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Living the Dream Medal Fund Stewards to give bonuses to World medalists Logan Stieber and Alli Ragan

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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling

Action images from World champion Logan Stieber and World silver medalist Alli Ragan from the 2016 World Championships by Kadir Caliskan.


The Stewards of the Living the Dream Medal Fund have decided to give bonuses to 2016 World Champion Logan Stieber and World silver medalist Alli Ragan.


Stieber won a gold medal at 61 kg/134 lbs. in men’s freestyle wrestling and Ragan won a silver medal at 60 kg/132 lbs. in women’s freestyle at 60 kg/132 lbs. in women’s freestyle wrestling at the 2016 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Dec. 10-11.


Stieber will receive $50,000 for his World gold-medal bonus, and Ragan will receive $25,000 for her World silver-medal bonus. Both won the first Senior-level World medals of their careers, with Stieber competing at his first Senior World Championships and Ragan at her fourth.


“After watching Logan battle his way through the best the world had to offer, the stewards were proud to write the checks. Heck, that's why we set up this fund,” said Founding Steward Mike Novogratz, who was the driving force behind the creation of the fund.


Stieber will receive his big $50,000 bonus check from the Living the Dream Medal Fund at the #EveryoneWrestles Victory Tour event scheduled for Lancaster, Pa. on Friday, January 6 at the Hamilton Club of Lancaster.


Joining Stieber on the program will be 2016 Greco-Roman Olympian Robby Smith, Lt. General John Sattler, USMC, inspirational wrestler Ben Jackson and emcee Dan Russell. Honored guests include USA Wrestling president and four-time Olympic medalist Bruce Baumgartner, Olympic champion Steve Fraser, Penn State great Andy Matter, UFC star Charlie Brennaman and others. The event will also help launch Beat the Streets Lancaster. Order your tickets for the Lancaster Victory Tour event at http://uswrestlingfoundation.org/victory-tour.html


The location and date where Ragan will receive her bonus check will be announced when finalized.


The Living the Dream Medal Fund was created in 2009, under the leadership of Founding Steward Mike Novogratz. Over the eight years of the program, there has been an amazing $1,825,000 in bonuses given to USA wrestlers, including $1,075,000 during this 2013-16 four-year Olympic cycle. The payout for U.S. wrestlers from 2016, which included the 2016 Olympic Games and the 2016 World Championships, was $600,000. During the history of the program, 35 bonus checks have been awarded to 20 different U.S. Senior athletes who have won Olympic or World medals.


Four athletes have each received $250,000 bonuses awarded to USA Wrestling Olympic champions, Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner from the 2012 London Games and Helen Maroulis and Kyle Snyder from the 2016 Rio Games.


The Living the Dream Bonus Fund is recognized within the U.S. Olympic family for providing the highest bonuses for individual medal performances.


The 2016 World Championships in Budapest featured the six weight classes in international wrestling not featured at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. United World Wrestling announced this new competition late in the 2016 season, the first time an additional World Championships has been held for all three styles. The Living the Dream Medal Fund Stewards, who donate the money for the medal bonus program, decided among themselves to give the bonuses to medalists from this additional World Championships event.


There are currently 15 Living the Dream Medal Fund Stewards, as well as financial support for the bonuses from USA Wrestling and the U.S. Olympic Committee.

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