Brandon Slay to become Executive Director of Pennsylvania RTC, will stay at USA Wrestling through September
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Photo of Brandon Slay coaching Devin Carter at the Dave Schultz Memorial International by Larry Slater.
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – Brandon Slay, a 2000 Olympic gold medalist who serves as USA Wrestling’s Assistant National Freestyle Coach, has accepted the position of Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center (PRTC), which is located in Philadelphia, Pa.
“We are delighted to welcome Brandon back to Pennsylvania,” said Roger Reina, President of the Pennsylvania RTC. “Given the ecosystem of wrestling in this region, we think this is a unique opportunity to contribute with a national and international focus. Brandon is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at Penn, and his areas of focus were finance and entrepreneurial management. On behalf of our Board, we are looking forward to his organizational and business leadership as well has his 34 years of experience on the mat,” said Reina.
Slay will remain with USA Wrestling fulfilling his coaching duties through the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the 2016 Junior World Championships in Macon, France and the 2016 Cadet World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia. He will assume his new duties with the Pennsylvania RTC on October 1.
“Brandon Slay has had an significant impact on our program as a coach and role model. He has positively impacted the lives of numerous elite athletes, both on the Senior and Developmental levels. We are fortunate that he will remain involved in our program and are confident the Pennsylvania RTC will flourish under his leadership” said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director.
The Pennsylvania RTC serves the wrestling community of the Mid-Atlantic Region, which includes wrestling hotbeds in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and surrounding states. Included in the program are training opportunities for elite wrestlers on the Senior level, athletes who compete at the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, and top high school and youth athletes from the region. The Pennsylvania RTC is the only current RTC which is affiliated with two NCAA Div. I programs.
Slay joins a select few RTC coaches who have a full-time freestyle focus. The Pennsylvania RTC currently is the training location for elite freestyle wrestlers Richard Perry, Dan Mitcheff, and Canaan Bethea. When asked about the geographic location of PRTC, Slay said, “Given the number of existing RTC's in the region, we envision many synergistic opportunities to advance athletes towards their goals nationally and internationally.”
Slay joined USA Wrestling’s National staff in January 2009. In addition to coaching the US Olympic Training Center resident program in Colorado Springs, he has been responsible for USAW’s age-group developmental program, which has won 19 medals under his leadership. At the Cadet level, the USA has won nine medals, including six gold medals, and has placed third in the team standings both years. At the Junior level, the USA boasts 10 medals over the last two years, including a gold medal, and has placed second and fourth in the team standings.
During his time at USA Wrestling, he worked with two National Freestyle Coaches, Zeke Jones from 2009-2014, and Bruce Burnett from 2014 to the present.
“To work with Zeke Jones was educational. He ran the program like a business, like a CEO. I learned many skills under his leadership. And then to learn from Bruce Burnett, who was my National Coach when I was competing, was such a blessing. From Bruce, I sharpened my technical and scouting skills. I was fortunate to learn under two fantastic coaches,” said Slay.
During Slay’s tenure on the staff, the USA has won 10 medals at the Senior World Championships, including three gold medals by Jordan Burroughs. At the 2012 Olympics, the USA won three medals, with champions Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner and bronze medalist Coleman Scott.
“I consider my eight years at USA Wrestling as priceless. I had missed wrestling and the Olympism while I was in the business world. Hopefully, I have been a good role model, motivator, and mentor for all the wrestlers I have worked with. To be able to travel the planet with Team USA as we battle Russians, Iranians and Turks, has been the utmost adventure. I wouldn’t change the last eight years for anything. I have been able to live in Colorado Springs, a city that I adore. It is a special place. It is where I trained for the Olympic Games and also where my three daughters were born,” said Slay.
Slay won a gold medal at 76 kg/167.5 lbs. at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He defeated Olympic and World Champion Bouvaisa Saitiev of Russia in the pool competition in Sydney, one of the greatest wins in American wrestling history. Saitiev went on to win three Olympic gold medals.
Slay won the 2000 U.S. National Championships in Las Vegas, Nev., and claimed the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, held in Dallas, Texas. He was a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete for two full seasons when he became an Olympic gold medalist.
Among the international competitions that Slay won included the test event for the 2000 Olympics, the 1999 Five Continents Cup in Sydney, Australia. He won two University Nationals titles, and was also a champion at the Dave Schulz Memorial International. Slay won two Cadet World medals in Greco-Roman and also competed on a U.S. Junior World Team in freestyle.
He was a two-time NCAA runner-up competing for the Univ. of Pennsylvania, where he received a degree from the Wharton School of Business. Originally from Amarillo, Texas, Slay won three state titles for Tascosa High School, and was an five-time all-district football player.
After the Olympics, Slay started an organization called Greater Gold, which assisted youth in reach their full academic and athletic potential while planting Biblical seeds of truth. He was a board member and on the staff of the Dallas Dynamite, a non-profit wrestling organization in Dallas that trains and mentors young athletes. While working with the club, he worked with athletes Bo Nickal, Nick Reenan and Jack Mueller, who have been successful on the national and international levels. Slay is a respected public speaker and wrestling clinician.
“I am excited about the opportunity to continue to coach Senior-level athletes as well as the developmental athletes in the region. At the Pennsylvania RTC, we plan to recruit, mentor, and coach the top wrestlers in the nation and the world. Plus, as a Penn alumni, I get the opportunity to return to Philadelphia to be a contributor in building up the programs at Penn and Drexel,” said Slay.
About the PRTC
"Our mission is to create a pathway for elite student-athletes to national and international success in wrestling and in life, while supporting the development of wrestling across the Middle Atlantic Region and impacting internationally."
PennsylvniaRTC.org
@pennsylvaniartc
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – Brandon Slay, a 2000 Olympic gold medalist who serves as USA Wrestling’s Assistant National Freestyle Coach, has accepted the position of Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center (PRTC), which is located in Philadelphia, Pa.
“We are delighted to welcome Brandon back to Pennsylvania,” said Roger Reina, President of the Pennsylvania RTC. “Given the ecosystem of wrestling in this region, we think this is a unique opportunity to contribute with a national and international focus. Brandon is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at Penn, and his areas of focus were finance and entrepreneurial management. On behalf of our Board, we are looking forward to his organizational and business leadership as well has his 34 years of experience on the mat,” said Reina.
Slay will remain with USA Wrestling fulfilling his coaching duties through the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the 2016 Junior World Championships in Macon, France and the 2016 Cadet World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia. He will assume his new duties with the Pennsylvania RTC on October 1.
“Brandon Slay has had an significant impact on our program as a coach and role model. He has positively impacted the lives of numerous elite athletes, both on the Senior and Developmental levels. We are fortunate that he will remain involved in our program and are confident the Pennsylvania RTC will flourish under his leadership” said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director.
The Pennsylvania RTC serves the wrestling community of the Mid-Atlantic Region, which includes wrestling hotbeds in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and surrounding states. Included in the program are training opportunities for elite wrestlers on the Senior level, athletes who compete at the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, and top high school and youth athletes from the region. The Pennsylvania RTC is the only current RTC which is affiliated with two NCAA Div. I programs.
Slay joins a select few RTC coaches who have a full-time freestyle focus. The Pennsylvania RTC currently is the training location for elite freestyle wrestlers Richard Perry, Dan Mitcheff, and Canaan Bethea. When asked about the geographic location of PRTC, Slay said, “Given the number of existing RTC's in the region, we envision many synergistic opportunities to advance athletes towards their goals nationally and internationally.”
Slay joined USA Wrestling’s National staff in January 2009. In addition to coaching the US Olympic Training Center resident program in Colorado Springs, he has been responsible for USAW’s age-group developmental program, which has won 19 medals under his leadership. At the Cadet level, the USA has won nine medals, including six gold medals, and has placed third in the team standings both years. At the Junior level, the USA boasts 10 medals over the last two years, including a gold medal, and has placed second and fourth in the team standings.
During his time at USA Wrestling, he worked with two National Freestyle Coaches, Zeke Jones from 2009-2014, and Bruce Burnett from 2014 to the present.
“To work with Zeke Jones was educational. He ran the program like a business, like a CEO. I learned many skills under his leadership. And then to learn from Bruce Burnett, who was my National Coach when I was competing, was such a blessing. From Bruce, I sharpened my technical and scouting skills. I was fortunate to learn under two fantastic coaches,” said Slay.
During Slay’s tenure on the staff, the USA has won 10 medals at the Senior World Championships, including three gold medals by Jordan Burroughs. At the 2012 Olympics, the USA won three medals, with champions Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner and bronze medalist Coleman Scott.
“I consider my eight years at USA Wrestling as priceless. I had missed wrestling and the Olympism while I was in the business world. Hopefully, I have been a good role model, motivator, and mentor for all the wrestlers I have worked with. To be able to travel the planet with Team USA as we battle Russians, Iranians and Turks, has been the utmost adventure. I wouldn’t change the last eight years for anything. I have been able to live in Colorado Springs, a city that I adore. It is a special place. It is where I trained for the Olympic Games and also where my three daughters were born,” said Slay.
Slay won a gold medal at 76 kg/167.5 lbs. at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He defeated Olympic and World Champion Bouvaisa Saitiev of Russia in the pool competition in Sydney, one of the greatest wins in American wrestling history. Saitiev went on to win three Olympic gold medals.
Slay won the 2000 U.S. National Championships in Las Vegas, Nev., and claimed the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, held in Dallas, Texas. He was a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete for two full seasons when he became an Olympic gold medalist.
Among the international competitions that Slay won included the test event for the 2000 Olympics, the 1999 Five Continents Cup in Sydney, Australia. He won two University Nationals titles, and was also a champion at the Dave Schulz Memorial International. Slay won two Cadet World medals in Greco-Roman and also competed on a U.S. Junior World Team in freestyle.
He was a two-time NCAA runner-up competing for the Univ. of Pennsylvania, where he received a degree from the Wharton School of Business. Originally from Amarillo, Texas, Slay won three state titles for Tascosa High School, and was an five-time all-district football player.
After the Olympics, Slay started an organization called Greater Gold, which assisted youth in reach their full academic and athletic potential while planting Biblical seeds of truth. He was a board member and on the staff of the Dallas Dynamite, a non-profit wrestling organization in Dallas that trains and mentors young athletes. While working with the club, he worked with athletes Bo Nickal, Nick Reenan and Jack Mueller, who have been successful on the national and international levels. Slay is a respected public speaker and wrestling clinician.
“I am excited about the opportunity to continue to coach Senior-level athletes as well as the developmental athletes in the region. At the Pennsylvania RTC, we plan to recruit, mentor, and coach the top wrestlers in the nation and the world. Plus, as a Penn alumni, I get the opportunity to return to Philadelphia to be a contributor in building up the programs at Penn and Drexel,” said Slay.
About the PRTC
"Our mission is to create a pathway for elite student-athletes to national and international success in wrestling and in life, while supporting the development of wrestling across the Middle Atlantic Region and impacting internationally."
PennsylvniaRTC.org
@pennsylvaniartc
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