To: Los Gatos School District Governing Board
Save our Wrestling Coach: Ricardo Garcia
We are concerned that the LGHS Athletic Director, Kenny Perrotti, has removed Ricardo Garcia as the head wrestling coach to enable rich LG families to "buy" a new head coach and ruin the brotherhood and WINNING team that Ricardo Garcia has created in three years as our head coach. We are calling on the school district to conduct a thorough investigation into any allegations made by Mr. Perrotti concerning Mr. Garcia to the Governing Board.
Why is this important?
We cannot believe any truthfully informed Governing Board would take such an action for the following reasons:
1. Since Ricardo Garcia took over the coaching position the record of our school wrestling program has improved exponentially. Three years ago, the team had one win with 5 losses in league and was 36th in the Central Coast Section Championships. The last two years the team has finished with 5 wins and one loss in league. In the CCS, the team has finished top 7 in the section.
2. Mr. Garcia has shown organizational skills unmatched by others. For example, he has created a club that sends our young wrestlers to other countries for cultural exchanges programs. In 2016, the LG Wrestling Club visited Santiago, Cuba. In 2017, the club traveled to Guadalajara, México. This summer 2018, the club will be traveling to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. Over the last three years, over 50 LG Wrestling Club members have traveled abroad on exchange teams through these programs.
3. He has created procedures and safeguards for our wrestlers that are unmatched by other schools. He organized a binder with safety data sheets that provide vital information with all the chemicals that are used in the wrestling room. In addition, he prepared a sanitation log that required staff members to sign and document each time the room was used and properly cleaned for the next group of wrestlers.
4. He has the respect of all the wrestling coaches in our district. The coaches at Wilcox, Fremont, Milpitas, Gunn, to name a few.
5. He has national and international wrestling experience at the highest levels that give our students the best chance for success. He was a Junior College All American Wrestler, competed in the 1994 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Finals, represented México in the 1990 World Championships, finished 4th in the Pan American Championships nearly qualifying for the 2000 Olympics. Over the last ten years, he has traveled with over 250wrestlers to the following countries: México, Spain, Perú, Japan, Cuba, and Ecuador.
6. We believe that Mr. Perrotti has removed Mr. Garcia to bring in another wrestling coach from outside the district because a few rich people want the coach of their choice. That is Greg Varella the former coach at Gilroy High School.
7. While our culture worships money, we believe that allowing this to happen sends the wrong message to our students regarding honor, hard work and integrity.
8. We are outraged that this had been done in secret and behind closed doors. Coach Garcia deserves better.