Wrestling in Las Vegas? You must register by April 11

Spring has arrived and the USA Wrestling season is getting into full swing. One of the highlights of the international season is the U.S. National Championships, which will be held in Las Vegas, Nev. next week. America’s top international stars will be battling for national titles and All-American honors at this annual wrestling showcase event.

Not only will the U.S. Nationals be held in all three international styles in Las Vegas, but there are three other important competitions that will be conducted during the week. These tournaments are:

• Men’s FILA Junior National Championships (freestyle and Greco-Roman)
• Veterans National Championships (freestyle and Greco-Roman)
• Western Junior Regional Championships (freestyle and Greco-Roman)

Athletes of many age groups will be on the mats in the Las Vegas Convention Center, testing themselves against the nation’s best. If you are one of the athletes who plan to wrestle in Las Vegas, no matter what tournament you are entering, you MUST REGISTER ONLINE in the next few days. No onsite registration will be available.

Al l athletes in all divisions must register online before Tuesday, April 11 at 9:00 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time). There are NO EXCEPTIONS. Consent and waiver forms must be copied, completed and brought to check-in before weigh-ins.

The Las Vegas Sports Committee, host of these events, has set up a registration page for participants in every division to register.

http://www.lvsports.org/events/wrestling.entry_form.main.html

This is the second year that online registration was required for these events. It was a success last year, and allowed for better management of all phases of the tournament. However, as there may be some new people coming to the tournaments for the first time, it is important to remind everybody about the registration requirements.

So, if you are competing at the U.S. Nationals, the Veterans Nationals, the FILA Junior Nationals or the Western Junior Regionals, make sure to get your registration taken care of right away. There is still time to get yourself signed up to wrestle, but you only have one more week. Please take care of registering online right away.

For complete information on all of the tournaments, including schedules for each event, visit:

http://www.LVSports.org

There are some changes this year at the U.S. Nationals that make the tournament different than any other year. Wrestling will take place over two days, but the actual “U.S. National Championships” is held on just one day.

Starting in 2006, the U.S. National Championships for men is a one-day tournament, with a separate Qualification Tournament held on the previous day. Eight wrestlers in each division will advance directly into the U.S. National Championships on the final day. In addition, eight more athletes will qualify for the U.S. Nationals through the Qualification Tournament held the day before.

There will be 16 athletes in each weight class at the U.S. Nationals on Saturday, April 15. The U.S. Nationals will be a double-elimination bracket, with consolation wrestlebacks to seventh place. All of the gold-medal matches in all three styles will be held that evening, giving the tournament a showcase finals round.

USA Wrestling has already published the preliminary list of athletes in men’s freestyle and men’s Greco-Roman who were selected by the Separation Committees to advance directly to the U.S. Nationals in each weight class. This is a PRELIMINARY list. There will almost certainly be some changes from the published list that was posted on TheMat.com last month.

The Separation Committees for freestyle and Greco-Roman will meet on Tuesday, April 11 after the registration has been completed. The final list of athletes who are placed directly into the U.S. Nationals will be posted on TheMat.com on Tuesday, after the committee meetings are completed. All athletes in the men’s divisions of the U.S. Nationals should check out this information onTheMat.com on Tuesday.

Al l should also remember that in freestyle and Greco-Roman, in weight categories with 19 or less athletes registered, participants advance to the U.S. National Championships, with no “Qualification Tournament” needed for advancement.

The U.S. Women’s National Championships is a one-day tournament, starting and completing on Saturday, April 15.

There will be another exciting development this year concerning the U.S. Nationals. The gold-medal finals of the U.S. Nationals tournament will be webcast by LiveSportsVideo.com .

The Live Sports Video coverage will be on Saturday, April 15 th starting 6:00-8:30pm (PST). Fans can enjoy the U.S Nationals finals from the comfort of their own computer anywhere in the world for the nominal subscription of $4.95.

In addition, the television coverage of the U.S. Nationals has also been announced. The competition will be broadcast nationally on College Sports Television (CSTV) on Friday, April 21 at a time to be announced. The broadcast will also be aired a number of other times on CSTV. Check your local listings for the time and station in your area.

The show will be two hours in length , and will feature many of the best matches in all three styles. Mark your calendar and enjoy the coverage of our best international wrestlers in action.

USA Wrestling looks forward to greeting the wrestling community next week, and expects outstanding action in all of the divisions this year. See you all in Las Vegas!!!

Gary Abbott is the Director of Communications and Special Projects for USA Wrestling and is a founder of the National Wrestling Media Association and is a 2005 recipient of the NWCA Meritorious Service Award.

Gary Abbott