Elections to be held for USA Wrestling Athlete Advisory Committee At-Large Positions

Elections will be held online beginning on July 17th to fill positions on the Athlete Advisory Committee (AAC) of USA Wrestling. A two-year commitment is required as terms for these positions begin at the conclusion of the 2025 USA Wrestling in-person Board meeting and proceed for two years, until the conclusion of the in-person 2027 Board of Directors meeting. Most committee work is done by email and conference call.

At the time of election, an AAC member shall be an “NGB Actively Engaged Athlete” as defined in the USOPC (8.5.1) bylaws. This includes the following qualifiers:

- Any athlete who represented Team USA at an Olympic Games, Pan-American Games, Senior World Championships, or Senior Pan-American Championships

- Any athlete who has been a National Team member from 2000 to now

- Any athlete who has competed at Final X or Olympic Team Trials

If you are unsure of your status, please contact Megan Ball at mball@usawrestling.org.

Prospective candidates may nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else. A nomination form is available below. Candidates will be contacted to determine if they wish to serve (if nominated by someone else) or to confirm receipt of the nomination if they nominate themselves.

To become a candidate for the AAC At-Large positions:

1. Completely fill out the nomination form. You must provide your USA Wrestling ID number in the space provided and meet the following eligibility criteria:

a. At the time of election, an AAC member shall be an “NGB Actively Engaged Athlete”, as outlined above

b. Must be a citizen or legal resident of the United States and at least eighteen years old.

c. No Member may have received sanction in relation to the World Anti-Doping Code.

d. An individual running for election must: (a) have a current USAW membership; and (b) disclose any prior felony conviction, or any period of ineligibility served in sport (e.g., for discipline, USADA/WADA doping violation, SafeSport violation). The disclosure shall be made to all eligible voters prior to the vote so that the disclosure may be considered in the voting process.

e. At the time of nomination an individual running for election must disclose any possible conflict of interest to the AAC, which shall determine whether the individual is eligible to run for election. (See AAC Conflicts of Interest Policy attached).

f. Exceptions may only be made with the approval of the 'NGB Athlete Representation Working Group,' as defined in USOPC Bylaws Section 8.5.1(f).

2. Send the nomination form (and any material reinforcing your candidate's qualifications) to the address or email address below for receipt no later than July 7, 2025. Once eligibility is confirmed, the candidate will be contacted in confirmation of receipt of the nomination and to verify willingness to serve.

3. All verified nominations will be presented to those eligible to vote via electronic communication. The election will be via the USA Wrestling Membership system beginning July 18th.

4. Any individual holding a current membership for the membership year September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025 may nominate themselves or others with a current membership.

AAC CONFLICTS OF INTEREST POLICY

Each Member of the AAC has a duty to be free from influence of any conflicting interest and shall understand that a potential for conflict of interest needs to be recognized and disclosed. In addition to a Member’s duty to recognize and disclose, potential conflicts of interests may be brought forward by any individual.

Such conflicts may include, but are not limited to:

A. A familial or personal relationship with a staff/member of the USOPC, USAW, UWW, or other key stakeholders.

B. A paid position within the USOPC, USAW, UWW, or other key stakeholders within the two (2) years prior to the date of election.

C. An affiliation with a sponsor, organization or other entity that could call into question the actions of the AAC. (i.e., USADA, SafeSport, the IOC/IPC, etc.) within the two (2) years prior to the date of election.

Disclosure Prior to Election. Prior to nominating themselves to serve on the AAC one must disclose any potential conflict to the AAC Chair and/or AAC which shall determine whether the individual is eligible to run for election.

Disclosure During One’s Tenure on the AAC. Each Member must promptly disclose any potential conflict to the AAC Chair and/or AAC, which may take appropriate steps to prevent influence, either on the general affairs of the AAC or on a particular deliberation or vote. If the proposed action includes a recommendation for removal of a Member of the AAC, the matter shall be presented to all Members, according to the Removal Section of the AAC Operating Policies.

USA WRESTLING 2025 NOMINATION FORM

Nominee Name ______________________________________________________

USA Wrestling membership number ________________________

Phone # __________________

Email address: ___________________________________________________

Do you affirm the nominated candidate meets the qualification criteria:

___          Yes

___          No

___          Other: __________________________________________

Statement of intent:

_________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Other materials supporting the nominee's candidacy such as a resume or longer statement of intent may also be attached and will be included in the materials presented to the voters.

Member nominating: __________________________

USAW member # __________________________

Return by July 7, 2025, to: USA Wrestling AAC, 6155 Lehman Drive, Colorado Springs CO 80918 or email to Megan Ball at mball@usawrestling.org, subject AAC Elections.