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SJSU Wrestling Archives The Spartan Daily 9-3-86 |
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Kudos For Wrestling Reinstatement |
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| SJSU President Gail Fullerton should be commended on her decision to reinstate the Spartan wrestling program. It's good to know that, with an administration that makes important decisions almost every day, if a mistake is made, it can be rescinded without fear or embarrassment. Not only did the reinstatement show she cares for the well-being of the student body (and the wrestlers themselves), but she listens when the student body gets together and stands behind an issue. The wrestling program on campus has a long history of success and national prominence, winning the PCAA championship 6 times in 13 years. Nobody wanted the wrestling team dropped. Wrestlers and the student body actively protested the decision at rallies and meetings. Then, when it came down to a monetary issue, the team came through and raised the necessary cash to keep the program going. It's not an easy task to raise $31,000 but with no other choice, the wrestling program and its supporters concentrated their energy on raising the funds. They also received financial support from other organizations on campus who felt that the program should not have been dropped. It was not the athletic deficit that concerned the wrestlers, it was their love of the sport and their need to continue wrestling in order to stay at SJSU. Fullerton may not have realized the impact her decision would have on the lives of some students. Some wrestlers would have had to return home to places as far away as Nebraska to start over at a new school. She may also not have realized the impact of her decision on the South Bay. Many area high school wrestlers have no place to wrestle other than SJSU and a few local community colleges. Some of these athletes would never get a college degree if it were not for wrestling. By ousting SJSU's wrestling program, many South Bay high school athletes would have had no choice but to go to a local junior college, and who knows where after that. In her speech last Monday in Morris Daily Auditorium, Fullerton stressed the importance of providing services for the community and what better way than to have athletic team that appeals to the local community like SJSU's wrestling team does. In any case, the idea of dropping a sport just because the athletic department is having problems is wrong. Indeed, the entire athletic department is having money trouble, and the wrestling team is part of the department, but so is cross country, soccer and baseball, and Fullerton didn't drop those. At least Fullerton realized that dropping wrestling was not the answer. Hopefully now she can work with the athletic department to improve the image of Spartan athletics. |
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