Ad-hoc Grappling Committee expanded with athletes Monson and Oh and Hall of Fame wrestler Douglas

LO. – USA Wrestling has expanded the Ad-hoc Grappling Committee which oversees its Grappling program with the addition of two athletes and a Hall of Fame wrestler and coach

Star Grappling athletes Jeff Monson and Felicia Oh have been selected to serve as athlete representatives for the USA Wrestling Grappling Ad-Hoc Committee.

Both Monson and Oh were gold medalists at the first World Grappling Championships, held in Antalya, Turkey in September 2007. Both were also champions at the USA Wrestling World Team Trials in June 2007.

Monson competes in Mixed Martial Arts and has a strong wrestling background. He is a two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club World champion and a 2007 IBJJF Mundial Absolute World champion. He holds a Jiujitsu black belt, under Ricardo Liborio of American Top Team.

Monson was a Pacific-10 champion at Oregon State University as a freshman and transferred to Illinois. He earned conference all-academic awards at both schools, while studying psychology.

Oh is a top competitor in Grappling and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and also teaches, coaches and mentors other martial artists. She was awarded her black belt after only four and a half years of training under Jean-Jacques Machado.

In 2007, Oh became the first woman to win both the IBJJF Pan American Black Belt Gi and No-Gi divisions. She was also inducted into the Martial Arts Masters Hall of Fame in 2007.

Hall of Fame wrestler Bobby Douglas has also been added to the Ad-hoc Grappling Committee.

Douglas has had tremendous success as an athlete and coach on the collegiate and international level. Douglas competed on both the 1964 and 1968 Olympic freestyle teams, and was captain of the 1968 team. He won two World Championships medals during his career. As a coach, he led Arizona State to the NCAA championship, and coached numerous NCAA champions and All-Americans there and at Iowa State. He was the U.S. Olympic Team head coach for freestyle at the 1992 Olympic Games. Douglas was elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1987.

Douglas also has experience in other martial arts including Tae Kwon Do, Judo and Sombo. The Committee will draw from his 50 years of experience and leadership within the wrestling community.

The addition of these three committee members expands the Ad-hoc Grappling Committee to eight members. Past USA Wrestling president Art Martori of Paradise Valley, Ariz., has been named as Chairperson of the Ad-hoc Grappling Committee. Other members of the Ad-Hoc Grappling Committee are USA Wrestling President Jim Ravannack of Metairie, La., John Bardis of Alpharetta, Ga., Stan Dziedzic of Roswell, Ga. and Bill Scherr of Glenview, Ill.

The new staff liaison for the Ad-hoc Grappling Committee is USA Wrestling Manager of Developing Styles Jason Townsend.

The USA Wrestling Grappling Ad-Hoc Committee was created on March 10, 2007 at the USA Wrestling Grappling Summit. The purpose of the committee is to make recommendations about the management and direction of Grappling to the USA Wrestling Board

LO. – USA Wrestling has expanded the Ad-hoc Grappling Committee which oversees its Grappling program with the addition of two athletes and a Hall of Fame wrestler and coach

Star Grappling athletes Jeff Monson and Felicia Oh have been selected to serve as athlete representatives for the USA Wrestling Grappling Ad-Hoc Committee.

Both Monson and Oh were gold medalists at the first World Grappling Championships, held in Antalya, Turkey in September 2007. Both were also champions at the USA Wrestling World Team Trials in June 2007.

Monson competes in Mixed Martial Arts and has a strong wrestling background. He is a two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club World champion and a 2007 IBJJF Mundial Absolute World champion. He holds a Jiujitsu black belt, under Ricardo Liborio of American Top Team.

Monson was a Pacific-10 champion at Oregon State University as a freshman and transferred to Illinois. He earned conference all-academic awards at both schools, while studying psychology.

Oh is a top competitor in Grappling and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and also teaches, coaches and mentors other martial artists. She was awarded her black belt after only four and a half years of training under Jean-Jacques Machado.

In 2007, Oh became the first woman to win both the IBJJF Pan American Black Belt Gi and No-Gi divisions. She was also inducted into the Martial Arts Masters Hall of Fame in 2007.

Hall of Fame wrestler Bobby Douglas has also been added to the Ad-hoc Grappling Committee.

Douglas has had tremendous success as an athlete and coach on the collegiate and international level. Douglas competed on both the 1964 and 1968 Olympic freestyle teams, and was captain of the 1968 team. He won two World Championships medals during his career. As a coach, he led Arizona State to the NCAA championship, and coached numerous NCAA champions and All-Americans there and at Iowa State. He was the U.S. Olympic Team head coach for freestyle at the 1992 Olympic Games. Douglas was elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1987.

Douglas also has experience in other martial arts including Tae Kwon Do, Judo and Sombo. The Committee will draw from his 50 years of experience and leadership within the wrestling community.

The addition of these three committee members expands the Ad-hoc Grappling Committee to eight members. Past USA Wrestling president Art Martori of Paradise Valley, Ariz., has been named as Chairperson of the Ad-hoc Grappling Committee. Other members of the Ad-Hoc Grappling Committee are USA Wrestling President Jim Ravannack of Metairie, La., John Bardis of Alpharetta, Ga., Stan Dziedzic of Roswell, Ga. and Bill Scherr of Glenview, Ill.

The new staff liaison for the Ad-hoc Grappling Committee is USA Wrestling Manager of Developing Styles Jason Townsend.

The USA Wrestling Grappling Ad-Hoc Committee was created on March 10, 2007 at the USA Wrestling Grappling Summit. The purpose of the committee is to make recommendations about the management and direction of Grappling to the USA Wrestling Board