decbell1 Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Great interview. This is the reason that this website is way above the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
base Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Great job, can't believe you didn't slip the class discussion in there! By the way, it's "Commissioner" -- no 'H' in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 Seems like he at least had some decent things to address and/or did enough research to get him by. However, I wouldn't mind hearing a little more clarification on this statement. "With that said I have concerns regarding the health and safety of our student athletes and issues related to competition." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingo Brigade Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 Nice work, Joe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samaj Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 I would guess he is concerned over the staph and other skin conditions that we are seeing more and more of in our sport. It is a disturbing trend that seems to get a little worse each year. We need to get a better handle on this issue as coaches. As far as issues with competition, he obviously doesn't think the all day saturday tournaments are doing much to grow our sport and make it more wrestler and fan friendly and he probably has a sour taste in his mouth over the issues he sees every year in the state tournament that have ranged from fixing weigh in sheets, to cheating on weight control program issues, to forfeiting or wrestling JV teams in team regionals, etc. etc. the list goes on and on and we continue to do it to ourselves as coaches. It is a love hate relationship the IHSAA has with our sport. These are all issues they dont have to worry about in other sports. Just my two cents... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decbell1 Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 I think the thing I was most impressed with was his analysis of the schedule. I have noticed this a lot with Bellmont's crowd lately. There are very few "diehards" that are willing to sit through 8 hours of wrestling. I love the weeknight dual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maligned Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 I posted these thoughts before, but it still bothers me. Sorry if you've read my opinion on this before: Bobby Cox's comment in the Toe to Joe interview that suggested wrestlebacks only "add to an already long program," should have come with a sidenote that said, "but we're willing to lengthen it if it brings in more revenue." After begging for wrestlebacks at semistate for years and being told it would take too long, the wrestling community sees the IHSAA add the fourth place regional wrestlers to the semi-state first round last year with no input from anyone. These extra matches easily take longer than the one wrestleback round with 2 matches per weight that would have required extra time for wrestlebacks from the quarterfinals in the previous system (the first wrestleback round could have been run simultaneously with semifinals). Know why? Simple math: More wrestlers = more parents = more money at the gate. So in summary: $$$ > wrestling community's wishes; $$$ > program of reasonable length; $$$ > getting the top kids to state for the most competitive state finals possible. I get it. The IHSAA needs money to do the very important work that they do for Indiana athletics. Just be honest about the real reasons for your decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 I posted these thoughts before, but it still bothers me. Sorry if you've read my opinion on this before: Bobby Cox's comment in the Toe to Joe interview that suggested wrestlebacks only "add to an already long program," should have come with a sidenote that said, "but we're willing to lengthen it if it brings in more revenue." After begging for wrestlebacks at semistate for years and being told it would take too long, the wrestling community sees the IHSAA add the fourth place regional wrestlers to the semi-state first round last year with no input from anyone. These extra matches easily take longer than the one wrestleback round with 2 matches per weight that would have required extra time for wrestlebacks from the quarterfinals in the previous system (the first wrestleback round could have been run simultaneously with semifinals). Know why? Simple math: More wrestlers = more parents = more money at the gate. So in summary: $$$ > wrestling community's wishes; $$$ > program of reasonable length; $$$ > getting the top kids to state for the most competitive state finals possible. I get it. The IHSAA needs money to do the very important work that they do for Indiana athletics. Just be honest about the real reasons for your decisions. I think you hit the nail on the head. Taking 4 from Regionals is all about revenue, where as leaving it at three, but giving wrestlebacks wouldn't increase gate receipts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smooth34 Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 I think the thing I was most impressed with was his analysis of the schedule. I have noticed this a lot with Bellmont's crowd lately. There are very few "diehards" that are willing to sit through 8 hours of wrestling. I love the weeknight dual. If one was concerned about the health and safety of these student-athletes, why would more weeknight duals make more sense. Asking kids to make weight multiple times a week just isn't a great idea. Many kids don't eat or drink anything all day so they can make weight that evening. What makes sense about that? While all-day tournaments don't make sense for the fans, they make the most sense for the wrestlers. I like to see a lot more tournaments, with some week night duals mixed in. Just my two cents.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galagore Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Just a thought to chew on...how might that have gone differently if it had taken place this week instead of last week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galagore Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Just a thought to chew on...how might that have gone differently if it had taken place this week instead of last week? Whoa, merging of two threats...sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlyn Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 If one was concerned about the health and safety of these student-athletes, why would more weeknight duals make more sense. Asking kids to make weight multiple times a week just isn't a great idea. Many kids don't eat or drink anything all day so they can make weight that evening. What makes sense about that? While all-day tournaments don't make sense for the fans, they make the most sense for the wrestlers. I like to see a lot more tournaments, with some week night duals mixed in. Just my two cents.... I wrestled in the DAC. We were required to wrestle every other team in the conference in a night dual, which added up to be 7 weeknight duals. We never had any extraordinary problems with making weight. If you can't make weight twice in a week, then you should probably move up a class. Super duals are killing wrestling. Unless it's the Traicoff or Bellmont or maybe a couple other ones out of the hundreds across the state, super duals are incredibly boring. Why would any casual fan, who doesn't have a kid wrestling, come to sit through a super dual? Night duals are so much more exciting and fan friendly. But I do agree at the very least that if you're not going to increase weeknight duals you should at least change super duals to regular individual tournaments. With individual tournaments, the casual fan can just come for the finals and see some really good wrestling while only having to be there for a couple hours. Finally, as a wrestler, I didn't much like the one or two super duals that we competed in. Five matches in a day is a lot and by the fifth dual there was no intensity and everyone was just going through the motions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galagore Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 If you can't make weight twice in a week, then you should probably move up a class. Dead-on balls accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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