Author Topic: Merrillville Semi State should be moved to (Read 4529 times)

julio · « **on:** March 04, 2012, 07:18:04 AM »

Mackey Arena. Being at the Big Ten's this weekend, this place is perfect for wrestling. 4 mats with a 360 degree view from everywhere. Warm up area and places set up to video tape and press boxes for newspapers.

tangarrray · « **Reply #1 on:** March 04, 2012, 07:51:33 AM »

I agree. Attended a different semi state this year and what a difference. You didn't need a shoe horn to fit into your seat plus they didn't need to clear the building to lower bleachers so you could pretty much stay in same spot all day without having to move your stuff. However, are there issues with the NCAA? Didn't they have to relocate a basketball tourney from Valpo U this season because a school may not host a high school event if they are recruiting an athlete that is participating in the event? Mackey would be great choice. I used to be against the move mainly because Merrillville was close but the event has outgrown the facility. A Lafayette area school would need to show interest in hosting too.

Cosgrove · « **Reply #2 on:** March 04, 2012, 09:52:43 AM »

hahahah Julio we were just talking about this

The Guru · « **Reply #3 on:** March 04, 2012, 11:08:36 AM »

IHSAA = a lot of dumb rules.

MattM · « **Reply #4 on:** March 04, 2012, 11:44:20 AM »

Quote from: tangarrray on March 04, 2012, 07:51:33 AM

However, are there issues with the NCAA? Didn't they have to relocate a basketball tourney from Valpo U this season because a school may not host a high school event if they are recruiting an athlete that is participating in the event?

Not sure on that rule but they have had girls volleyball finals many years at Ball State and girls basketball finals this year were at Indiana State.

tangarrray · « **Reply #5 on:** March 04, 2012, 11:48:19 AM »

It could be that the rule only applies to regular season events. Maybe someone knows for sure.

julio · « **Reply #6 on:** March 04, 2012, 04:06:27 PM »

You can't have all star or invitationals there as it could be deemed unfair recruiting tool.

BrennanFan · « **Reply #7 on:** March 04, 2012, 07:43:58 PM »

Sometimes it seems like the IHSAA only cares about money and not the athletes or families that attend the events.

observer · « **Reply #8 on:** March 04, 2012, 09:18:54 PM »

How about East Chicago? Have not been there in a while but I thought they had bleachers all the way around the top section. Just a thought.

jwkwrestler12 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 04, 2012, 09:36:02 PM »

Quote from: observer on March 04, 2012, 09:18:54 PM

How about East Chicago? Have not been there in a while but I thought they had bleachers all the way around the top section. Just a thought.

East Chicago would probably be the best place to have it. I believe it's in the top 5 biggest high school gyms in the nation.

MCKAJC · « **Reply #10 on:** March 04, 2012, 09:36:32 PM »

Quote from: observer on March 04, 2012, 09:18:54 PM

How about East Chicago? Have not been there in a while but I thought they had bleachers all the way around the top section. Just a thought.

And a good thought! The ECC facility is much larger than Mville, and would be far more fan friendly. Without question.

Wrestling Mole · « **Reply #11 on:** March 05, 2012, 05:19:54 AM »

And, East Chicago's athletic director is Bill Kelly, former NCAA wrestling champ from Iowa State

Schloesser · « **Reply #12 on:** March 05, 2012, 05:25:06 AM »

The staff and administrators at Merrillville are wonderful, but the facility is just too small.

WaltHarris · « **Reply #13 on:** March 05, 2012, 07:26:38 AM »

Back around 1991, a group of four of us coaches met quietly with the IHSAA. Merrillville was going to be remodeling their gym and it was questionable if the Semi-State could be at Merrillville that year. We saw it as an opportunity to finally get our kids out of that fire marshal's nightmare. We proposed three possible venues: Mackey-Purdue, Joyce-Notre Dame, Michigan City Rogers High. The IHSAA reps spent less than 20 minutes with us. They said a lady in the Merrillville Athletic Dept. (??-I can't recall her exact name, sorry) wanted the northwest wrestling Semi-State to stay at Merrillville and they would not take it from her. When we asked why, the IHSAA reps said they were comfortable with the 'fit' of wrestlers, coaches, fans within Merrillville's gym. When we asked if it was reasonable to keep thousands of people unhappy, so that one person could be happy, the reps simply responded again that they were comfortable with the fit.

B Campbell · « **Reply #14 on:** March 05, 2012, 07:38:51 AM »

"A Lafayette area school would need to show interest in hosting too."

I'm 100% sure Lafayette Jeff would love to host semi state!

MCKAJC · « **Reply #15 on:** March 05, 2012, 08:19:20 AM »

So... Let's look at the facts.

1. I'm sure all who have EVER attended would agree that the facility at Mville is very uncomfortable due to the fact that it's just not big enough to handle the semi-state.
2. There are other facilities in the general area that are far better suited to handle the crowd and the event itself.
3. I've never heard any complaints about this semi-state other than the complaints about the cramped conditions for wrestlers and fans being jammed into the facility.

I've heard a few stories this year from parents who didn't see their kids wrestle a match at Mville semi-state because they couldn't get a seat that enabled them to view the match.

The event has outgrown the facility. IHSAA needs to take control of this situation and make the move, REGARDLESS OF POLITICS!!

It's not working anymore. Let it go!!!!

But hey, as long as there is ONE PERSON at the Mville athletic dept. (Janis Qualizza) that the IHSSA doesn’t want to disappoint by moving the semi-state, by all means keep the thousands of other fans and wrestlers not only in misery, but in unsafe conditions. Are you kidding?

? WOW!! Isn't this a clear conflict of interest?

AJ · « **Reply #16 on:** March 05, 2012, 08:29:55 AM »

didnt the IHSAA let the Eville semistate move into a new venue this year?

if so, how were they able to get this done? Maybe the Mville people could use the same strategy.

Y2CJ41 · « **Reply #17 on:** March 05, 2012, 09:44:23 AM »

Quote from: AJ on March 05, 2012, 08:29:55 AM

didnt the IHSAA let the Eville semistate move into a new venue this year?

if so, how were they able to get this done? Maybe the Mville people could use the same strategy.

It would be extremely difficult to hold the Evansville Semi-State in Roberts Stadium anymore.

lpd096 · « **Reply #18 on:** March 05, 2012, 01:17:53 PM »

Janis Qualizza at Merrillville could care less about what is best for the sport of wrestling. It is all about her own agenda. As long as she sits on the IHSAA board, the SS will be held in the shoe box known as the M'ville Gym.

You can talk about how great the administration is, etc. but the bottom line is...Qualizza knows what the issues are and simply doesn't care.

Sad. Very sad.

bjax · « **Reply #19 on:** March 05, 2012, 07:27:49 PM »

I avoid the first two rounds at Merrillville because of the crowd. I am sure I am not the only one. The only way I would go is if I had a family member wrestling. It's a shame because the second round at semi-state is the most exciting round of the tournament. But if you're just attending strictly as a fan it is not feasible to go, unless you get the super early, and then you feel like you're taking a mother's spot. Just not a good situation in the first two rounds.

I heard Bobby Cox attended a while back and proclaimed that it was fine. I'm not sure where he sat. Sure, you can find a seat in the nosebleeds on the one side of the gym from which you can only see 2 mats, but who wants to do that. I tend to believe the people who say it is all about keeping one Merrillville person happy, because I can't think of any other reasonable explanation why it hasn't been changed after all these years.

chambers · « **Reply #20 on:** March 05, 2012, 07:57:31 PM »

Quote from: AJ on March 05, 2012, 08:29:55 AM

didnt the IHSAA let the Eville semistate move into a new venue this year?

if so, how were they able to get this done? Maybe the Mville people could use the same strategy.

The Evansville semistate was hosted at Roberts Stadium. Roberts Stadium is now closed. The Ford Center is now where the Evansville semistate is held. The same school and and same people still run the event.

horseofadifferentcolor · « **Reply #21 on:** March 05, 2012, 08:32:03 PM »

So what I gather from the few posts comparing Evansville's change in location to the situation in M'ville, someone just needs to convince Ms. Qualizza to build a new gym!! Problem solved!

MCKAJC · « **Reply #22 on:** March 05, 2012, 11:55:46 PM »

Quote from: bjax on March 05, 2012, 07:27:49 PM

I avoid the first two rounds at Merrillville because of the crowd.

What a shame. With the quality of wrestling at Mville, the wrestlers and the wrestling fans in NW Indiana deserve better than the self serving situation that exists. I've not been to the Ft. Wayne or Evansville Semi-State, but I have been to New Castle. And although we have better wrestling in Mville

(JK) the facility at New Castles Chrysler HS, puts Mvilles gym to shame. And that's a fact.

fire77 · « **Reply #23 on:** March 06, 2012, 05:55:15 AM »

Just another example of the IHSAA needing someone with a consciencs to oversee them. They have shown the kids or the sake of the sport is not inmportant to them only cash.

BrennanFan · « **Reply #24 on:** March 06, 2012, 09:48:06 AM »

Why not make an online petition and sticky it on this website? Everyone that attends the MVille semistate can sign it and we can present it to the IHSAA. Heck, why not just print out the hundreds of threads on the subject and show them how dissatisfied we are.

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Author Topic: Merrillville Semi State should be moved to (Read 4529 times)