA Wrestling's Long-Range Planning Committee, presented a draft USA Wrestling 2018-2024 Strategic Plan. Stokes provided information on a meeting in Colorado Springs from June 10-11, where members of the Long-Range Planning Committee, the USA Wrestling Executive Committee, USA Wrestling staff directors and four facilitators from the U.S. Olympic Committee met to discuss strategic planning and create the new document. Stokes thanked USOC staff members Avery Wilson, Denise Parker, Michelle Hurtado and Davis Tutt for their leadership and input during the process.
Stokes asked the Board of Directors for feedback on the draft document, which will be revised as needed and sent to the Long-Range Planning Committee for action this fall. He expects a final document to be prepared for review and approval by the Executive Committee during the upcoming fiscal year.
"We are in a process, and this is not just a document," said Stokes. "We are all responsible for this Strategic Plan."
USA Wrestling staff overseeing National Teams, Sponsorship, Fundraising, State Services, Communications and Events provided updated reports on their department's activities and their vision for future programs.
Director of Safe Sport Dan Prochnow introduced USA Wrestling's new Safe Sport Handbook, and explained all of the important content in the document which includes policies and procedures for the organization to follow to keep its athletes and members safe. The Board of Directors voted to adopt the handbook, which will be made available to all levels of the organization and to the public.
Chairperson Louis Rosbottom presented the 2018 Junior Olympic Wrestling Committee Board Report, which was developed during its meeting at the USA Wrestling State Leaders Conference, which was held alongside the Board of Directors meeting at the Marriott. Five recommendations which were approved by the Board of Directors, which included:
• Cadet Regionals and Nationals will have all matches consisting of two 2-minute periods
• Junior Regionals and Nationals will have all matches consisting of two 3-minute periods
• Specifications for singlets used at Regional and National competitions were approved, including a requirement that male competitors wear a high-cut singlet and female competitors wear a girls-cut singlet.
• Schoolboy/girl National Duals will move one week later in June to avoid conflicts with regional events
• Reimbursements for officials at the 2019 Cadet/Junior Nationals will be made directly to officials
The biggest change regarding the 2018-19 USA Wrestling membership year is that there will no longer be coach memberships nor will there be official memberships. Instead, there will be a Wrestling Leader membership, which will allow for an individual to coach and officiate with the membership.
Reports to the Board of Directors were made by various constituent organizations and committees within USA Wrestling.
In the National Wrestling Hall of Fame report, Lee Roy Smith announced that two legends from the United States would be inducted into the UWW International Wrestling Hall of Fame during ceremonies in Budapest, Hungary in October: Olympic and World champion freestyle wrestler Kenny Monday and long-time medical professional Dr. Bernie Feldman.
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