2020 NWCA Virtual Convention Shatters Attendance Record
Manheim, PA – This past week, the National Wrestling Coaches Association shattered its previous attendance record of 375 for its National Convention after having 675 coaches, officials, administrators, athletes, athletic trainers, and members of the wrestling media connect in a brand-new virtual format, Wednesday through Friday (July 29-31).
Title sponsors for this year’s event were Cliff Keen, Defense Soap, and Resilite.
“On behalf of the NWCA Board of Directors and our President Coach Ward, I want to thank all of the coaches, officials, business leaders, exhibitors, and sponsors who participated in our largest convention ever. The COVID-19 requirements that necessitated a virtual convention are yet another example of the wrestling communities’ relentless resolve to adapt, improvise, and overcome any challenges” stated NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer.
Convention attendees had access to over 60 hours of presentations, business and championships meetings, as well as three engaging Keynote speakers in Aaron Grossman (Wednesday, July 29), Debbie Yow (Thursday, July 30), and Chris Campbell (Friday, July 31).
➢ Keynote Speakers Press Release
Wrestling media extraordinaire, Jason Bryant, hosted a virtual Kickoff Social and Trivia Night on Wednesday evening following the first day of sessions. Using Kahoot, a web-based quiz platform, attendees had the opportunity to answer 40 questions over the course of an hour while vying for wrestling knowledge supremacy and prizes. Finishing in first place was Andy Vogel, head coach at Hiram College. In second place was Trent Turner, head coach from Conestoga Valley HS (PA). In third place was Tom Carr, head coach at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Prizes included $200 Amazon gift cards, 2021 NWCA Convention registration, and NWCA Polos.
Popular this year was the Introduction to the Black Wrestling Association (BWA) session, which included panelists Nathan Jackson, Kerry McCoy, and Kyven Gadson. The BWA is a new organization, and more information can be found by visiting https://tapmybio.com/bwa.
Another highly anticipated and well-attended session was the Elevating Marketing for Women’s Collegiate Wrestling panel that included Sally Roberts and Julia Salta (Wrestle Like a Girl), Jason Bryant (Mat Talk Online), Alexis Porter (Women Wrestle 2 Podcast), Andy Hamilton (Trackwrestling), Lara Lay (Wreaper Wrestling), and Gabrielle Lord-Klein (Transition Wrestling). In the past month, women’s wrestling has seen a surge in publicity on social media as coaches and athletes have been sharing their stories via the #HowSheWrestles hashtag and twitter account. Many individuals on this panel are actively engaged in this movement.
Prior to the You Make the Call – Interactive Session on Tough Calls session, Nate Chatman was honored as the 2020 recipient of the Rick Belle Offical of the Year award in recognition of his many outstanding years of dedicated service as an NCAA official.
➢ Rick Belle Award Press Release
The event closed with NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer’s annual State of the Union address. Moyer addressed challenges that the collegiate and scholastic sports face, the most pressing is COVID-19 and the economic impact it is having on post-secondary institutions. While wrestling is facing challenges, there are many healthy vital signs such as the establishment of 254 college programs since 2000, and 27 states now sanction a girl’s wrestling state championship.
The United States Sports Academy, in cooperation with the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), is pleased to offer the opportunity to advance your career by attending approved NWCA Convention or seminars. For only $75.00, you can earn (2) CEUs by participating in twenty clock hours of scheduled sessions or official events throughout the Convention. Coaches may register for the CEU Credits directly through the United States Sports Academy at https://secure.jotformpro.com/form/41954744483969. For proof of education/credit, you’ll need to complete a transcript request (https://content.nwcaonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/RequestforTranscriptForm2020.pdf) and return it to registrar@ussa.edu. Your transcript will typically go in the mail within two business days of the time we receive the request unless you select rush shipping.
This year’s Convention featured a virtual Exhibition Hall where attendees were able to connect with exhibitors at their booth and schedule one-on-one meetings and communicate via the built-in chat feature. Exhibitors were: Adidas Wrestling/Outer Circle Sports, Arms Software, Attack Bandz Barbarian Apparel, Boost Promotions, Coaches Insider, Cliff Keen, College Wrestler Recruiting Defense Soap, Dollamur, EarSplintz, Edward Jones Investments, Ekin Nutrition, Hasty Awards, Inbody, MatBoss, MyHOUSE Sports Gear, NCWA Gear, Pittsburgh Trophy, Rack Performance, Resilite, ShotSled, SkyMD, SportsClean Solutions, Trackwrestling, Wrestlers in Business Network, Wrestling Mart.
2021 NWCA Convention
The 2021 NWCA Convention will take place July 30-August 1, 2021, in Baltimore, MD, and will be hosted by the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. Anyone interested in attending should keep an eye on the NWCA Events Page located on the NWCA website, https://content.nwcaonline.com/news-events/events/.
Division III Hall of Fame Banquet
The NWCA Division III Leadership Group has voted to induct the 2020 DIII Coaches Association Hall of Fame class at the 2021 NWCA Convention scheduled for Baltimore on Saturday, July 31, 2021.
➢ Division III Hall of Fame Press Release
The induction was initially scheduled for the 2020 NWCA Convention, which was planned for Hollywood, FL. With the change of this year’s Convention to a Virtual Convention, the Leadership Group made the decision to postpone the formal induction.
The 2020 class includes coach Tim Clouse of Rhode Island College and athletes Pete Gonzalez (Montclair State), Daniel Laurent (Wisconsin- La Crosse), Perry Miller (Wisconsin-Stevens Point), and Aaron Wernimont (Wartburg).
Manheim, PA – This past week, the National Wrestling Coaches Association shattered its previous attendance record of 375 for its National Convention after having 675 coaches, officials, administrators, athletes, athletic trainers, and members of the wrestling media connect in a brand-new virtual format, Wednesday through Friday (July 29-31).
Title sponsors for this year’s event were Cliff Keen, Defense Soap, and Resilite.
“On behalf of the NWCA Board of Directors and our President Coach Ward, I want to thank all of the coaches, officials, business leaders, exhibitors, and sponsors who participated in our largest convention ever. The COVID-19 requirements that necessitated a virtual convention are yet another example of the wrestling communities’ relentless resolve to adapt, improvise, and overcome any challenges” stated NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer.
Convention attendees had access to over 60 hours of presentations, business and championships meetings, as well as three engaging Keynote speakers in Aaron Grossman (Wednesday, July 29), Debbie Yow (Thursday, July 30), and Chris Campbell (Friday, July 31).
➢ Keynote Speakers Press Release
Wrestling media extraordinaire, Jason Bryant, hosted a virtual Kickoff Social and Trivia Night on Wednesday evening following the first day of sessions. Using Kahoot, a web-based quiz platform, attendees had the opportunity to answer 40 questions over the course of an hour while vying for wrestling knowledge supremacy and prizes. Finishing in first place was Andy Vogel, head coach at Hiram College. In second place was Trent Turner, head coach from Conestoga Valley HS (PA). In third place was Tom Carr, head coach at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Prizes included $200 Amazon gift cards, 2021 NWCA Convention registration, and NWCA Polos.
Popular this year was the Introduction to the Black Wrestling Association (BWA) session, which included panelists Nathan Jackson, Kerry McCoy, and Kyven Gadson. The BWA is a new organization, and more information can be found by visiting https://tapmybio.com/bwa.
Another highly anticipated and well-attended session was the Elevating Marketing for Women’s Collegiate Wrestling panel that included Sally Roberts and Julia Salta (Wrestle Like a Girl), Jason Bryant (Mat Talk Online), Alexis Porter (Women Wrestle 2 Podcast), Andy Hamilton (Trackwrestling), Lara Lay (Wreaper Wrestling), and Gabrielle Lord-Klein (Transition Wrestling). In the past month, women’s wrestling has seen a surge in publicity on social media as coaches and athletes have been sharing their stories via the #HowSheWrestles hashtag and twitter account. Many individuals on this panel are actively engaged in this movement.
Prior to the You Make the Call – Interactive Session on Tough Calls session, Nate Chatman was honored as the 2020 recipient of the Rick Belle Offical of the Year award in recognition of his many outstanding years of dedicated service as an NCAA official.
➢ Rick Belle Award Press Release
The event closed with NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer’s annual State of the Union address. Moyer addressed challenges that the collegiate and scholastic sports face, the most pressing is COVID-19 and the economic impact it is having on post-secondary institutions. While wrestling is facing challenges, there are many healthy vital signs such as the establishment of 254 college programs since 2000, and 27 states now sanction a girl’s wrestling state championship.
The United States Sports Academy, in cooperation with the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), is pleased to offer the opportunity to advance your career by attending approved NWCA Convention or seminars. For only $75.00, you can earn (2) CEUs by participating in twenty clock hours of scheduled sessions or official events throughout the Convention. Coaches may register for the CEU Credits directly through the United States Sports Academy at https://secure.jotformpro.com/form/41954744483969. For proof of education/credit, you’ll need to complete a transcript request (https://content.nwcaonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/RequestforTranscriptForm2020.pdf) and return it to registrar@ussa.edu. Your transcript will typically go in the mail within two business days of the time we receive the request unless you select rush shipping.
This year’s Convention featured a virtual Exhibition Hall where attendees were able to connect with exhibitors at their booth and schedule one-on-one meetings and communicate via the built-in chat feature. Exhibitors were: Adidas Wrestling/Outer Circle Sports, Arms Software, Attack Bandz Barbarian Apparel, Boost Promotions, Coaches Insider, Cliff Keen, College Wrestler Recruiting Defense Soap, Dollamur, EarSplintz, Edward Jones Investments, Ekin Nutrition, Hasty Awards, Inbody, MatBoss, MyHOUSE Sports Gear, NCWA Gear, Pittsburgh Trophy, Rack Performance, Resilite, ShotSled, SkyMD, SportsClean Solutions, Trackwrestling, Wrestlers in Business Network, Wrestling Mart.
2021 NWCA Convention
The 2021 NWCA Convention will take place July 30-August 1, 2021, in Baltimore, MD, and will be hosted by the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. Anyone interested in attending should keep an eye on the NWCA Events Page located on the NWCA website, https://content.nwcaonline.com/news-events/events/.
Division III Hall of Fame Banquet
The NWCA Division III Leadership Group has voted to induct the 2020 DIII Coaches Association Hall of Fame class at the 2021 NWCA Convention scheduled for Baltimore on Saturday, July 31, 2021.
➢ Division III Hall of Fame Press Release
The induction was initially scheduled for the 2020 NWCA Convention, which was planned for Hollywood, FL. With the change of this year’s Convention to a Virtual Convention, the Leadership Group made the decision to postpone the formal induction.
The 2020 class includes coach Tim Clouse of Rhode Island College and athletes Pete Gonzalez (Montclair State), Daniel Laurent (Wisconsin- La Crosse), Perry Miller (Wisconsin-Stevens Point), and Aaron Wernimont (Wartburg).
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