Wrestling, referred to as the world's "oldest and greatest sport" by some, is going through somewhat of a modern revival. Sell-out crowds, large television audiences and cities clamoring to host tournaments -- things generally reserved for another March event -- are commonplace now in NCAA wrestling.

For a sport that has seen its share of tough times, the resilience of the coaches and student-athletes has been evident. In the early 1990s, weight-management issues grabbed the spotlight, and programs were dropped at some institutions. However, the overall state of wrestling now is on a definite upswing.

At the collegiate level, the wrestling renaissance has been led by the Division I tournament. The event is one of a handful of the Association's 87 championships where the financial bottom line is in the black. Last season, the championships were aired on ESPN2 a few hours after the final match was decided, a first for the event.

"This is a championship that we've held traditionally on college campuses, but the growth and interest of the tournament has made the event very attractive," said David A. Martin, senior associate director of athletics at Oklahoma State University and chair of the NCAA Wrestling Committee. "This has allowed the committee to make selections based on sites that allow all aspects of the championships to be enhanced."

During the committee's bid process, which was handled at the group's annual meeting in April, the remarkable progress of the championships was apparent. A wide range of cities, institutions and arenas were interested in hosting the event -- many with a seven-figure guarantee.

"I think the cities and arenas that were interested in hosting this championship were very impressive," Martin said. "The committee is very pleased that we've been able to move to places with sufficient airports, hotels, seats and other amenities. Part of creating a great atmosphere for student-athletes is making it easier and more fun for fans to take in the event. We feel like we've done that with our future sites."

Another Omaha?

St. Louis, which hosted the 2000 Division I championships, set the collegiate attendance record with 96,944 fans over the six sessions of the tournament.

"What St. Louis found was a diamond in the rough," said Chris Roseman, director of events for the St. Louis Sports Commission, which hosted the tournament with the University of Missouri, Columbia. "Everything just seemed to click with wrestling and our city. Geographically, we're in the right place for plenty of fans to drive. Our hotel space and facilities fit the sport well and it created a wonderful atmosphere."

With the championships returning to St. Louis in 2004 and 2005, the city already is gearing up for another high-quality tournament.

"We're thrilled to have it coming back," Roseman said. "Our local organizing committee has new ideas every day, it seems. We want to improve on everything we did (in 2000). We really want to help wrestling grow and we think we've found a great niche for St. Louis and college wrestling. We want to be the Omaha for wrestling."

Omaha, Nebraska, of course, has enjoyed a decades-long relationship with the Men's College World Series.

Television coverage, long a point of contention with wrestling fans, improved significantly with the 2001 tournament in Iowa City, Iowa. ESPN2 agreed to televise the championships tape-delayed a few hours after the championships were complete. Previously, the telecast was on a mid-week afternoon or early in the morning. The change gave college wrestling a two-hour, Saturday prime-time shot in the arm.

"The television ratings and exposure we received were tremendous," Martin said. "We're working on ways to make the time we have on television better and, we hope, to reach out to new fans and to the loyal fans who were unable to attend the event."

The Division I tournament isn't the only college event with significant fan interest. The Division II championships had 7,365 people at Northern Colorado University and the Division III event netted 6,231 fans at Wartburg College.

"The success is not only at the Division I level," Martin said. "Wrestling fans are very loyal, and the Divisions II and III championships are wonderful events as well."

Weight issue off front burner

Wrestling itself -- a duel in which strength, stamina and strategy play vital roles -- has never been better, according to Michael Moyer, executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Moyer, former chair of the NCAA Wrestling Committee, attributes the on-mat success to changes made in the sport's best interests.

"Major changes have occurred with weight management, and rightfully so," said Moyer. "The focus is back on wrestling and not cutting weight, which clearly is a positive step."

The NWCA has taken an active role in educating coaches about proper weight-management techniques, nutrition and training procedures. The organization sent 9,500 videotapes to its constituents -- youth organizations, high schools, and collegiate and club coaches -- based on the NCAA model for successful weight management.

"Wrestling has taken a leadership role in using science to learn how best to train student-athletes safely and with positive results," Moyer said. "Many of the things we're doing, we feel, may be the model for other sports to follow."

A cooperative effort between the NCAA's Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) made great strides to help wrestlers learn how to properly manage their weight.

Jerry L. Diehl, NFHS assistant director, organized a seminar about weight management, bringing together many state high-school associations and those with experience in weight management. With NCAA procedures as a model, the high-school weigh-in process was altered.

"Those meetings were well-received by our associations," he said. "The changes we made in our weigh-in procedures, in reality, changed some of the old habits in wrestling. I've had a tremendous number of calls supporting the changes."

The NWCA is pushing to assist wrestling in the consolidation of resources to reduce a duplication of effort. A strong example of this was "Mat Jam," which brought the Colonial Athletic Association, Southern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference together for their respective conference tournaments. With the help of CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager, the event was held at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, cutting administrative and facility costs considerably.

"We were splintering our fan base," said Moyer. "When you bring more people together, that obviously becomes more attractive to fans and sponsors. It also creates a better atmosphere for the student-athlete."

The Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences may be interested in holding a similar event in the future.

Future success?

With the sport gaining momentum, building on that support will be critical in the coming years. While future success is never certain, there are some encouraging signs.

Participation growth at the high-school level has been consistent. Last year, the number of schools sponsoring wrestling was up 4 percent and the number of students participating in the sport was up 2.5 percent. According to NFHS figures, wrestling rates ninth in terms of schools fielding teams and is sixth in individuals participating.

"Our historical data show a steady increase of schools adding the sport to their curriculum and, consequently, more students participating," Diehl said.

Martin sees wrestling's all-encompassing nature as a positive for the future.

"Wrestling is a sport that really allows a wide range of sizes and kids from different backgrounds to come together," he said. "There always is a spot in wrestling for a hard-working student-athlete and there are many stories that illustrate that."

One such story is Nick Ackerman, the 174-pound champion at the Division III level. Ackerman, a Simpson College wrestler, won the 2001 championship despite having had both legs amputated as a child. The victory stirred emotions at the championships and put wrestling in the headlines and on national television with a positive mark for the sport.

Women's wrestling also is a positive. At the high-school level, the sport has exploded, going from 132 girls competing in 1990 to more than 3,000 in 896 schools today.

"We have two states, Texas and Hawaii, that hold state championships for girls," said Diehl. "Obviously, the growth on the girls' side has been much greater (than the boys), which is an encouraging sign for wrestling."

While a handful of colleges have added women's wrestling, at the Olympic level, the sport is gaining notoriety. The women's event recently was added to the slate for the 2004 Olympics.

As wrestling moves to adapt to the changing athletics landscape, one thing is for certain: Those involved in the sport will work tirelessly to keep it thriving.

"I believe we have a lot of reason to be positive," said Moyer.

"We have moved to a different level," Martin said, "and I think the future holds a higher level for wrestling. I'm very optimistic."