The Spirit and Vision behind NWDWC was created and instilled by a giving and selfless young man named Travis West. Travis was
a three-time
Combining his love of the sport of wrestling and his love of kids, Travis created the Northwest Disciples Wrestling Club in 2002. His vision was to enhance the athletic, academic, spiritual, and social skills of young people through the discipline, commitment, and dedication required in the sport of wrestling. Working with kids that are living in very at risk and disadvantaged situations, Travis wanted to use wrestling as an avenue for them to lift themselves up from their environment to be outstanding wrestlers, students, citizens and future leaders.
In June of 2004, after experiencing significant success, the Club suffered a major tragedy when Travis passed away due to a recurring liver disease. This was a huge blow to all involved and associated with Travis. In spite of this loss, through the commitment of the kids and a core group of supporters and coaches, NWDWC continues to grow and perpetuate Travis’s vision. We continue to teach each member the fundamentals of wrestling as well as developing strong work ethics, leadership skills, self-discipline and responsibility. Each wrestler is held accountable for their actions on and off the mat.
Beginning with about 15 wrestlers in 2002, the Club today supports 35-45 kids and is growing. Most
of our original wrestlers are still with us today. Our participants range in age from 4 to 17 with 85 to 90% coming from disadvantaged
situations within the Albina Community. Our wrestlers practice five days per week, ten months a year, and wrestle each
weekend during the season (October through July). This level of commitment by the wrestlers and coaches is unique within this
sport and has produced significant results as the Club has been Oregon State Champions for the Bantam and Midget Divisions in
the 2006, 2007, and 2008 seasons. In the 2007 season the Club sent 6 wrestlers to the National Championships in
NWDWC is a non-profit organization that is run by an all volunteer group of coaches and board of directors. Our coaches include the Jefferson High School Wrestling coaches, and past high school champions. The Board is comprised of a retired university wrestling coach, educational administrator (Self-Enhancement Inc.), retired state agency administrator, businesswoman, financial planning business owner, and a homemaker. All monies received by the Club are committed directly to the support of our wrestlers and coaches.
Expenses to maintain the club operation and to support our many wrestlers who can’t otherwise afford participation, includes costs for USA Federal Wrestling Cards (mandatory for insurance and tournament participation), tournament entry fees, periodic food, travel and lodging expenses, travel van maintenance (mechanical, gas, insurance), equipment (shoes, headgear, etc.), and uniforms. To date, the Club has continued operation through numerous individual donations, an annual raffle, annual garage sale and grants from institutions like the Juan Young Trust, Keystone Foundation, the Albina Rotary Community Fund, and the Fred Meyer Community Grant Fund. We expect to continue support through these same sources, but also by hosting future tournaments.
We are most proud of the fact that of the original members of the Club, the majority are still with us. We are growing rapidly and serving a number of under-served youth of diverse ethnic backgrounds. NWDWC has developed a reputation as one of the most skilled group of wrestlers in the western states. We have numerous local, state and regional champions. We are also proud of the reputation the Club has developed as good sportsmen and good citizens. The Club is routinely complimented for its outstanding behavior at tournaments, restaurants, etc. We firmly believe that we are meeting the following objectives of our program:
1. To introduce, teach and train young people, ages 4-18, in the skills and techniques of wrestling.
2. To build character and teach life skills through mentoring and tutoring services.
3. To give underprivileged youth an opportunity to travel and compete in local, statewide, and regional tournaments.
4. To recruit and assign 6 coaches to provide individual training and personal assistance to youth.
The strength of a community
and its development is only as strong as the citizens who work and reside there. We believe that our efforts are building the type
of personal character, work ethic, leadership ability, and good citizenship needed for the future on N/NE Portland.
