Spring Klein Wrestling Club in Texas needs your help
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by Douglas Koger
A PLEA FOR HELP
Texas wrestling has an opportunity right now that it may never have again. I want each member of the USA Wrestling community to be a part of that opportunity.
I grew up in Ardmore, Oklahoma wrestling in the YMCA program until I reached Jr. High. Before wrestling in Jr. High I remember traveling around Oklahoma as a youngster for tournaments. It was not unusual at that time to wrestle in tournaments in Oklahoma until late in the night. I also remember trips to North Texas for tournaments. I even still have a 3rd place trophy from a Grand Prairie, Texas tournament in 1973. My younger brother Mitch was a much better wrestler than I and even won State in Oklahoma when he was in 5th grade. The same year Mitch won state he later wrestled and lost to Kenny Monday in a freestyle tournament. They did not meet in the folkstyle state tournament that year; apparently they were in different weight classes. For you history buffs, Mitch also wrestled and beat Mike Sheets earlier that year in a meet. Of course Kenny Monday and Mike Sheets both went on to greatness. In the early 1970s all large towns and almost every small town in Oklahoma had wrestling in youth clubs, Jr. Highs and High Schools. We had lots of teams and lots of wrestlers to compete against.
My family moved to Dallas, Texas my first year of high school. The wrestling scene was substantially different. In fact, even today Texas wrestling lags behind. No Texas university has a NCAA wrestling program. Not University of Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, or any other university.
After moving to Dallas in the 70s, I started wrestling for W.T. White High School. White HS had just started a team with parents, who had moved from other areas of the country, donating a mat. By my senior year W.T. White was one of about three (3) high schools in the Dallas Independent School District ("DISD") that offered wrestling. Our head coach, Bill Nelson was a heck of a history teacher but knew nothing about wrestling. Our real coach was Carl Young. Coach Young did not work for DISD. Coach Young was a former wrestler for the University of Oklahoma and donated his time to coach our team after work. I think that neither one of our coaches received any pay or stipend for the extra time and expenses they put into the program. After I graduated Coach Young was recognized by DISD as having donated more time than any other parent within DISD. There was not even a contest. The time that Coach Young had donated was more than double the next closest.
We competed against high school teams from Bishop Lynch, St. Marks, Plano, Carrolton (RL Turner), McArthur (Irving) and other Dallas suburbs, many of which now have great programs. The Junior High Schools in Dallas did not offer wrestling so my brother missed several years before he got into high school. In fact, to my recollection there was not even a youth wrestling club that my brother could join. Youth wrestling in Texas seemed to be concentrated in the mid cities at the time; Grand Prairie, Grapevine, Arlington, Irving. Wrestlers at our school that had some success all came from other areas of the country that had youth wrestling.
I do not recall any high schools from South Texas or the Houston area having wrestlers in 1978 when I graduated. We certainly never traveled to Houston to wrestle. In fact, it was twenty (20) years later in 1998 that Spring Klein Wrestling Club was formed in Houston and was the only youth club in the South Region of Texas. Today there are still major, wealthy, school districts in the Houston area (Fort Bend I.S.D. (Sugar Land, TX), Pearland I.S.D., and others) that do not offer high school wrestling. If you try to get wrestling into a local high school the Athletic Directors tell you, "Get your numbers up in your clubs first. Then we can talk." Of course it is difficult to interest many young kids and Jr. High kids if they will not have an opportunity to wrestle in their high school. North Texas, I guess due to its proximity to Oklahoma, was well ahead (about twenty five (25) or more years ahead) of South Texas in wrestling. This past season the Texas USA South Region had about had nine (9) local clubs and total of about 330 member wrestlers. Compare those numbers to the North Region which has in excess of forty (40) clubs and over a thousand (1,000) wrestler/members. South Texas still has a long way to go and needs the USA wrestling community's help. Today, the USA wrestling community has a once in a life time opportunity to help Texas wrestling throughout Texas, forever.
Spring Klein Wrestling Club ("Spring Klein"), just north of Houston, Texas, needs our help. Spring Klein is the largest and oldest club in the South Region. It is the only club in the South Region with its own dedicated facility available for wrestling twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Spring Klein actually owns, subject to mortgages, the land and building out of which it operates. Many of Texans have probably been to tournaments at its facility. Spring Klein needs our financial support to keep from losing that facility. Spring Klein desperately needs some short term funds and money to pay down some of its mortgage. With a little help it should be able to then refinance its mortgage on its land and building to bring its monthly expenses in line with its monthly income. We will then have a permanent dedicated wrestling facility in Texas.
Spring Klein's current financial situation is not its own making. The unexpected withdraw of a major Spring Klein sponsor/donor caused the problem Spring Klein (and indirectly all of Texas wrestling) now faces. That sponsor, for many years, made up the short fall of income for the Spring Klein club. That sponsor made it possible for Spring Klein to buy the building out of which it operates. As a result of that sponsor's generosity, Spring Klein was able to meet monthly mortgage payments, in addition to other monthly expenses. Now that the sponsor is gone, there is a major monthly short fall. The good news is that a significant portion of the original mortgages have been paid down and, with a little extra help, Spring Klein should be able to re-finance its mortgage debt to bring its monthly payments (as well as other expenses) within the club's monthly income. We, the USA wrestling community, have the opportunity for a permanent dedicated wrestling facility in Texas, a facility that will not be subject to the vagaries of rent increases or whims of school districts.
Why is this important to the Texas USA South Region, Texas youth wrestling and USA wrestling generally? Virtually every weekend during folkstyle season young wrestlers from our region compete in tournaments at Spring Klein. Local weekly tournaments would not occur but for Spring Klein's facility. Some of these are hosted by Spring Klein. Others, thanks to Spring Klein's generosity, are hosted by other local clubs. Those clubs profit from entry fees, concession sales and admission fees. Spring Klein charges a truly nominal rental fee for its facility, which includes use of the building (with concession area and equipment), six (6) wrestling mats (each of which cost ten to fifteen thousand dollars ($10,000.00 to $15,000.00) new), certified scales, time clocks, tables, and chairs, all of which belong to Spring Klein. The rental fee has been less than the fees typically charged by local school districts for the use of a gym (and the gym only) for a day, if you can get one that is not being used for basketball or some other function. Schools often limit or even control the concession sales. Additionally, if a club rents a school gym or other location to hold a tournament, it must still borrow and move in mats, time clocks, tables and chairs, and computer equipment to run bracketing changes etc. It must move those items out at the end of the tournament. Moving wrestling mats is a significant chore. I am sure most of you recall moving those mats when you wrestled in high school.
Each season the Texas USA South Region asks which local clubs want to host a tournament. The clubs that choose to host a tournament select tournament dates. Dates that are not "picked up" on the initial pass are usually picked up by Spring Klein or another club that is willing to host two (2) tournaments. This past season the South Region held nine (9) local tournaments. Seven (7) were hosted by four (4) clubs. The Region hosted two (2). Only one (1) tournament was held at a location other than Spring Klein's facility. Many clubs do not host a tournament simply due to the work involved. That work, since the tournaments can be held at Spring Klein, does not include the extra work of securing a separate tournament site, mats, time clocks etc. Without Spring Klein's facility, the South Region would see only three (3) or four (4) tournaments during the season. Those numbers would not be unusual. Seven (7) of the North Region's forty-three (43) clubs hosted tournaments this past season. The Far West Region's eleven (11) clubs hosted three (3) tournaments. That is probably a very good indication of the number of local tournaments the South Region would see if we lose Spring Klein's facility. Without opportunities to compete locally, many of our clubs will see the number of wrestlers decline substantially and Texas wrestling will suffer.
I realize that times are tough and everyone is uncertain about the future. But right now, in this time, we have a chance to do something that can help Texas wrestling for years to come, possibly forever. We have the opportunity to help a club keep a permanent wrestling facility. Think about that. A permanent dedicated wrestling facility in Texas. I am not asking for donations to help fund a black hole or a situation that will require continued donations. Spring Klein Wrestling Club's current financial situation arises solely from the sudden and unexpected withdraw of a major donor (and the fact that it is more than half way to acquiring something we all would like for our clubs - a nice home of our own -- forever). Its coaches and others all volunteers. No one is paid. Spring Klein's building and land would probably cost in excess of Four Hundred Thousand Dollars ($400,000.00) on today's market. The club could not even afford to rent that building at today's rental rates. Its current mortgages total only about One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000.00). If we could raise thirty to forty thousand dollars ($30,000.00 to $40,000.00) to pay down those mortgages, Spring Klein could re-finance the remainder. I could then pay its ongoing expenses form ongoing income.
Please do not let Spring Klein, or Texas wrestling, lose that home. Small donations from many people could go a long way. If every member of the USA wrestling community (youth wrestlers, Jr. High, High School, and private school) donated just Ten dollars ($10.00) we could save Spring Klein. If you can donate more, please do as many may not heed this call or do not have the funds to donate. If you can only donate a smaller amount, please donate what you can. This is not a request to fund money that will be spent and then forever disappear. It is more akin to creating a permanent endowment in the form of a permanent home for wrestling in South Texas. Please visit www.springklein.org today to donate via Pay Pal or the other methods listed. You can also learn more about their financial situation.
In addition to donations, I challenge each of you to also send this plea to members of your immediate wrestling family -- wrestlers, club members, and other coaches you know - whether they are in Texas, Oklahoma or across the nation.
I apologize if this plea for money is long or has too much information. I thought a little history was important for you to truly understand. We are all part of the same family, the family of wrestling. One part of our family is now in danger. We have a chance to save it. If we ever want wrestling at Texas A & M, University of Texas in Austin, or other major university in Texas, we must have a strong wrestling presence in the Houston area. This is a once in a lifetime chance to help Texas wrestling now and forever. Please donate. Spring Klein is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and generous donations will be tax deductible.
Douglas Koger
Head Coach, The Ranch Wrestling Club
Director, South Region Texas USA Wrestling
Texas wrestling has an opportunity right now that it may never have again. I want each member of the USA Wrestling community to be a part of that opportunity.
I grew up in Ardmore, Oklahoma wrestling in the YMCA program until I reached Jr. High. Before wrestling in Jr. High I remember traveling around Oklahoma as a youngster for tournaments. It was not unusual at that time to wrestle in tournaments in Oklahoma until late in the night. I also remember trips to North Texas for tournaments. I even still have a 3rd place trophy from a Grand Prairie, Texas tournament in 1973. My younger brother Mitch was a much better wrestler than I and even won State in Oklahoma when he was in 5th grade. The same year Mitch won state he later wrestled and lost to Kenny Monday in a freestyle tournament. They did not meet in the folkstyle state tournament that year; apparently they were in different weight classes. For you history buffs, Mitch also wrestled and beat Mike Sheets earlier that year in a meet. Of course Kenny Monday and Mike Sheets both went on to greatness. In the early 1970s all large towns and almost every small town in Oklahoma had wrestling in youth clubs, Jr. Highs and High Schools. We had lots of teams and lots of wrestlers to compete against.
My family moved to Dallas, Texas my first year of high school. The wrestling scene was substantially different. In fact, even today Texas wrestling lags behind. No Texas university has a NCAA wrestling program. Not University of Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, or any other university.
After moving to Dallas in the 70s, I started wrestling for W.T. White High School. White HS had just started a team with parents, who had moved from other areas of the country, donating a mat. By my senior year W.T. White was one of about three (3) high schools in the Dallas Independent School District ("DISD") that offered wrestling. Our head coach, Bill Nelson was a heck of a history teacher but knew nothing about wrestling. Our real coach was Carl Young. Coach Young did not work for DISD. Coach Young was a former wrestler for the University of Oklahoma and donated his time to coach our team after work. I think that neither one of our coaches received any pay or stipend for the extra time and expenses they put into the program. After I graduated Coach Young was recognized by DISD as having donated more time than any other parent within DISD. There was not even a contest. The time that Coach Young had donated was more than double the next closest.
We competed against high school teams from Bishop Lynch, St. Marks, Plano, Carrolton (RL Turner), McArthur (Irving) and other Dallas suburbs, many of which now have great programs. The Junior High Schools in Dallas did not offer wrestling so my brother missed several years before he got into high school. In fact, to my recollection there was not even a youth wrestling club that my brother could join. Youth wrestling in Texas seemed to be concentrated in the mid cities at the time; Grand Prairie, Grapevine, Arlington, Irving. Wrestlers at our school that had some success all came from other areas of the country that had youth wrestling.
I do not recall any high schools from South Texas or the Houston area having wrestlers in 1978 when I graduated. We certainly never traveled to Houston to wrestle. In fact, it was twenty (20) years later in 1998 that Spring Klein Wrestling Club was formed in Houston and was the only youth club in the South Region of Texas. Today there are still major, wealthy, school districts in the Houston area (Fort Bend I.S.D. (Sugar Land, TX), Pearland I.S.D., and others) that do not offer high school wrestling. If you try to get wrestling into a local high school the Athletic Directors tell you, "Get your numbers up in your clubs first. Then we can talk." Of course it is difficult to interest many young kids and Jr. High kids if they will not have an opportunity to wrestle in their high school. North Texas, I guess due to its proximity to Oklahoma, was well ahead (about twenty five (25) or more years ahead) of South Texas in wrestling. This past season the Texas USA South Region had about had nine (9) local clubs and total of about 330 member wrestlers. Compare those numbers to the North Region which has in excess of forty (40) clubs and over a thousand (1,000) wrestler/members. South Texas still has a long way to go and needs the USA wrestling community's help. Today, the USA wrestling community has a once in a life time opportunity to help Texas wrestling throughout Texas, forever.
Spring Klein Wrestling Club ("Spring Klein"), just north of Houston, Texas, needs our help. Spring Klein is the largest and oldest club in the South Region. It is the only club in the South Region with its own dedicated facility available for wrestling twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Spring Klein actually owns, subject to mortgages, the land and building out of which it operates. Many of Texans have probably been to tournaments at its facility. Spring Klein needs our financial support to keep from losing that facility. Spring Klein desperately needs some short term funds and money to pay down some of its mortgage. With a little help it should be able to then refinance its mortgage on its land and building to bring its monthly expenses in line with its monthly income. We will then have a permanent dedicated wrestling facility in Texas.
Spring Klein's current financial situation is not its own making. The unexpected withdraw of a major Spring Klein sponsor/donor caused the problem Spring Klein (and indirectly all of Texas wrestling) now faces. That sponsor, for many years, made up the short fall of income for the Spring Klein club. That sponsor made it possible for Spring Klein to buy the building out of which it operates. As a result of that sponsor's generosity, Spring Klein was able to meet monthly mortgage payments, in addition to other monthly expenses. Now that the sponsor is gone, there is a major monthly short fall. The good news is that a significant portion of the original mortgages have been paid down and, with a little extra help, Spring Klein should be able to re-finance its mortgage debt to bring its monthly payments (as well as other expenses) within the club's monthly income. We, the USA wrestling community, have the opportunity for a permanent dedicated wrestling facility in Texas, a facility that will not be subject to the vagaries of rent increases or whims of school districts.
Why is this important to the Texas USA South Region, Texas youth wrestling and USA wrestling generally? Virtually every weekend during folkstyle season young wrestlers from our region compete in tournaments at Spring Klein. Local weekly tournaments would not occur but for Spring Klein's facility. Some of these are hosted by Spring Klein. Others, thanks to Spring Klein's generosity, are hosted by other local clubs. Those clubs profit from entry fees, concession sales and admission fees. Spring Klein charges a truly nominal rental fee for its facility, which includes use of the building (with concession area and equipment), six (6) wrestling mats (each of which cost ten to fifteen thousand dollars ($10,000.00 to $15,000.00) new), certified scales, time clocks, tables, and chairs, all of which belong to Spring Klein. The rental fee has been less than the fees typically charged by local school districts for the use of a gym (and the gym only) for a day, if you can get one that is not being used for basketball or some other function. Schools often limit or even control the concession sales. Additionally, if a club rents a school gym or other location to hold a tournament, it must still borrow and move in mats, time clocks, tables and chairs, and computer equipment to run bracketing changes etc. It must move those items out at the end of the tournament. Moving wrestling mats is a significant chore. I am sure most of you recall moving those mats when you wrestled in high school.
Each season the Texas USA South Region asks which local clubs want to host a tournament. The clubs that choose to host a tournament select tournament dates. Dates that are not "picked up" on the initial pass are usually picked up by Spring Klein or another club that is willing to host two (2) tournaments. This past season the South Region held nine (9) local tournaments. Seven (7) were hosted by four (4) clubs. The Region hosted two (2). Only one (1) tournament was held at a location other than Spring Klein's facility. Many clubs do not host a tournament simply due to the work involved. That work, since the tournaments can be held at Spring Klein, does not include the extra work of securing a separate tournament site, mats, time clocks etc. Without Spring Klein's facility, the South Region would see only three (3) or four (4) tournaments during the season. Those numbers would not be unusual. Seven (7) of the North Region's forty-three (43) clubs hosted tournaments this past season. The Far West Region's eleven (11) clubs hosted three (3) tournaments. That is probably a very good indication of the number of local tournaments the South Region would see if we lose Spring Klein's facility. Without opportunities to compete locally, many of our clubs will see the number of wrestlers decline substantially and Texas wrestling will suffer.
I realize that times are tough and everyone is uncertain about the future. But right now, in this time, we have a chance to do something that can help Texas wrestling for years to come, possibly forever. We have the opportunity to help a club keep a permanent wrestling facility. Think about that. A permanent dedicated wrestling facility in Texas. I am not asking for donations to help fund a black hole or a situation that will require continued donations. Spring Klein Wrestling Club's current financial situation arises solely from the sudden and unexpected withdraw of a major donor (and the fact that it is more than half way to acquiring something we all would like for our clubs - a nice home of our own -- forever). Its coaches and others all volunteers. No one is paid. Spring Klein's building and land would probably cost in excess of Four Hundred Thousand Dollars ($400,000.00) on today's market. The club could not even afford to rent that building at today's rental rates. Its current mortgages total only about One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000.00). If we could raise thirty to forty thousand dollars ($30,000.00 to $40,000.00) to pay down those mortgages, Spring Klein could re-finance the remainder. I could then pay its ongoing expenses form ongoing income.
Please do not let Spring Klein, or Texas wrestling, lose that home. Small donations from many people could go a long way. If every member of the USA wrestling community (youth wrestlers, Jr. High, High School, and private school) donated just Ten dollars ($10.00) we could save Spring Klein. If you can donate more, please do as many may not heed this call or do not have the funds to donate. If you can only donate a smaller amount, please donate what you can. This is not a request to fund money that will be spent and then forever disappear. It is more akin to creating a permanent endowment in the form of a permanent home for wrestling in South Texas. Please visit www.springklein.org today to donate via Pay Pal or the other methods listed. You can also learn more about their financial situation.
In addition to donations, I challenge each of you to also send this plea to members of your immediate wrestling family -- wrestlers, club members, and other coaches you know - whether they are in Texas, Oklahoma or across the nation.
I apologize if this plea for money is long or has too much information. I thought a little history was important for you to truly understand. We are all part of the same family, the family of wrestling. One part of our family is now in danger. We have a chance to save it. If we ever want wrestling at Texas A & M, University of Texas in Austin, or other major university in Texas, we must have a strong wrestling presence in the Houston area. This is a once in a lifetime chance to help Texas wrestling now and forever. Please donate. Spring Klein is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and generous donations will be tax deductible.
Douglas Koger
Head Coach, The Ranch Wrestling Club
Director, South Region Texas USA Wrestling
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