By Mike Finn, WIN Editor

            “If you are going to set goals and achieve them, you obviously have to work hard. Developing a work ethic is the most valuable part of the sport. It teaches you how to set goals, how to work hard and make commitments in your journey. It’s something that you can apply to anything in your life.”

— Bob Ferraro, National High School Coaches Association

Learning how to go the distance, whether it was on the wrestling mat or as the founder of the NHSCA is the biggest reason why this resident of Easton, Pa., has succeeded in providing national opportunities for high school athletes for the past 20 years.

            So has been the case for Scott Casber, the founder of Takedown Radio/TV, who in most cases literally has driven great distances all over the country for at least a dozen years to discover and share all the great wrestling stories with his national audience.

            Such examples of perseverance are the biggest reasons both men will share the honor of WIN’s Mike Chapman Impact Award for 2009. The award is named in honor of WIN founder Mike Chapman, who created the magazine in 1994 as one way to make an impact on the sport of wrestling.

            “I saw Bob wrestle when he was at Indiana State and was an NCAA runner-up. He was an aggressive all-out style of competitor and he’s incorporated that same philosophy into his management style. I salute his vision, his accomplishments and the impact he’s had on the sport over the last couple decades.

            Van Kley stressed that Ferraro’s vision extends far beyond the national wrestling events the NHSCA puts on.

            “What impresses me so much about Bob is his vision for wrestling,” said Bryan Van Kley, WIN’s publisher. “He looks at the bigger picture beyond just an event or particular situation.”

            Chapman said Casber’s contributions to wrestling have been significant.

            “Scott has indefatigable approach to the sport of wrestling and has literally criss-crossed the country in an effort to promote and market the sport. His radio show, when it debuted, blazed a new trail in the wrestling world and Scott has impacted the sport in various ways that has helped it grow and prosper,” Chapman said.

            Both men created their enterprises when very few could understand how they would last in a sport that rarely creates revenue. But the reality is that neither man was looking to get rich when they started their endeavor.

            Ferraro, who was coaching at Bucknell University, was actually looking for an opportunity for his son, Bobby, to compete on the national level while he was in high school.

            “I really feel that 20 years ago I had a pretty good idea as to what different projects that I wanted to complete,” said Bob. “I didn’t know a time schedule back then.

            “I didn’t know if it was possible. I knew there would be other opportunities along the way that we would have to pursue to pay the bills while we kept the vision in place.”

            Ferraro was a national runner-up for Indiana State at 150 pounds in 1970 — he competed immediately after Dan Gable lost his only college match to Larry Owings in Evanston, Ill. — and turned into quite the promoter of the sport as a coach at Bucknell. He utilized the “Main Event” theme while putting on wrestling events at the Division I college in Lewisburg, Pa.

            Those promotion tools helped him draw a national television audience as his first NHSCA Senior Nationals were part of ESPN’s Scholastic Sports America show. Two decades later, the 2009 NHSCA Senior Nationals in Virginia Beach, Va., were televised by ESPN U.

            “I felt we needed the high-visibility sports to get wrestling the attention that it needed,” said Ferraro, whose organization offers opportunities for athletes in 20 sports and offers well over 100 events on the state, regional and national level. “I felt that if we could build an organization with more than one sport, we could make a much bigger impact on the sport.”

Casber, who has been a broadcaster his entire adult life, has used the radio and television medium — many of which appear on both Takedown Radio’s (takedownradio.com) and InterMat’s websites (intermatwrestle.com) to showcase national events.

            “The idea of TDRTV started when I saw what basic cable was doing with local high school and college sports,” said Casber, who first hosted a late-night radio show that featured wrestling. “I saw what the internet was growing into and has become a platform for our television program.

            “I think it is important to give the wrestling public a broad picture of the wrestling culture across the country,” Casber said. “We usually only think about what is in our backyard. Wrestling is so much more to all people. We discover the passion for wrestling is even greater than I thought 13 years ago when we started the program.”

            Casber, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, did not wrestler but fell in love with the sport when he returned to college in the early 1980s to earn a marketing and promotions degree at the University of Iowa.

            “I didn’t have to wrestle in order to understand it,” said Casber, who caught the wrestling bug at Iowa where he also wore the Herky mascot outfit at Hawkeye wrestling meets.

            “I could see wrestling up close and personal,” said Casber. “I noticed that these guys were real people, who struggled with real problems, struggled to maintain their identity. They struggled with real issues whether they were self-created or not.”

            Van Kley said Casber’s love for the sport is apparent.

            “He deeply loves wrestling and wrestlers and works with every fiber of his being to promote our great sport to the max,” he said.

            Casber also noticed that many wrestlers put up a “wall” and were not free to express themselves about their craft.

            That is one of the things that Casber, and his TD Radio mate Steve Foster, do on nearly every level of wrestling.

            “Steve just revels in the joy of being part of the program,” Casber said. “It’s like a release, I guess, and allows him to tell his wrestling stories.”

            But when it comes to telling the stories about wrestling, few have more experience than Casber, who has also served as a public address announcer at many national events where he likes to create an exciting atmosphere for fans.

            “I try to weave together the fabric that is wrestling and how it fits in the world’s society,” Casber said.

Ferraro has said his favorite part the NHSCA Nationals — which offers championships to wrestlers in elementary school through high school — is hearing the stories of high school coaches around the country.

            Somewhat sadly, this next year will be Ferraro’s final year at the helm of the NHSCA. He will retire on June 1, 2010.

            Oddly, the man who had a great vision for the NHSCA, did not see who would replace him: his son, Bobby, who gave up a good job with an East Coast convenience store chain to take over for his father.

            “I thought he had his dream job,” said Ferraro, who together with his wife, Jeanne, also have two daughters, Robin and Jaime, and four grandchildren.

            “I feel kind of a relief that my vision will be fulfilled and I’m excited about my son’s vision being implemented,” said Bob. “He is a very creative guy and has been with us for about two years now. He is ready to take off with his own vision and he also wants to complete my visions. It’s a great transition.”

            The younger Ferraro expects to continue many of the things that his father started, including his creating a professional partnerships with the likes ESPN, Army National Guard and the Navy Seals.

            “It’s about giving back to the sport of wrestling and being able to help our country,” the elder Ferraro said. “The association is a patriotic association and we are not afraid to let people know that. That’s what I feel best about.

            “We are in a position to help our country and the sport of wrestling.”

            Ferraro also said he hopes to see one more vision fulfilled: building the NHSCA High School Hall of Fame and Museum.

            “It looks like it is going to happen in the city of Easton,” said Ferraro, who grew up in the eastern Pennsylvania community. “It looks like by late fall, we will be breaking ground. “We have guys like LeBron James in our Hall of Fame; so are a lot of other high-profile athletes.”

            Casber, meanwhile, has plenty of future plans for Takedown Radio, which added the television medium to its business and logo (TDRTV) this year. He is currently working on putting on a weekly television news show that will feature wrestling.

            “We should be able to produce 22 minutes of content that will be ready made for TV,” said Casber, who already has a contract with the Mediacom cable system.

            “We can expose our individuals to a great audience other than just wrestling fans. They will see how successful people can be by being so driven for success. Our country could use a lot more success every day.

            “I often challenge people to not only think in terms of wins and losses. The journey along the way to get those wins and losses is what’s truly important. That’s where you will find your individuality and strengths and how you will prevail in life.

            “It’s more about the road that takes you to the wins than just the wins themselves and what you take from the whole journey.”