USA Wrestling set membership records in four major categories during 2004-05 year

Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
10/12/2005

USA Wrestling, the national governing body for amateur wrestling in the United States, is proud to report that the organization’s membership set records in four major categories during the 2004-05 year.

The 2004-05 membership year, which ended on August 31, 2005, set annual records for athletes, coaches, clubs and sanctioned events.

During the 2004-2005 year, USA Wrestling registered 142,624 athlete members, topping the record of 135,519 athletes set during the 2003-04 year.

The number of registered coaches climbed to 19,813 from the previous record set one year ago at 19,362 coach members.

USA Wrestling chartered clubs reached a new record level, with 3,117 club programs, up from record of 2,927 clubs set during the 2002-03 season.

Sanctioned events were also at a new level, with 1,741 USA Wrestling events during the 2004-05 season, breaking the previous year’s record of 1,682 events.

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 has again set all-time records for athletes, coaches, clubs and sanction events during its 2005 membership year. This outstanding accomplishment is directly related to the hard work of so many great USA Wrestling volunteers,” said Mark Scott, Director of State Services.

"USA Wrestling State Leaders were superlative in attracting new members to the organization as is evidenced by our new membership records. USA Wrestling´s State Leaders are a unique group of people who are so dedicated to the ideals that wrestling brings to individuals that they make it a priority to grow the base,” said Scott.

For the membership year ending August 31, 2005, USA Wrestling is proud to announce that 33 states increased their athlete membership. Those state organizations and their leaders should be commended for their hard work and effort.

The states with athlete growth this year were: Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

A total of 28 states experienced growth in the coach membership category: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming.

USA Wrestling is excited about the new 2005-06 year, and will work hard to continue to increase opportunities within wrestling all across the nation.