August 24, 1998

Dear Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse, Inc.,

This letter represents a request by Southern Maryland Wrestling Club (SMWC), a worthy area youth club, for partial sponsorship funding by the Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse, Inc. during the upcoming wrestling season (September through July). Details on funding needs are provided on the attached sheet.

SMWC is a visible alternative to substance abuse as well as serious chance for many area athletes of all sizes to succeed in sports. Maryland's most successful and nationally recognized wrestling club, SMWC is an official non-profit youth organization dedicated to promoting the sport of wrestling, specifically within the Southern Maryland region. Promotion includes practices, team competition, coaching, training, tournament competition, officiating, and community activities. In addition to our highly visible Internet web site, two recent community activities where SMWC participated include the Community Awareness Fair at Patuxent High School last spring, and Bayfest in North Beach August 22nd. The club also provides opportunities for youth to acquire college scholarships based on their wrestling skills. Since 1992, 51 local high school age members have acquired wrestling scholarships directly as a result of their participation with the club.

The club is an official non-profit tax-exempt youth organization with dues required for high school age and under wrestlers. Regarding area participation, 13 of SMWC's 38 dues paying members live in Calvert County. Another 18 members live in the surrounding area, primarily southern PG County near Upper Marlboro. A large number of the club coaches and adult supporters live throughout Southern Maryland.

In recent years, operating costs to maintain the club have greatly outdistanced income. In the early years of the club's existence, insurance premiums were low, league fees were low, membership was high, and available practice sites were easy to find. However, conditions have changed drastically. AAU and USAW membership and certificate fees, required for insurance, once $20 and $50, have risen to $50 and $125 respectively. Winter youth league fees, once $250 per year, now cost $650 per year. Several local boys and girls clubs have also dropped wrestling in favor of basketball. This condition has caused less visibility for the sport, and resulted in fewer kids willing to join off-season clubs such as SMWC. Practice sites now cost and are difficult to find.

Facility use fees have caused another growing problem for wrestling clubs. Basketball uses a gym, charges spectators for league games, and generates plenty of funding. Schools see an opportunity to cash in on this funding in the form of facility use fees. However, to be fair, most schools charge all organizations the same, regardless of if they use a gym or a wrestling room. Unless the school coach is actively involved in the practices and most participants are enrolled at the school, it is nearly impossible to get fees lowered or waived. This is the case even when many of the school's wrestling team members belong to the club.

SMWC paid Bishop MacNamara HS $20 per night to use their facility for practice during the 1996/97 and fall 1998 seasons. Practices lasted two nights per week from September to November, then March through July. Also, additional school insurance was required at MacNamara, plus the school allowed no tournaments or other wrestling events as its gym was constantly booked for basketball games. Although wrestling tournaments don't generate much money for the club or school putting them on, they are still the primary source for funding other than dues. Any minor sport club using indoor facilities that caters mostly to youth rather than high school age kids will loose money unless dues are high enough to cover costs, or unless a larger sport will cover their costs. SMWC finds itself in this situation.

For background about our club, SMWC was founded by Bruce Gabrielson, a former high school and college coach who moved to Dunkirk in 1982. Bruce immediately took over coaching Kettering's youth league folkstyle club in Upper Marlboro and also founded a small successful Freestyle club (called SMWC) mostly for older kids at Calvert High School that spring. Finding a large following of dedicated kids ready to move to the next level of wrestling skills, and also to allow these kids the opportunity to continue in organized wrestling through the off season, SMWC was merged with Kettering in the spring of 1984. The club moved entirely to PG County at that time. Since then, the club has been the primary focus for advanced youth and high school wrestling throughout not only PG County, but all of Southern Maryland.

Many junior league coaches, area high school coaches, and wrestling officials are current and former SMWC members. In addition to our Head Coach Bruce Gabrielson, our most visible older wrestlers are 1992 Olympian Buddy Lee, former three time National Greco-Roman Champion, Jim Howard, and all-time collegiate record holder Wade Hughes. Buddy, by the way, is a national spokesperson for the President's War on Drugs. Current Penn State Head Coach Troy Sunderland is also a member of SMWC's Hall-of-Fame. These individuals are active roll models for area youth as well as outstanding members of the wrestling community.

Besides a strong alternative to drugs, SMWC represents the best in youth wrestling this area has to offer. It has long been considered a national contender, having won its first national club/team Freestyle title in 1984. In 1995, the club set an all-time AAU Grand National Championship team record by finishing first in Freestyle in Midgets, Cadets, Elite, and Espoir, plus placed high in the other age divisions. The club has also won all but one state club championship title in both freestyle and scholastic wrestling styles every year since the Maryland State Wrestling Association was founded in 1987.

In conclusion, many deserving area sports organizations are in need of funding. Few clubs have been as successful as SMWC in achieving measurable positive benefits, including national recognition and college scholarships to the youth of our area. No local clubs are active in anti-drug campaigns at the club level with a nationally recognized anti-drugs spokesperson as a member and coach. All these factors should be considered in your evaluation of our attached funding request.

Thank you,

Bruce Gabrielson
Head Coach, SMWC