State Finals. Why the breaks?

[TakeTheShot]

I have been to the state finals every year since early 2000s and I don’t recall ever waiting for each weight class to finish for the next to start.  Rarely is the last match the one that has everyone’s interest. I find it to be a momentum killer. 
 

Obviously, placement matches are different and we should wait for those

 

Don’t get me started on the Friday afternoon  1.5 hour break between “sessions.”  If they aren’t really sessions, where you can leave and return, don’t schedule it as such. 
 

So far, been a lot of great matches though and the waits have been worth it, just not necessary. 

[Grover]

I like doing the weight classes at the same time.  That keeps me from having two wrestlers from my school going at the same time.

[RAJR]

I like them as well. Miss fewer matches and easier to follow who is wrestling since only 1 weight class is on the mats.

[SWINfan]

Count me in the group that really likes holding the mats to keep each class together.  At SS, invariably, there is one mat that's always ahead and you look down and you've got 160 on one mat and 195 on another with the other two in between.  Keeps it clean, IMO

[casualwrestlingfan]

Like keeping the classes together, but the split session on Friday needs to go. We need to get wrestle backs from sectional to state whether that means adding another week between sectionals & regionals to do so. Start Friday morning at 9 and have wrestle backs to 3rd. Friday make it 16 to 12 then 12 to 8 to wrap Friday night up.

[TakeTheShot]

Empty mats lead to less fans in the seats in my opinion.  Ghost town by the time heavies go. 

[MattM]

21 minutes ago, TakeTheShot said:

Empty mats lead to less fans in the seats in my opinion.  Ghost town by the time heavies go. 

I think weight by weight matches are way easier to enjoy the event than the constant t scramble to figure out who was up where.  As long as things don’t go to midnight I say keep it this way.  I do agree though they could stop the break between Fridays 1st and 2nd session.  Could easily start a few hours later so more people could watch in person or online, run it straight through, and still get done at a decent time. 

 

The empty seats near the upper weights in the past were much more a result of people clearing out around 182 so they could go get a fast lunch and then scramble for seats for the placement round.  With assigned seats I think you get a much better chance of people sticking around for those matches.

 

And it seems like session isn’t going that much longer than previous years. You maybe have a concern to be worried about if they were wrapping up at 4 but right now they will be done around 1:45 with plenty of time for fans to get food and return for placement matches by 4:30.  

Edited February 18, 2023 by MattM

[awill0352]

I like keeping the weights together.   Much easier to follow.  

[TakeTheShot]

Not really an either/or thing. All one weight class at a time doesn’t have to have empty mats. Keeping mats busy doesn’t have to allow 1 mat to fall behind.  
 

Most tourneys run first available anymore. Gives Whitehead a better chance to announce wrestlers, too. Doesn’t have to race through 8 names all at once. 
 

Just one guy’s opinion, I guess. Bringing it up since the crowd looks a little thin and seems more quiet this year. Forcing schools to scatter their crowds around the stadium probably doesn’t help that either. 

[awill0352]

That’s the worst part (seating).   Our school had a plan to get everyone in the same section.  W the issues on Ticketmaster the plan did not work.   We are spread out in  5-6 sections across the arena.  

[quinnsDAD]

Easily could have started at noon been done with entire first round by 4:30 took an hour break and still run thru quarters and been out of there by 9 latest. then wrestlebacks and semis at same time in morning another round of wrestlebacks break placements. Not sure what they pay for gamebridge if anything but take advantage of having it all day. two sessions on Friday took away all the excitement of Friday night, I will agree waiting on weight classes classes make it easier to keep up but that was half the fun.

[SWINfan]

 

3 minutes ago, quinnsDAD said:

Easily could have started at noon been done with entire first round by 4:30 took an hour break and still run thru quarters and been out of there by 9 latest. then wrestlebacks and semis at same time in morning another round of wrestlebacks break placements. Not sure what they pay for gamebridge if anything but take advantage of having it all day. two sessions on Friday took away all the excitement of Friday night, I will agree waiting on weight classes classes make it easier to keep up but that was half the fun.

I'll add in my annual rant which is only related in the sense of time.  The whole idea that consolation matches have a minute shaved off the first period to me is idiotic.  I get the necessity of doing so in a large tournament with full wrestlebacks, but here it makes no sense.  They aren't crunched for time so much that a match as important is earning a State Medal should be shortened.  

Count me in for one vote for no 1 minute 1st periods!!

[RAJR]

38 minutes ago, SWINfan said:

The whole idea that consolation matches have a minute shaved off the first period to me is idiotic. 

Agree, I think it should be full 2 minutes starting at Sectional. The consolations are important for team scores and placement for the following week. 1 minute can mean a lot in a match, more time to score and conditioning is a factor.

[SWINfan]

Just now, RAJR said:

Agree, I think it should be full 2 minutes starting at Sectional. The consolations are important for team scores and placement for the following week. 1 minute can mean a lot in a match, more time to score and conditioning is a factor.

I've always felt that.  It's not like we're working with a 128 person bracket w/ full wrestlebacks that has to be done in 2 days. If the match counts toward something, don't cut it short!

[MattM]

59 minutes ago, SWINfan said:

 

I'll add in my annual rant which is only related in the sense of time.  The whole idea that consolation matches have a minute shaved off the first period to me is idiotic.  I get the necessity of doing so in a large tournament with full wrestlebacks, but here it makes no sense.  They aren't crunched for time so much that a match as important is earning a State Medal should be shortened.  

Count me in for one vote for no 1 minute 1st periods!!

I believe at one point the rule book said you could have either a 2 or 1 minute first period. But 1 minute became so common that at some point it was adjusted to says 1 minute.  I agree 2 minutes should be standard for at least the state tournament series.  A lot more scoring actions tends to occur with 2 minutes over 1.