I have an administrative degree (which by any university's standards - those that have them at least - makes me more qualified to oversee the Ducks' athletic program than current athletic director, Pat Kilkenny). Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perception of ethics) I was not exposed to the same administrative engineering classes as Kilkenny's assistant, Renee Baumgartner.
In a recent conversation with an Oregon wrestling coach, Baumgartner attributed UO's decision to drop wrestling to the lack of interest at the sport's lower levels. Yet, statistics from the National High School Association show that the sport has continually grown at the high school level. I am unsure as to how Baumgartner plans to engineer this fact to accommodate her ridiculous assumptions, but if the UO's athletic program has proven anything, it's that principle, dignity and fact can be bought - typically as long as whatever is sold is slapped with a Swoosh.
Still, let's give Baumgartner the benefit of the doubt and assume that she meant youth wrestling. Yet… the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling, also shows consistent increases at its level as well. So what exactly does Mrs. Baumgartner mean by a lack of interest at the lower levels? The number of infant Nike wrestling shoes sold? Undoubtedly, Oregon's president will offer that all things that Baumgartner did right will serve as a proxy for her inability to fulfill her obligation to the school.
Mike Randles
Sandpoint, Idaho
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