Coach Donny: FULL SEND to the OLYMPICS

MN Coach and USA Wrestler Donny Longendyke is on a vision quest – to make the USA Wrestling Olympic team and represent at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. In 6 short months, Donny will wrestle for the 130kg (Heavyweight) spot at the US Olympic trials.

With so much to do until the whistle blows on April 19th, Donny is putting his life on pause to make his absolute FULL SEND to the Olympics. While Donny dedicates all his time to training and coaching, we can support him on his quest. In doing so, we can make our FULL SEND to help Donny financially.

Your donation(s) will directly support Donny and go toward travel and world-level camps. Most importantly, your support will give Donny the full-time freedom to do what matters most: wrestle.

The FULL SEND challenge, unveiled...

In an ideal world, Olympic-level athletes, regardless of their sport, can train for the 'big time' without extensive travel to simply practice. While many athletes may only need a track or a pool, not all sports are created equal, which is the challenging case for wrestling and Donny.

In the same ideal world, the best world-level camps, wrestling partners, and coaches would all be located within the same state or region, where herein lies the biggest obstacle for Donny – being able to travel and train with the world's best to become the best.

This is where our FULL SEND support truly helps Donny -- giving him the full-time freedom and time to go where he needs to and prepare as any prospective Olympic athlete should.

Donny's story ————

Donny grew up in White Bear Lake (WBL), Minnesota – a state nationally known as a powerhouse for the sport of wrestling. An extra-large, shy, and humble Donny would tell you he wasn't born a phenom like very few are. He struggled through sports and wrestling just like everyone else, but this would change at some early point in his career.

As Donny progressed through the WBL Ice Bears, the predecessor of the current WBL Youth Wrestling program, he discovered wrestling was his calling.

Throughout middle- and high school, he earned incredible achievements along the way. Donny would eventually become the #1 nationally-ranked heavyweight after an impressive run in all three wrestling styles: Freestyle, Greco-Roman, and Folkstyle (scholastic).

One of Donny's core memories is when he and his high school team made it to 'State' for the first time in WBL's history. Donny was the final factor out of many to secure the team's first-ever entrance in the team division for the MN State Wrestling Tournament. The team, still led by Head Coach Craig Nasvik today, returned in 'back-to-back' fashion for four years and would place in the finals with Donny at the anchor. Donny graduated and became WBL's most successful wrestler in the city's 58-year history.

Donny then set his sights on college wrestling, where he went on to have a successful college wrestling career at the University of Nebraska and finished as an NCAA DIII National Champion at Augsburg University in MN. After college, he set his sights on wrestling internationally in Greco-Roman (GR) wrestling.

After a series of international tournaments, Donny was invited to represent the USA in two Senior Pan-American Championships held in South America -- placing in one and earning a silver in the other.

Coach Donny ————

When Donny's not wrestling or training, you will still find him with wrestling shoes on, still bettering the wrestling world by coaching.

Donny has served on WBL's high school wrestling coaching staff for 7 years, and when practices are over, he stays and coaches the WBL's youth program. If you were to ask Donny what wrestling means to him and why it's so special, he would tell you about how wrestling shaped his entire life, primarily through his formative years.

Donny would tell stories about the 'trying times' as a youth wrestler and how it impacted his life while growing up. He would also tell you how his late youth head coach, Fred Scholstag, believed in him and saw the potential in his career as a wrestler that would light the fire of determination that would stay with him today.

This impact is why he believes K-12 wrestling is paramount for many children and teens and why he loves to coach – to give back to the sport that has given him so much.

Donny would say for many kids growing up, some need a sanctuary to deal with the thralls of life, and for the few who have the internal burn for adversity -- the wrestling room is your sanctuary, where your partners become family.

Within reach ————

This past year, Donny, a rostered Minnesota Storm RTC athlete, placed true third at the 2023 Final X and secured his placement on the USA Senior's World National Team - GR representing at the United World Wrestling Championships (UWW) in Belgrade, Serbia, on September 23rd.

After the UWW Championships, Donny will set his sights on the Olympic trials, where he will face off with his fellow teammates to secure a spot on the USA Olympic Wrestling (GR) team on April 19th, 2024.

With your support, Donny will gain the opportunities to maximize his training to close the gap and FULL SEND to the '24 Paris Olympics.

YOU can join Donny's journey and FULL SEND YOUR SUPPORT!

1) GIVE whatever you can. No donation is too small.

2) SHARE on social media (#DonnyFULLSEND)

3) EMAIL this page - gofundme.com/DonnyFULLSEND - to your family + friends.