Ragnarok Wrestling Club is a public charity conceived to support wrestling in Connecticut. All proceeds for this fundraiser will go to the athletes of the Uconn Wrestling Club.
The 2022-2023 season for the Uconn Wrestling Club is underway. The team has been training diligently for the last few months in preparation for our competition schedule. This year's team boasts the largest number of registered and consistently participating wrestlers in club history. Led by returning officers Daniel Veleas, Derek Vincelette, Parker Sutton, and Martial Sutton our team has a quality balance of returners and new talented additions. This is the team's first fundraiser since 2020. That season concluded with a second-place finish in the Northeast Region and tying our All-American record with three athletes placing top 8 in the country. The NCWA 2021 season did not take place, and our 2022 season was cut short due to the spike in COVID cases in the winter. Our team was cleared to compete by our February regionals, but we were not cleared to practice or request funding for travel for the two months prior, ultimately ending the season. When our season was suspended, we were ranked 8th nationally in overall ranking points for the NCWA. We cannot convey our disappointment with being unable to have the opportunity to compete and display a year of our hard work and development.
(Daniel Veleas places 7th at the 2020 NCWA National tournament)
The termination of our 2022 postseason emphasized our need for additional funding outside of the allocated budget provided by the university. A certain degree of financial autonomy is required to function as a competitive team in the capacity necessary to prepare ourselves for a successful national performance. Our budgetary process is lengthy. All requests must be in 6 weeks in advance, or they are declined. If any required information is not provided, the request is denied. We paid out of pocket for the van to our first event this weekend because we did not submit a flyer in time for the request to clear. The process is lengthy, and Derek Vincelette, our treasurer, does an excellent job with the requests. However, there are a number of items that are not covered at all by requests. The university does not cover our food expenses at events. With such a large team and rising food costs, feeding the team can be expensive. Graduate students are not covered, and none of their travel or hotel costs are covered by the university, requiring us to pay out of pocket. We do not want to sound ungrateful for the provisions allowed to us by the university; they are accommodating and provide us the infrastructure to compete and attain our goals. There are just certain costs that need to be covered directly out of pocket.
This year's national tournament will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is being reported as the largest college event in the island's history. With a smaller team in 2020, we qualified 11 wrestlers. An expectation to qualify 16 is not hyperbole. Airfare and hotels for 16 for a week quickly place us above our budget for the year. In addition, the university requires all plane tickets and hotels to be paid for by the club and reimbursed by the college, meaning you have to shoulder the upfront cost of travel anyway. It also means our request for reimbursement may be denied if someone loses their boarding pass as proof they attended the event. There is a litany of pitfalls and requirements, and having independent funds is essential.
We understand times are getting more difficult and expensive and we appreciate any and all support we receive. Please help us to reach our goal of NCWA Division 2 National Champions!!!
Coaches note:
I want to thank all those who have supported us in the past and continue to support us in the future. Without your backing, it would make traveling to competitions far more arduous. Many other teams pass the cost directly on to the athletes. I firmly believe that money should never limit the opportunities for an athlete to compete. Asking for payments directly from the athletes would most likely price some out of attending nationals. I have a firm conviction in this principle and believe that pooling all our resources to fundraise is one of the best options to get all those who qualify to nationals. Please help my guys get there. They work incredibly hard to reach their goals, and your support bolsters that drive. Thank you.
Chris Warran
Uconn Wrestling
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