awood1

He quit cold turkey several years ago. For the record, that one was taken with two weapons.... started with a .44 mag and finished with a bow at close range

Let me first say I in no way am putting down anybody in particular or acting like I’m the role model cause I’m the furthest from perfect, but I really think coaches need to take a step back and look in the mirror and realize our wrestlers watch our lives more than they listen to our words. I’ve been blessed at Plymouth to coach with coaches that in many years have impacted hundreds of lives. I’ve never heard a foul word out of their mouth nor is any wrestler aloud to use profanity. Their goal is always create young men of integrity first and champions in life then champions on the mat. I’m amazed when I see and hear coaches and athletes cuss back and forth.....see wrestlers yell at refs.....throw things in anger and nothing is done. On a positive I’ve watched people I respect and look up to like coach Snyder get in wrestlers faces yet put his arm around them and build them up....coach Harper from little kids to high schoolers speak life into his kids yet in their face. I don’t know a man in the world that loves winning more than coach Read or a man that hates to lose more than him but you ask anyone that’s gone through his program in 30 plus years and you will hear nothing but the utmost respect because of the integrity he walks in. Coaches your integrity is the most 8mportant part of your job with the kids we have in front of us. Impact lives. As our coach always says....”Do the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do”. Your reputation is what others think of you but your character is what people see and you really are. It’s time coaches we lead from the front! 

RSN will be covering the finals of the DAC conference tomorrow

The Jim Nicholson Invite, formerly the Elkhart Memorial Charger Invite, has always been a tip of the hat to the wrestling community in Northern Indiana.  Coach Nick, as we always called him, was as fierce a competitor as he was a friend.  If your team was invited to the Charger Invite it was a compliment to the coach and the friendship you shared with Jim.  If you were an official working the tournament you were hand-picked by him, mostly out of respect for you body of work.  Jim ran the tournament hospitality like a holiday party at this home.  He wanted everyone to come hungry (for food and competition) and leave happy.  The tournament is bracketed in pools to ensure everyone gets 5 matches when all spots are filled.  The management alwasys keeps everything on schedule.  The food was always the show stopper.  Coach Nick always allowed the parents to flex their culinary skills once a year.  The hospitality room was something to write home about.  If the schedule ever ran over it was due to an extended lunch break, and no one ever complained.  Coach was a very wise man.  Many of the teams involved would meet again at Sectional.  This tournament provided head-to-head competition that kept the seeding meeting arguments to a minimum in January.  Every detail of the tournament had to meet his high standards.  That went for his team, as well.  As one of his athletes you wanted to perform well.  As it was during my high school career, and well into adulthood, greater than any medal or ribbon were the words you wanted to hear from Coach Nick - I'm proud of you.  As all too many of us already know, cancer is a son-of-a-bitch.  Even as his time on earth grew short you could find him on or near a mat in Elkhart County any day of the week.  The pump he carried strapped over his shoulder was a reminder of what a tough human-being he really was; or maybe instead, just a reminder of what wrestling meant to him...

There's some solid parenting.  Just don't be a snowflake when someone takes the role of raising your kids and tells them to watch their language and shut their pinhole later when they're talking like a truck driver in public 

My kids are well versed in what is acceptable language and what is appropriate where.  They were also taught that you shouldn't ignore unacceptable behavior simply because "everybody's doing it" or it is awkward to correct.  The post your original response was directed to described the broadcast as "definitely not kid friendly".  Only ignorance would believe that HS kids don't curse BUT it is a reasonable expectation by any responsible adult that any kid can understand the context of being broadcast across the world wide web and considering that ANYONE could be listening.
A simple reminder should be all that's neccessary to correct the situation.  Pretending that everyone that may be listening to a HS wrestling match should be accepting of foul language as part of it is ignoring the problem and failing the kids in question.  If you let it go as "just what kids do", then you have no expectation of anything better out of them.  It may not be comfortable, but I think the kids deserve to be told when they're f'in up.
*Even this forum has *corrective measures" for inappropriate language....for a reason.

There's some solid parenting.  Just don't be a snowflake when someone takes the role of raising your kids and tells them to watch their language and shut their pinhole later when they're talking like a truck driver in public 

My kids are well versed in what is acceptable language and what is appropriate where.  They were also taught that you shouldn't ignore unacceptable behavior simply because "everybody's doing it" or it is awkward to correct.  The post your original response was directed to described the broadcast as "definitely not kid friendly".  Only ignorance would believe that HS kids don't curse BUT it is a reasonable expectation by any responsible adult that any kid can understand the context of being broadcast across the world wide web and considering that ANYONE could be listening.
A simple reminder should be all that's neccessary to correct the situation.  Pretending that everyone that may be listening to a HS wrestling match should be accepting of foul language as part of it is ignoring the problem and failing the kids in question.  If you let it go as "just what kids do", then you have no expectation of anything better out of them.  It may not be comfortable, but I think the kids deserve to be told when they're f'in up.
*Even this forum has *corrective measures" for inappropriate language....for a reason.

It is far from a done deal.  It is just becoming more and more apparent that more needs to be done.  We are working to figure out what the best course of action is going to be, but can tell you that something has to change.  We had fifteen messages sent through from TW about the issues at a couple tables.  Unfortunately they did not respond with the actual table numbers. 
Here is the biggest issue.  We have to beg people to work the tables.  Teams turn in a list of people and then for some reason they are unavailable to do the jobs so we have to ask the general public to assist.  There was even a point where I had to sit at a table as one of the event management.  And hopefully there was no issues with talking at the 3A finals match.  If there was, I am probably in trouble myself. Haha.
Honestly I love working tables, as evident that I work Big Tens and NCAAs (volunteer). But for me, running tournaments and coaching still have my heart more.

In other events I have found that having a decent play by play persons communication information throughout the match helps a lot to eliminate or at least drown out a lot of those background conversation.
But that involves finding a quality person or two for each mat. That is sometimes a tall task for a multi-surface event when tournament help in general is hard to come by.  
 
You may have to turn off the mics for the opening rounds since a lot is going on and help is stretched.  But maybe a couple useful play by play people can be found for at least the the finals.  Or even a few of the top semi finals matches too. 

My kids are well versed in what is acceptable language and what is appropriate where.  They were also taught that you shouldn't ignore unacceptable behavior simply because "everybody's doing it" or it is awkward to correct.  The post your original response was directed to described the broadcast as "definitely not kid friendly".  Only ignorance would believe that HS kids don't curse BUT it is a reasonable expectation by any responsible adult that any kid can understand the context of being broadcast across the world wide web and considering that ANYONE could be listening.
A simple reminder should be all that's neccessary to correct the situation.  Pretending that everyone that may be listening to a HS wrestling match should be accepting of foul language as part of it is ignoring the problem and failing the kids in question.  If you let it go as "just what kids do", then you have no expectation of anything better out of them.  It may not be comfortable, but I think the kids deserve to be told when they're f'in up.
*Even this forum has *corrective measures" for inappropriate language....for a reason.

Nice strawman argument, but I'd rather stay on topic.  When I'm standing behind your kid in line at concessions, with pre-schoolers or grandparents, and he/she is dropping f bombs.  Don't be shocked when I do your job of parenting for you.

HAHA after 3 decades of ref bashing, awood2 jumps in and steals my thunder!!  
All those years of hanging over the rail telling refs that everything from their eyesight to their hairline was fading, but none as fast their officiating skills!  Awood2 makes a simple observation that kids (dare I say athletes) deserve a certain level of consistency and BAM!!  Pandemonium ensues and the topic goes viral!!  I had to cut dreadlocks mat side to butt hurt as many people!
Tubcutter would be proud.

Let’s face it... when we are around our friends we all say stuff that we wouldn’t say in a million years in public your to the masses. I’m not making excuses for these volunteers. They shouldn’t have said that stuff. Sounds like they simply needed to be reminded that people at home can hear them. During my years doing all of this I have seen this addressed in multiple ways. I have seen signs taped to the tables that remind the table help that they are being listened to. I have been to tournaments where the announcers remind table help that they can be listened to online. And lastly (which I absolutely hate) is all mics are muted. I would suggest going with the first two suggestions, and if it is an issue next year move in to number 3. Hope this helps. 

There's some solid parenting.  Just don't be a snowflake when someone takes the role of raising your kids and tells them to watch their language and shut their pinhole later when they're talking like a truck driver in public 

There's some solid parenting.  Just don't be a snowflake when someone takes the role of raising your kids and tells them to watch their language and shut their pinhole later when they're talking like a truck driver in public 

There's some solid parenting.  Just don't be a snowflake when someone takes the role of raising your kids and tells them to watch their language and shut their pinhole later when they're talking like a truck driver in public 

There's some solid parenting.  Just don't be a snowflake when someone takes the role of raising your kids and tells them to watch their language and shut their pinhole later when they're talking like a truck driver in public 

You should have been around in the 70's when the weight cutting rituals were medieval...

HAHA after 3 decades of ref bashing, awood2 jumps in and steals my thunder!!  
All those years of hanging over the rail telling refs that everything from their eyesight to their hairline was fading, but none as fast their officiating skills!  Awood2 makes a simple observation that kids (dare I say athletes) deserve a certain level of consistency and BAM!!  Pandemonium ensues and the topic goes viral!!  I had to cut dreadlocks mat side to butt hurt as many people!
Tubcutter would be proud.

Pass

Lol we’re all allowed to be confident in our guys aren’t we? I’m sure if you had some highly ranked guys from Avon going up against other highly ranked guys, you’d certainly give them a fighting chance.
For what it’s worth, I love Jesse’s style and hope he has a very successful wrestling career. I just don’t think he has a cakewalk against a returning state champion, and if he does.... very good for him. 

The toughest tournament in Indiana hands down!!! Glad to be back in this

Unfortunately this is how he and his ilk conduct themselves when discussing a controversial issue. Beacon of tolerance and diversity...unless it's diversity of opinion. In that case, they have no tolerance. His rebuttal will be he doesn't tolerate, "racist behavior," never mind there is not one piece of evidence that would suggest this incident has anything to do with racism other than the wrestler involved is black. Any fair-minded person would see that the coach, wrestler, and official all play a part in this unfortunate incident but somehow the coach and kid get a pass and the official is the racist boogey-man. At the end of the day, the kid did not report legally equipped to wrestle and the official enforced the rule. The kid could have forfeited the match and then made sure he had a legal head cover for the next meet. He chose to cut his hair mat-side which is on him and his coach. Yes, this should have been resolved at weigh-ins and the official is at fault for that mistake. Again, all three parties are at fault for this debacle. 

It is easy to blame officials for not checking at weigh ins. I get that they are the ruling authority figure at the tournament so they do deserve some blame--it is, of course, part of their duties. But I am shocked how quickly we are to point the finger at the official. What about the wrestler's responsibility to properly groom him/herself? It also is a responsibility of the coach to verify that their wrestlers are groomed, properly equipped and ready to wrestle.
That is part of my issue with this NJ incident. Where is the personal responsibility of the wrestler? Why has his coach not worked with him to obtain legal hair covering? This wasn't a rule change this year. The rule that hair covering must attach to the headgear it at least 2-3 years old. Why has he been allowed to slide this long? Other officials should have enforced the rule. Then you wouldn't have the "well they him wrestle last week" excuse I am seeing many use and maybe he'd have the proper equipment.
It is a point of emphasis this year that officials are not to allow illegal equipment (like hair covering that doesn't attach), so the ref wasn't in the wrong in the ruling on the mat. It just should have been addressed earlier. According to the NYT coverage an official who graduated from Johnson's school had warned them that the hair cover wasn't legal the week prior.
I get that the ref has had the past experience/suspension with using the racial slur. That isn't ok. There isn't room for hatred and racism in the ranks of officials in the sport. If they deem he should lose his license because of that, I can understand and support that ruling. But I doubt that most of the outrage wouldn't be the same or similar had he not had that happen. People on social media were quick to respond prior to that fact coming to light.
I don't want any wrestler to feel as if this sport isn't for them or that the rules don't allow them to express themselves (including having whatever hairstyle they want). Our sport is one of the most inclusive sports when it comes to accommodations for contestants. How many sports allow a 5' 100 lb participant to be able to contribute as much as a 6'6" 250 lb participant? How many other sports allow for female and male athletes to compete against each other? We allow all participants to wrestle with accommodation if need be. I can't think of another sport that alters rules so that visually impaired contestants can compete with those who aren't and that allows contestants without limbs to compete freely. I know there are religions that don't permit shaving or cutting of the hair, wrestling allows those individuals to compete using legal coverings or facemasks.
If wearing your hair in dreadlocks or a Mississippi Mudflap (mullet for those who aren't familiar) help you express yourself, wear your hair like that to your heart's content. Just please use the proper hair covering.