Chicks Heart Fights

Coming home from the Sox game last night, I checked my email, and I read the news. Arizona State was reinstated! I nearly started crying, I was so happy. We had done it. Not so much me, but the wrestling community. The deep pockets . The vocal media . The quick acting fans . The alumni . And maybe even me . (Probably not-I’m not sure that posting pictures of hot guys is truly grassroots activism, but it worked for me.) To the entire group, I say: well done. You brought the noise, the funk, and the money, and kept the wrestling family from losing a much-loved member. Well done.

But now what? How do we keep this from happening again? We need to take a stance. We need to not buy any more t-shirts, sign any more petitions, or make any more last minute donations. We need to do everything we can to say: Not one program more. How?

Be proactive. Go to wrestling meets. Buy season tickets, if you can. Bring some friends with you. Even better, bring children with you. Get them hooked on the sport that you love. Go to the meets, eat at the concession stand, buy a t-shirt. Your attendance and yes, your money, helps.

Speaking of money-donate what you can. Find a program that you believe in and write a check. You don’t have to be a millionaire to give. I don’t think there is a coach out there who would turn down a check-whether it’s $5 or $5,000. If you can’t find a program you like, try the USOEC or Iowa Public Television. Both groups are incredibly important to our sport.

Speak up! Write letters to your favorite athletic director. Tell them why you think wrestling has enriched the university. Let them know if you enjoyed your time at a meet. Write letters to your newspaper, demanding to know why they did not cover your team. Both constituencies need to know that wrestling is an important part of the sporting world.

I have hardly been the perfect fan-I don’t go to enough meets or give enough money. Sometimes I don’t go because it’s snowing, or I’m tired, or because there is a new episode of the Office on that night. This winter, however, I am going to try a new mantra - not one program more. I don’t want to drive up to Evanston? Not one program more. Do I buy a ticket to the meet or a new lipgloss? Not one program more. I encourage all of you to do the same, and remember - NOT ONE PROGRAM MORE.

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