For some time, collegiate wrestling has been thought to be on its back and trying to avoid being pinned -- largely since the passing of Title IX in 1972 as part of the Educational Amendment Act.

With my school fresh from having co-hosted the Division I Wrestling Championships, I believe wrestling is in fact avoiding the fall and is now trying to get back to its feet -- in spite of what many believe to be misinterpretations of the original intent of Title IX that have hurt the sport.

Title IX -- the law prohibiting sex discrimination in any educational program or activity at any educational institution that receives federal funding -- was long overdue.

Gender equity, on the other hand, is a moral obligation and is imperative to fairness. It is, simply, doing the right thing.

But doing the right thing applies to the treatment of all programs and all student-athletes. The ultimate goal should be to provide equitable participation opportunities for all participants -- regardless of gender -- and not to enhance opportunities for one gender at the expense of the other.

It's been well-documented how college wrestling has taken a hit from the federal Title IX law. Many schools have opted to eliminate men's athletics programs in an attempt to accommodate the government's current interpretation. That fact prompted a recent suit against the Department of Education by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and organizations representing students and alumni from programs being eliminated or downsized at three universities. It contends that a 1996 rule interpretation by the Education Department was adopted illegally and is unconstitutional. That rule calls for schools to count actual athletes -- not spots available on teams -- in order to comply with Title IX. Of primary concern is the current interpretation that proportionality is the ultimate goal for Title IX compliance, and that the gender participation percentage must be equivalent to the enrollment percentage at each respective institution.

It is hard to understand this logic when 56 percent of college enrollees are women and 41 percent of athletics participants at the high-school level are girls. That means there is a dramatically smaller high-school pool of prospective female student-athletes to recruit from in an effort to attain an average college proportionality -- based on total enrollment. I consider myself a strong proponent of gender equity, but I believe this was not the original intent of Title IX.

Yet, while the number of college varsity wrestling programs has been dropping, the sport has seen a substantial increase at the high-school level, with 358 new wrestling programs initiated last year. With average male college enrollment at just 44 percent, it seems logical that some savvy schools might find a flourishing pool of potential male students if they would add or reinstate wrestling -- particularly from among the student-athletes who wrestle in the first four to five weight classes. After all, there are few collegiate sports in which athletes weighing between 120 to 150 pounds can have the same competitive experiences as larger athletes.

Recently, some colleges have seized the opportunity. Sacred Heart University (Division I) in 1999, Menlo College (Division III) in 2000 and Mercyhurst College (Division II) in 2002 actually added varsity wrestling programs. They represent the first additions collegiate wrestling has seen in recent years. That may not be much, but the addition of some collegiate programs -- combined with the many new high-school teams -- may signal that wrestling is on the comeback trail.

Let's hope so. In an Olympic year, it's important to note that wrestling is still a popular sport at the Summer Games. It has produced gold medalists who are some of America's greatest athletics heroes. It has been a source of national pride, and it does not make sense to continue the elimination of collegiate wrestling programs while it continues to flourish with youth programs and on the international stage.

Some future Olympic gold medallists put their talent on display at the recent NCAA championships. While there may be fewer programs than two decades ago, there is no shortage of quality wrestlers vying for national championships. And just like college wrestling itself, many of them may be put to the brink of elimination, only to come off their backs and score the victory. This victory need not be at the expense of Title IX; instead, it should be a celebration of adhering to its original intent.

I urge all involved to let common sense prevail for the good of sport. I hope all factions can come together for the common good of doing, simply, the right thing.

Curt Blake is the athletics director at Rider University and the incoming chair of the NCAA Wrestling Committee.