Ron Minoletti

Ron started officiating wrestling after a long-time local Michigan official made the suggestion during his senior year in high school. Ron did start officiating the year after he graduated from high school and 38 years later he is still an active, respected official in Michigan and for the AAU. He also has a successful track record for training, developing, and mentoring future MHSAA officials.

Ron’s officiating resume in Michigan includes 38 years of experience as a wrestling official, including eighteen years working at the MHSAA State Finals. He is also a registered trainer and assignor for the MHSSA. Ron has served as vice president of the All-American Athletic Association for twenty years. This association was founded in 1991 and continues to manage Michigan’s largest wrestling officials association.

Ron has also served as an official at many AAU tournaments. Those tournaments include: Scholastic Duals for fourteen years, ten of which he served as a team captain providing leadership to veterans and new officials during the tournament; AAU Folkstyle World Tournament for a total of 10 years, serving as the local organizing official for eight of those years and the AAU Ironman Tournament in the folkstyle division as the local organizing official for one year. Ron has also worked at the Ohio Tournament of Champions as an official for 11 years. Ron’s officiating expertise and experience has also been called upon when he has served as an evaluator for both the Scholastic Duals and the Ohio Tournament of Champions.

Ron has been recognized for his achievements as an official when he was named the NFIOA Michigan Official of the Year in 1999 and again when he was named the AAU Folkstyle Official of the Year in 2001.

Other accomplishments include: induction into the USSSA Hall of Fame in the Umpire Category in 1999; United States Specialty Sports Association Slow-Pitch Softball Umpire for 26 years and United States Specialty Sports Association Fast-Pitch Umpire for three years.

Mike Newbern

Mike has been involved in wrestling as a competitor, coach and administrator.   He was appointed the Virginia AAU Wrestling Chairman in March of 1995 and asked to reestablish the Virginia wrestling program that had registered zero members for over a decade.  Within five years, the program grew to over 2,000 AAU wrestlers.

Other AAU positions include the National Wrestling Executive Committee for eight years, co‐founder of the Middle School National championships and tournament director four times, Grand Nationals Tournament Director in 2003 and Junior Olympic Games Wrestling LOC Tournament Director two times.   Mike also served the Virginia USAW program in various positions.  In addition he was the Virginia Independent Schools Wrestling Association President for a year, and as a certified athletic administrator, Mike is a member of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.    

As a competitor, Mike was a two‐time Virginia AAA State Champion (1973 & 1974); a New Jersey State Prep and National Prep Champion (1975); a Scholastic Wrestling News High School All‐American in 1974; a four‐time letterman at Lehigh University and a champion at the Penn State Invitational, the Eastern National Championships and the Lafayette College Open.  As an AAU wrestling competitor Mike was a seven time Virginian AAU State Champion.  He competed on the Virginia Freestyle Team vs. USSR in 1974 and the NJ AAU vs Poland in 1975. He is a 5‐time Masters National Champion.

As a head coach for over 20 years, Mike has a career head coaching record of 355‐125‐4, which includes a state championship team, two runner‐up teams, and 28 Virginia State Champions.   He was named the Conference Coach of the Year eight times,  the 1997 Central Virginia Coach of the Year, finalist for the Wrestling USA Magazine National High School Coach of the Year in 1998 and a recipient of the  Cape Henry Coaches Award in 2004 and the National Prep Tournament Neil Buckley Lifetime Service Award in 2005. Mike also coached various AAU Grand National Teams and Junior Olympic Teams to championships.

In the Virginia AAU, Mike was association/district vice president two different times, association/district governor for nine years and is still serving as the vice chairman of the wrestling committee.  At the national level he served on the Sullivan Award Committee for 8 years.   

Mike has received several awards throughout his career as a teacher and volunteer.  He was named to the National Who’s Who of Teachers in 1997 for Anatomy & Physiology and in 2003 for Chemistry.  He received the National AAU Wrestling Person of the Year Award in 1999, the AAU Presidential Leadership Award in 2000 and the Virginia AAU Volunteer of the Year Award in 2000 and again in 2003.  

Mike and his wife Liz reside in Norfolk, VA.  He has one teenaged daughter, Elaine.