Letter from Coach Dresser

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buf87

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Dec 15, 2010
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Dear Cyclone Wrestling Nation,


I am writing to welcome you to a new era of Iowa State wrestling. It is my intent to keep you informed about our program via newsletters like this on a regular basis.


It was incredibly exciting for me to be named the Head Wrestling Coach at Iowa State and begin the transition. You have probably read about my background and, therefore understand, this Iowa-born boy is ready to get after it!


As I said in my media conference, one of my immediate goals is to connect with the ISU fan base. There is no question that Iowa State University has one of college wrestlings best fan bases and its that combination of fans, alums and former letterwinners who make this program stand above the rest. Now, its time to UNITE!


My first request is that you forward this message to all of your wrestling friends, classmates, and/or teammates and encourage them to email me personally at kdresser@iastate.edu to get connected. We hope to schedule some ISU Wrestling Town Hall Meetings very soon so that we can start making personal connections with you! The end-result of building these relationships is that we can add significantly to our current database of Cyclone wrestling supporters and get to work building something spectacular in Ames!


Additionally, I will be meeting with the Cyclone Wrestling Club (CWC) later this month. It is important for me to learn more about this storied group of fans and supporters and help align the organization to be a very valuable entity for our program. If you are an active member of the CWC, please attend our meeting on Tuesday, March 28, at 7 p.m. in the Jacobson Building. If you are NOT an active member, stay tuned. I will share membership information, benefits, etc., in my next newsletter.


At the same time, I am in the process of formally establishing a new Cyclone Regional Training Center (C-RTC)! These USA Wrestling recognized training centers are the way top college programs attract the best talent and provide extra support for coaches and athletes.


The C-RTC will lease the Iowa State Wrestling Facility and conduct all workouts at the Lied Recreation Center. All card-carrying, USA-qualified athletes within a 200 mile radius of campus will be allowed to train at the C-RTC. In the next 60 days, we will announce our full coaching staff and resident post-graduate athletes. Workouts will begin within the next month and a full workout schedule and athlete qualification requirements will be shared shortly thereafter. We are also building a web page for the C-RTC, which will be your one-stop site for all information on the center.


It is important to note that the C-RTC cannot be funded by Iowa State per NCAA rules. A handful of private donors have already stepped up to jump-start this grass roots center, and I am so thankful for those key individuals who committed to our vision. However, we need more support. If you are interested in learning more about how YOU can make an immediate impact in Ames and with our program, please email me. We can set up a call or a personal meeting to help you understand the tax and program benefits to becoming a C-RTC donor!

So as I close, I am asking you to personally connect with Cyclone Wrestling now and, as importantly, encourage your friends and fellow wrestling fans to get on board. It is time to UNITE and flex our muscles once again.


Go Cyclones!


Kevin Dresser

Iowa State Head Wrestling Coach

kdresser@iastate.edu
 

BillyClone

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Mar 20, 2006
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Yes, definitely nice to see some encouraging news regarding the direction of the program.

Any guesses on how the CWC and C-RTC will sync up? I'm assuming CWC will become something of a marketing and fundraising tool for the center, but I'm only guessing. Certainly he wouldn't want to fold the CWC, right?
 

Judoka

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Jun 16, 2010
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Yes, definitely nice to see some encouraging news regarding the direction of the program.

Any guesses on how the CWC and C-RTC will sync up? I'm assuming CWC will become something of a marketing and fundraising tool for the center, but I'm only guessing. Certainly he wouldn't want to fold the CWC, right?

Glad to see I'm not the only one getting more confused instead of less confused about how the CWC and RTC will work out. When this was first announced I had assumed they'd just tweak the CWC to make it an RTC.
 
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buf87

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I was just talking with a CWC member about this and he is not sure yet. They need to somehow blend the 2 groups together (This is my opinion). The are many members of the CWC that have volunteered countless hours and years toward Cyclone wrestling and they can not be thrown to the side.
Also I think CWC relies on many smaller donors and they also have to be remember in the planning. Many D1 schools would love to have an organization like the CWC.
 

BillyClone

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Mar 20, 2006
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Glad to see I'm not the only one getting more confused instead of less confused about how the CWC and RTC will work out. When this was first announced I had assumed they'd just tweak the CWC to make it an RTC.

I remember at his introduction press conference thinking that he must not have known about the CWC when he was talking about starting a RTC. He even spoke about having to get started on the paperwork.

Now it seems that he does know there are (or will be) two separate entities.

According to the CWC website, their mission is to provide financial assistance and training opportunities for post-collegiate wrestlers that are training for international competition as well as provide financial assistance to the Iowa State University Cyclone Wrestling Team in pursuit of NCAA individual and team championships. Can it still support both or do regulations require it to support one or the other when an RTC is involved?

I don't know how the governance works, so it will be interesting to see how Dresser envisions all of this fitting together.
 

buf87

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Dec 15, 2010
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I hope the CWC keeps the social aspect alive. I always enjoy getting to the events they put on. Even though main are in my busy time of the year. But I have met many of the wrestlers and a lot of great Cyclone friends through CWC events
 
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BikeSkiClone

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Jul 25, 2014
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Could this be a situation where the CWC's wrestling, training, on-mat aspects, etc. are "absorbed" into the C-RTC and the CWC's marketing, fundraising, special events, etc. aspects becomes the wrestling equivalent of the Cyclone Gridiron Club? I'd think building the C-RTC around the CWC's "training/competition" would make for a fairly smooth transition (then again, I don't know jack about the paperwork or regulations around these things).
 

CycoCyclone

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I would bet CWC becomes like Cyclone Grid Iron club, exclusive fundraising for current team/athletes with RTC going post-collegiate.
 
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CycoCyclone

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Could this be a situation where the CWC's wrestling, training, on-mat aspects, etc. are "absorbed" into the C-RTC and the CWC's marketing, fundraising, special events, etc. aspects becomes the wrestling equivalent of the Cyclone Gridiron Club? I'd think building the C-RTC around the CWC's "training/competition" would make for a fairly smooth transition (then again, I don't know jack about the paperwork or regulations around these things).
beat me to it
 

cywr89

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May 14, 2009
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I don't think the C-RTC will only be for post-grads as it will include pre-college and college kids. There is a 200 mile radius thus if a ICCC wrestler meets the clubs eligibility then the can work out with C-RTC athletes. The CWC or former CWC will need to raise funds for the rental of the room, post-grad stipends and travel. My guess is there will become two boards with one board concentrating only on the C-RTC and major donors. The second board will handle all of the socials, clinics, golf outings, developing the fan base, marketing, etc. Then all funds raised by this identity after expenses will be transferred to the C-RTC. Hopefully, the new structure will allow the C-RTC board to focus only on fundraising and not event execution.

One thing for sure is it appears Kevin D. will be much more hands on with the execution of C-RTC and CWC which s greatly needed.