Wash High program in jeopardy
The Washington School District is going to discuss whether to keep the wrestling program going in the future. Here is a letter from one of its former wrestlers.
Greetings Wash High Wrestling Alumni. It was brought to my attention through facebook (Chris Bruno) that a Wash High school board meeting was scheduled for Jan. 30 and on the agenda was a motion to eliminate the wrestling program. I called the school and spoke with former Wash High wrestler and current highschool prinicpal Frank Rotunda. It was explained to me that the meeting was for administration only and the next public school board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 13. I will be requesting time at that meeting to address the school board members regarding the wrestling program. If you cannot attend the meeting and you want your voice heard please email me a statement to cwtarr@hotmail.com and I will make copies and submit to the board. I was also told that elimination of the wrestling program is discussed every year due to lack of funding and poor participation by the current students. I have been told that the current team consists of 10 wrestlers filling 8 weight classes and 6 of them have a legit chance of making it to the WPIAL tournament. It was brought to my attention that the wrestler with the most promise is only a sophomore. If we can save the program for at least one more year, I would like to volunteer to become an alumni relations contact. I know that I feel very out of touch with the program and had no idea that the program was sufffering year after year. I would also like to create 2-3 fundraisers each year to include alumni and help the program thrive. If you have suggestions with fundraising ideas please email me. It is my goal on Feb. 13 to help the program survive and keep the alumni up to date with the team. I know that the program has meant a great deal to me and I'm sure many of you. Please help me in restoring the wrestling program! Please feel free to pass along this message to any and all wrestling alumni that you know. I know that there are hundreds and hundreds more that I have no contact with. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Chris Tarr
Wash High Class of 1994
Greetings Wash High Wrestling Alumni. It was brought to my attention through facebook (Chris Bruno) that a Wash High school board meeting was scheduled for Jan. 30 and on the agenda was a motion to eliminate the wrestling program. I called the school and spoke with former Wash High wrestler and current highschool prinicpal Frank Rotunda. It was explained to me that the meeting was for administration only and the next public school board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 13. I will be requesting time at that meeting to address the school board members regarding the wrestling program. If you cannot attend the meeting and you want your voice heard please email me a statement to cwtarr@hotmail.com and I will make copies and submit to the board. I was also told that elimination of the wrestling program is discussed every year due to lack of funding and poor participation by the current students. I have been told that the current team consists of 10 wrestlers filling 8 weight classes and 6 of them have a legit chance of making it to the WPIAL tournament. It was brought to my attention that the wrestler with the most promise is only a sophomore. If we can save the program for at least one more year, I would like to volunteer to become an alumni relations contact. I know that I feel very out of touch with the program and had no idea that the program was sufffering year after year. I would also like to create 2-3 fundraisers each year to include alumni and help the program thrive. If you have suggestions with fundraising ideas please email me. It is my goal on Feb. 13 to help the program survive and keep the alumni up to date with the team. I know that the program has meant a great deal to me and I'm sure many of you. Please help me in restoring the wrestling program! Please feel free to pass along this message to any and all wrestling alumni that you know. I know that there are hundreds and hundreds more that I have no contact with. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Chris Tarr
Wash High Class of 1994
posted by Joe Tuscano at
9:17 AM
13 Comments:
Wash High 20 years ago was crazy good, sending 6 wrestlers to states per year. The program has been awful since 1999. It's a shame, they need to get the band back together. Gatten,kosek,tarr,bednarski, thomas, ect...
Why doesn't Wash-HI consider a co-op with Avella,Fort Cherry, or West Greene? Jefferson would have 4-5or6 forfiets if it wasn,t for a co-op with Carmichaels. A co-op is the only answer if wrestling is going to survive in AA in the WPIAL. Just look back at how many forfiets there was in AA the last several years. Last year at the section tourny at Charleori there was only 3 wrestlers in the 135 lb. weight class. 5 advanced so figure that.
I agree with the writer about a co-op 100% It is a great tool that the PIAA has provided to help small strugling schools so why not take advantage of it. Several AA schools in the WPIAL should study this option. This might put some fun back in the sport and the matches wouldn't be taking place in empty gyms with only a handful of fans watching.
It's my understanding that a co-op can only occur on bordering school districts. The only district that borders Wash High is Trinity.
Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't AA South Fayette co-op with AAA Char Valley for several years till they got back on their feet? There is an answer for Wash Hi but that wouldn't help AA wrestling.
Wash high needs to join with trinity completely. Not just sports.
No doubt 3:16. There are 14 school districts in Washington County when there should be about half as many.
That right there my friends is a shame, That a once great powerhouse of a program is dying. The way this sports going they may not be the only team. Trinity would be the ideal situation to co-op with them. It`s a shame to see this happen ,but the numbers aren`t there. I hope that Chris Tarr and the other alumni at Wash High along with other ex local wrestlers can save this great program.
Wash High's wrestling program isn't dying. It died more than a decade ago.
This just in...Extra, Extra, read all about it.
Wash High drops program and enters into Co-Op with Canon Mac.
Is there any truth in the story going around that Avella is also thinking about dropping wrestling? Something better change soon or wreatling will be a thing of the past in all of southwestern Pa. Doesn't the WPIAL steering committee see what they are doing isn't working.
Myself - I stopped going to tournaments several years ago. Why do people want to drive and pay to watch 2nd,3rd,4th and 5th place kids wrestle each other over and over? What ever happened to just moving on champs when the gyms used to be standing room only?
EXTRA ,extra read all about this . It never ends with you people does it ? .. Here's hopping that Wash High figures out a way to keep that tradition going . Good luck to you ..
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