Leaderboard

The 15/13 or 16/14 is a good proposal to help participation numbers but I would argue that if you could combine participation with more success, you would start to move the needle on both participation and forfeits. The best way to do this is to implement the 15/13 or 16/14 proposal along with class wrestling. For those of you who want to argue, "class wrestling," please save your fingers the trouble. I am injecting the class piece for the sake of participation and success. I was very much against class wrestling when I wrestled at Crown Point but I did a 180 when I took over a 1A program in 2011. If you want to submit that class wrestling would not increase participation and success, I'm all ears.

Here’s my take: I have always believed in numbers make you better. At Adams Central we had max 200 boys. Obviously, some of them have to play basketball but we had several years 50 participants. The reason was not an excellent coach but providing an opportunity to compete. We had a varsity, JV an C team schedule and tournaments for all. I had several young men who I would have liked to have been the “extra.” When I was at FW South, we struggled to have 20 and fill all the weights but we had some great “backups” that I would have liked to have as “extras.” At New Haven we averaged about 36 but had a few years when we would forfeit a weight. Again, I would have loved to place a “backup” as an “extra.” When I finished at South Adams we had 18 and struggled to fill all the weights but we had some excellent “backups.” I have always said that wrestling will be the hardest thing a student will ever do (paraphrasing Gable) but giving students an opportunity to compete, that’s what keeps them and brings others along with them.

The main thing I'm looking a with a 16/14 or 15/13 rule would be participation and more specifically retention of athletes. If I had a $1 for every kid that retired early due to seeing the writing on the wall that they wouldn't be varsity I would be rich. Kids aren't going to put in the work to be JV as a junior and senior and I honestly don't blame them. At the small schools this would help with the JV kids that are stuck in the middle especially when they have small number anyway. There is a forfeit problem, but the problem isn't the weight classes it's a participation problem. We need to get kids out for the sport and keep them out at the same time. Giving them an opportunity to wrestle in the state series is a healthy carrot to stick in front of them to keep them working hard and in the sport.

That’s is a good cause , thank you guys for that. Maybe one day we will be a a situation where we need them. But right now we have thousands of ventilators that have nobody to use them.

That would be Tom Flemming but I don't think he was ranked #1. For some reason I thought he was #3.