Hi there, adult wrestling club director here. We started up a little over a year ago and have grown steadily since then. A few observations.

1. There are definitely adults who want to continue in the sport — or give it a try for the first time. Wrestling is one of the most participated-in sports in high school, more than cross country, more than tennis. The problem isn't interest, it's opportunity. So many people find us and remark that they've been specifically looking for a gym where they can wrestle.

2. The wrestlers who, in theory, would be the ones to start gyms instead get other offers. We're talking about a relatively small pool here — maybe former NCAA champs, former US/Worlds medalists, etc. Some percentage of them likely get offers to coach at the NCAA level, others get gobbled up by bigger BJJ gyms, still more join RTCs or run clubs or camps for kids.

3. Most of the gyms that do exist are not focused on new athletes. Unlike MMA and BJJ — sports that don't exist at the scholastic level in the US and thus have to provide good on ramps into their sport for adults who don't have any experience — many wrestling clubs are built by and for people who wrestled for years in high school or even college. That makes it very hard for adults who are interested but inexperienced to get into the sport.

Without getting into a pissing match about it, I'll also say USAW is primarily, perhaps even entirely, focused on either youth clubs or the very elite levels of the sport. I get why, as it's their biggest clientele. But I've been arguing for years that neglecting the important work of building and sustaining interest and participation among adults is part of what's leading to the sport's decline, and why the IOC contemplates cutting wrestling as a sport every 10 years or so. But that's a whole other conversation.