I have always been against the idea of class wrestling and voted that I am still against it.
I really do understand why folks can be tempted toward the possibility of adapting our state to class wrestling.This subject is surely intriguing to anyone who is involved with any of the smaller school systems in the state.
Classes are common to almost all IHSAA sports and it is hard not to argue with the fact that most schools with high enrollment numbers typically have the most competitive programs.Other states have class wrestling, so why not do the same in Indiana as they have over the line in Illinois, Michigan etc.??
Raised in da region, I was first coached by John Pimentel at Hammond Scott / Morton before moving on to Merrillville and was very fortunate to have been coached by the late Tom Cameron.These were really huge programs and I grew up thinking I would never feel that class wrestling should exist anywhere, let alone in Indiana. I always loved how our system was set up.
At this point in my life, I have to admit, class wrestling actually started to really sound good to me as I coached our small varsity squad at Carroll (Flora) this year. For us, it was an accomplishment to have a full roster this year and begin building our foundation for a stronger program as we move forward.
Growing up in wrestling programs which were among the largest in the state and now having the opportunity to be coaching at a small 1A school, has made this subject more important to me now than ever before.
The bottom line is, in wrestling, if you truly desire to reach the pinnacle of the sport, you have to win against all competitors, from anywhere in the world.
Wrestling in Indiana prepares you to become a champion anywhere and adapting the state to classes would diminish the amount of top quality wrestlers our state produces.
I do believe the IHSWCA team state class championship has its place, is good for the sport and it would be great if it was expanded to a statewide playoff series of duals to include even more teams.
That being said though, the unique legacy we have in Indiana with the IHSAA Individual State Championship Tournament series should remain unchanged forever.