UtahWrestling.org Adopted by USA Wrestling-Utah

UtahWrestling.org was adopted by unanimous vote of the USA Wrestling-Utah Board of Directors at their most recent meeting as the communication hub for wrestling in Utah.

The issue of having an "official" Web site for USA Wrestling-Utah was because the national USA Wrestling organization had pressed upon the new president of USA Wrestling-Utah, Craig LaMont of Springville, the importance of having an official site.  He said in the meeting that "UtahWrestling.org has 'unofficially' been the 'official' Web site for the past three years," but there needed to be something committed to record.  He said, " I really think this is an important piece" in the future of USA Wrestling-Utah.

Board member Cole Kelley of Orem expressed concerns about the rankings on UtahWrestling.org being thought of as USA Wrestling-Utah rankings when, in fact, the rankings are those of UtahWrestling.org.  Board members also expressed their interest in having a specific section on the site for USA Wrestling-Utah.  It was determined that creating the distinct section for USA Wrestling-Utah would help prevent this confusion.  The site owner, Bill Kilpack, also a member of the Board, agreed to create that section and host www.usawrestlingutah.org on UtahWrestling.org, giving that section of the site its own look and feel, distinct from UtahWrestling.org as a whole, so that people moving from one site to the other won't become confused. 

It was moved by Greg Robbins of Lehi, president-elect of USA Wrestling-Utah, that the site by adopted as the official site of USA Wrestling-Utah, and that Kilpack create and manage www.usawrestlingutah.org.  The Board passed the motion unanimously.

Robbins said, "The state has always been best served when everyone is on the same page.  Utilizing UtahWrestling.org is a great step in this united effort."

This is the third Utah wrestling body to officially sanction UtahWrestling.org.  The site was created at the request of the Utah Wrestling Coaches Association (UWCA) in 2003 when Brian Preece of Provo expressed his desire to step down as the manager of the "official" site for Utah high-school wrestling.  Preece contacted Bill Kilpack, an active participant in Utah wrestling as a freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling coach with an extensive background in marketing and public relations both online and through traditional media, to take on the task.  Kilpack accepted the responsibility, was endorsed by the UWCA, and started volunteering his time in that capacity.

In 2005, UtahWrestling.org was adopted by the Junior High General Committee as the official "source of information," also by unanimous vote.

Kilpack said, "The goal of UtahWrestling.org has always been to promote the quality athletes that Utah produces.  That's been working, because the number of Utahns showing up in the Wrestling USA Magazine national rankings has increased by an average of about 50 percent since Fall of 2003.  But, just as importantly, with all the support from the wrestling community, sending me results and expressing their opinions, the site has become a place for athletes to be recognized statewide, from the youth levels up to college at UVSC.  The more I watch the impact of that support at the youth level, the more I think that it can help some very talented young wrestlers continue in this very tough sport, helping them remain active in wrestling through high school and into college."

Kilpack, editor of UtahWrestling.org, is also the Utah Editor for Wrestling USA Magazine, American Adrenaline Magazine, InterMatWrestling.com, and has been charged with further expanding the opportunities for Utah athletes to grow and develop in conjunction with AAU Wrestling.  He coaches an independent freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling program through Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation, Mountain Top Wrestling Club, and is the new coach of Jordan Junior Wrestling, a junior-high wrestling program for athletes grades 5 through 9.