Coach Hull

@Sig40 -
 
Yes, we train in freestyle.  Just not enough.  Here is the issue: Not enough kids are at the local tournaments because they don't want to wrestle 3 matches. There is not enough competition. I absolutely get it and would struggle with the same thing as a wrestler and parent. It irks me and I'm neither, but as one of Indiana's National Team Coaches who pushes these styles it sucks equally as much if not more. So, this consequently leads to not enough schools offering freestyle tournaments because there aren't enough participants. They essentially lose money on freestyle tournaments.  Now, you don't have enough participants OR tournaments. It's a catch 22.  
 
The reason why the 2 match requirement is such an inconvenience for wrestling families is because it conflicts with bigger, oftentimes national folkstyle, events and there aren't too many other local freestyle tournaments or weekends to choose from. That's a problem.  Right now, in Indiana, our F/G season is essentially 2 months long, but with USAW Folkstyle Nationals, it's basically 1 month. 1 MONTH!!!!  That is a shame, and it's unacceptable IF we want to consistently beat the top 5% in the country.  12 months out of the year and we only REALLY get after these styles for one month but expect to be in the top 5%?  Not possible where Indiana is right now.  Oklahoma, Illinois, etc etc.  The states that focus on Freestyle and Greco do so almost immediately.  Colorado is perfect example.  Those kids have gotten better and better over the years because they made some tough decisions to focus on F/G and it's changing the culture and their results.  Arizona is another state in that same boat.
 
With all due respect to RWA, Tsirtsis, Hawkins, etc. their last national cadet or junior freestyle champ was maybe Micic?  i could be wrong but he focuses on what?  Ask Stevan if he thinks training in freestyle helps him more or going to a folkstyle tournament.  Can RWA offer the training needed to win a title?  Yes, and it's been proven on multiple occasions.  What then do we do for the rest of the state?.  RWA helps the RWA kids, but again the ISWA has to focus on the entire state.  
 
Requiring a 2 tournament qualifier helps schools have confidence in hosting more freestyle tournaments and raise funds, it helps the wrestlers have more competition, etc.  Is it an invonvenience because one doesn't like being MADE to do something, and I get it. I really do.  Kids and coaches don't necessarily like certifying for a weight, or taking the skin fold test to determine what weight they can or cannot go, knowing they could cut the weight, but it's done for the safety of the kids.  When they first started doing that it was a MASSIVE inconvenience, especially for older coaches used to running their program a certain way.  But times change, along with priorities, more and more people are getting used to it and it now comes with the territory.  That is exactly the stage we are in as a state in regards to F/G. 
 
Lastly, trust I am not underestimating the talent in Indiana.   Indiana has a lot of talent....but talent has nothing to do with. I am there first hand, mat side, seeing us get whooped consistently, seeing kids fall short of their hopes, not because they didnt wrestle tough, but because they were outclassed.  And understand I am talking about Indiana vs. the top 5% in the country, not just national competition.  There is talent in Maine but talent alone doesnt get you very far.  One must build on that talent.  I am talented at playing chess but if I am missing pieces then there is only so much I can do, regardless of how good I am.
 
I respect your thoughts and believe I understand what you are trying to say:  you don't like being made to do something it sounds like is the bottom line.  But what you are also proposing is to go wrestle folkstyle tournaments nationally, and then your FIRST freestyle tournament is the Schoolboy Duals against national competition - and expect perform at your maximum level?  I don't believe that is the best formula for national success again the BEST.  Could your wrestler go undefeated at Schoolboys? Absolutely.  But to expect that same success using your proposed formula against the top Cadets and Juniors is false.  Still, like you said, it is absolutely your decision and that's fair.  But when said wrestler maxes out that potential and is having trouble against the best Cadet and Juniors in the country, when it REALLY counts, understand this is when their lack of training in the international styles shows it's face.  
 
I hope I am not coming across brash or pushy, and I do not intend in anyway to belittle anyone or anything.  I am glad we are having this discussion and Indiana wrestling is reading this.  This discourse is what helps us all.  Knowing is half the battle (in my G.I.Joe voice).  Again, I am not referring to Indiana having national success, I am referring to Indiana having success against the top 5% in the country - consistently.  

For those that care, Deondre is back home training hard for Juniors and University Nationals.  He has a dozen or so offers from several interested schools and right now we are just focused on getting him better as he should be out of here before the summer.
 
He was ranked first and he did have an incident a couple weeks before Regionals with an opposing wrestler, but he was awarded the win.  He sat the next match due to internal discipline for that incident, and wrestled the last match of the season. However, unknowingly to NIC, the opposing school went back several days later and changed the results from him winning 10-3 to him being DQd - ultimately resulting in him and his coach missing the Regionals getting EXTRA screwed. They were basically looking to get him out of the mix because he was the clear cut favorite, he was an easy target and the opportunity presented itself. NIC protested to the national association, lost, and that was that.  
 
His freshman year he went in ranked 8th, smashed through his competition, beating almost a dozen tough D1 opponents along the way and worked his way up to ranking 3rd in NJCAA.  However, he suffered a knee injury at Vegas early in the year during his win against Jade Rauser, continued to wrestle throughout the season on it, but eventually had to have surgery which ended his season before Regionals his freshman year. He was ranked 3rd when he ended that season. I'd like to believe he would have won that title as well but that's how it goes.
 
Clearly I'm biased but his spirits are up, he's dialed in, and has even more to prove to himself and the world both on and off the mat. It was disappointing on several fronts but there is a lesson to be learned: just win the match and walk away, regardless of how much crap the fans, opponents or whoever throws at you.  Strategies and tactics become very important when wrestling a dominant wrestler, and if there is a weakness, like a relatively short fuse, then it will be exploited. He's dealt with it plenty as many know, and I 've seen him pass 98% of the time.  But that 1-2% will cost you so you have to keep things in perspective.  Although it was the catalyst to the extra screwing he got, he understands it starts with him - unfortunately at the price of a potential national championship.  
 
One of the things that makes him so tough on the mat is his attitude of fighting for everything, and that is also one of his biggest weaknesses. Lol.  He is a very passionate wrestler, wrestling with his heart more than his head sometimes. It isn't his fault it's in him really but that is the beauty of our sport: it teaches us so much about life, adversity, success and failure, how to keep striving to get better, etc. Wishing him and expecting the best. 

For those that care, Deondre is back home training hard for Juniors and University Nationals.  He has a dozen or so offers from several interested schools and right now we are just focused on getting him better as he should be out of here before the summer.
 
He was ranked first and he did have an incident a couple weeks before Regionals with an opposing wrestler, but he was awarded the win.  He sat the next match due to internal discipline for that incident, and wrestled the last match of the season. However, unknowingly to NIC, the opposing school went back several days later and changed the results from him winning 10-3 to him being DQd - ultimately resulting in him and his coach missing the Regionals getting EXTRA screwed. They were basically looking to get him out of the mix because he was the clear cut favorite, he was an easy target and the opportunity presented itself. NIC protested to the national association, lost, and that was that.  
 
His freshman year he went in ranked 8th, smashed through his competition, beating almost a dozen tough D1 opponents along the way and worked his way up to ranking 3rd in NJCAA.  However, he suffered a knee injury at Vegas early in the year during his win against Jade Rauser, continued to wrestle throughout the season on it, but eventually had to have surgery which ended his season before Regionals his freshman year. He was ranked 3rd when he ended that season. I'd like to believe he would have won that title as well but that's how it goes.
 
Clearly I'm biased but his spirits are up, he's dialed in, and has even more to prove to himself and the world both on and off the mat. It was disappointing on several fronts but there is a lesson to be learned: just win the match and walk away, regardless of how much crap the fans, opponents or whoever throws at you.  Strategies and tactics become very important when wrestling a dominant wrestler, and if there is a weakness, like a relatively short fuse, then it will be exploited. He's dealt with it plenty as many know, and I 've seen him pass 98% of the time.  But that 1-2% will cost you so you have to keep things in perspective.  Although it was the catalyst to the extra screwing he got, he understands it starts with him - unfortunately at the price of a potential national championship.  
 
One of the things that makes him so tough on the mat is his attitude of fighting for everything, and that is also one of his biggest weaknesses. Lol.  He is a very passionate wrestler, wrestling with his heart more than his head sometimes. It isn't his fault it's in him really but that is the beauty of our sport: it teaches us so much about life, adversity, success and failure, how to keep striving to get better, etc. Wishing him and expecting the best. 

For those that care, Deondre is back home training hard for Juniors and University Nationals.  He has a dozen or so offers from several interested schools and right now we are just focused on getting him better as he should be out of here before the summer.
 
He was ranked first and he did have an incident a couple weeks before Regionals with an opposing wrestler, but he was awarded the win.  He sat the next match due to internal discipline for that incident, and wrestled the last match of the season. However, unknowingly to NIC, the opposing school went back several days later and changed the results from him winning 10-3 to him being DQd - ultimately resulting in him and his coach missing the Regionals getting EXTRA screwed. They were basically looking to get him out of the mix because he was the clear cut favorite, he was an easy target and the opportunity presented itself. NIC protested to the national association, lost, and that was that.  
 
His freshman year he went in ranked 8th, smashed through his competition, beating almost a dozen tough D1 opponents along the way and worked his way up to ranking 3rd in NJCAA.  However, he suffered a knee injury at Vegas early in the year during his win against Jade Rauser, continued to wrestle throughout the season on it, but eventually had to have surgery which ended his season before Regionals his freshman year. He was ranked 3rd when he ended that season. I'd like to believe he would have won that title as well but that's how it goes.
 
Clearly I'm biased but his spirits are up, he's dialed in, and has even more to prove to himself and the world both on and off the mat. It was disappointing on several fronts but there is a lesson to be learned: just win the match and walk away, regardless of how much crap the fans, opponents or whoever throws at you.  Strategies and tactics become very important when wrestling a dominant wrestler, and if there is a weakness, like a relatively short fuse, then it will be exploited. He's dealt with it plenty as many know, and I 've seen him pass 98% of the time.  But that 1-2% will cost you so you have to keep things in perspective.  Although it was the catalyst to the extra screwing he got, he understands it starts with him - unfortunately at the price of a potential national championship.  
 
One of the things that makes him so tough on the mat is his attitude of fighting for everything, and that is also one of his biggest weaknesses. Lol.  He is a very passionate wrestler, wrestling with his heart more than his head sometimes. It isn't his fault it's in him really but that is the beauty of our sport: it teaches us so much about life, adversity, success and failure, how to keep striving to get better, etc. Wishing him and expecting the best. 

For those that care, Deondre is back home training hard for Juniors and University Nationals.  He has a dozen or so offers from several interested schools and right now we are just focused on getting him better as he should be out of here before the summer.
 
He was ranked first and he did have an incident a couple weeks before Regionals with an opposing wrestler, but he was awarded the win.  He sat the next match due to internal discipline for that incident, and wrestled the last match of the season. However, unknowingly to NIC, the opposing school went back several days later and changed the results from him winning 10-3 to him being DQd - ultimately resulting in him and his coach missing the Regionals getting EXTRA screwed. They were basically looking to get him out of the mix because he was the clear cut favorite, he was an easy target and the opportunity presented itself. NIC protested to the national association, lost, and that was that.  
 
His freshman year he went in ranked 8th, smashed through his competition, beating almost a dozen tough D1 opponents along the way and worked his way up to ranking 3rd in NJCAA.  However, he suffered a knee injury at Vegas early in the year during his win against Jade Rauser, continued to wrestle throughout the season on it, but eventually had to have surgery which ended his season before Regionals his freshman year. He was ranked 3rd when he ended that season. I'd like to believe he would have won that title as well but that's how it goes.
 
Clearly I'm biased but his spirits are up, he's dialed in, and has even more to prove to himself and the world both on and off the mat. It was disappointing on several fronts but there is a lesson to be learned: just win the match and walk away, regardless of how much crap the fans, opponents or whoever throws at you.  Strategies and tactics become very important when wrestling a dominant wrestler, and if there is a weakness, like a relatively short fuse, then it will be exploited. He's dealt with it plenty as many know, and I 've seen him pass 98% of the time.  But that 1-2% will cost you so you have to keep things in perspective.  Although it was the catalyst to the extra screwing he got, he understands it starts with him - unfortunately at the price of a potential national championship.  
 
One of the things that makes him so tough on the mat is his attitude of fighting for everything, and that is also one of his biggest weaknesses. Lol.  He is a very passionate wrestler, wrestling with his heart more than his head sometimes. It isn't his fault it's in him really but that is the beauty of our sport: it teaches us so much about life, adversity, success and failure, how to keep striving to get better, etc. Wishing him and expecting the best. 

Whoa.  Let's slow down on boycotting freestyle state. This mindset is actually one of the reasons more of our kids aren't nationally ranked and why we aren't a top 5 state. The ISWA is not pushing kids away from getting nationally ranked. It's actually part of our objective.  Where most local coaches, fans and wrestlers are concerned with their school program, the ISWA, as a subsidiary of USAW and fueled in the OLYMPIC spirit, have the ENTIRE state to worry about.  To be fair, I don't think anyone is knowingly pushing kids away. Everyone wants the best for the state in some way, it's just that some people have different opinions on what it takes to be one of the best in the country.
 
I believe more of our kids are NOT nationally ranked because more of our kids do NOT wrestle - or win - where there are more nationally ranked kids. Specifically with our H.S./Cadet/Junior athletes, this means success at high-end tournaments like Fargo, UWW Cadet and Junior World Trials, Flo, Super 32, Walsh, Junior & Cadet Duals, USAW Regionals, etc. Indiana has a few guys that can wrestle with the best guys in the country, but we simply aren't deep enough.  Most of even our best kids are largely unequipped to consistently beat the nation's best and are usually outclassed, if not immediately, as these tournaments get into the later rounds. There are a variety of factors as to why this is so (class system, time, money, population, politics, etc) but I'll get right to it and say one of the biggest reasons we aren't ranked higher as a state is because we don't train in Freestyle and Greco enough. 
 
We primarily focus on Folkstyle because that is what we wrestle in school.  As a H.S. coach, their job is doing the best they can for that school's program.  IF the coach has time, which most usually don't, this essentially means a year-round program, developing a strong feeder system, keeping as many of them together as possible throughout the summer, training, bonding, strengthening that TEAM concept, camps, summer team competitions, etc.  If you want to build a high school dynasty these are some of the things that must be addressed in some capacity. This is very difficult to do for internal and external reasons. Tonte, Schoettle, Harper, Snyder, Schaeffer, Pendowski, etc. all are perfect examples of coaches who have been fortunate to get some things clicking and build great high school programs using these methods. Many of them will also tell you how vital Freestyle and Greco are as they push their kids to train in these styles as much as possible.  Yes, they have great programs and state ranked guys, but I'm 99% certain that every one of their NATIONALLY RANKED athletes wrestle Freestyle.
 
Unfortunately for the bulk of Indiana athletes versus the nation's best, because our primary focus is Folkstyle, this hampers our wrestler's growth as more nationally ranked kids wrestle Freestyle and Greco than not.  Can you become nationally ranked by being solely focused on Folkstyle?  Sure. I trained Nathan Boston for a few years, who already had some national success, but he stayed away from the international styles until I basically had to make him do it. Drew Hughes, Colton Cummings, and Blake Rypel don't really mess around with it as much as I'd like either - and that's ok. I know them all and have love for them all.  They rep Indiana so I rep them. Mason Parrish doesn't as well...yet. But I would also argue, and they've heard it directly from me and other credible sources, that they would be ranked even higher, and more dominant, if they did wrestle these styles as much as possible.
 
Not only do you have a higher chance of being nationally ranked with success in the international styles but more, and better, colleges will be recruiting you with this success. There are only a few Folkstyle tournaments after Folkstyle state out there that effect the national rankings.  Intermat and Flo don't even put that much stock into USAW Folkstyle Nationals. Aside from H.S. state, Flo, and maybe one or two more folkstyle events in the summer, the top, top, top college coaches and programs don't put that much stock in them either - because they prefer the well-rounded wrestlers that Freestyle and Greco PRODUCE.  
 
These folkstyle tournaments are alive, both locally and nationally, because the masses have to be fed - but the masses of our kids arent nationally ranked. There are absolutely a few nationally ranked guys at Disney Duals and other national folkstyle tournaments, and the top collegiate programs like Penn State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Minnesota, etc. just might send a letter to you if you win USAW Folkstyle Nationals.  On the other hand, you can actually go up and talk to John Smith, Brands, Sanderson, etc. personally because you'll SEE them at Fargo. 
 
Why Fargo? Because when you look at the majority of nationally ranked wrestlers - THEY WRESTLE FREESTYLE.  Yes, there are exceptions, but I am talking about the majority.  Plenty percentages have been thrown around so I am sure someone can look at Flo's Top Sophomore list and see the percentage of these guys who wrestle in the international styles. http://www.flowrestling.org/ranking/607-steveson-snags-top-sophomore-spot/2016-02-19/sophomore. Guess who is at the top of that list? Gable Steveson, and yes he is an avid freestyle and greco wrestler.  Look at Intermat's top 100 seniors and you'll see the same.  Are there guys on there who don't wrestle Folkstyle?  Sure.  But not the one's at the top.
 
How about this: Fans LOVED the CJ Red vs. Nick Lee match.   LOVED IT!  Highlight of the night!!!  Standing ovation before it even started! Let's make it the last match. Two of Indiana's absolute best, aaaaaaaaaaaand they train and wrestle avidly in the international styles.  Why?  It's not BECAUSE they are great, it's because they want to BE great. It helps them do just that and they'll tell you the same.  But most fans don't know this.  They see them from the stands, they get a quick picture if they're lucky, maybe even have a brief chat, rave about them online, but they only see the results and not the process. The process is about MAXIMIZING YOUR POTENTIAL. Will you get better training Folkstyle year-round?  Absolutely.  Will you almost double that progress by wrestling Freestyle and Greco? Yes you will.  Crunch those numbers and see for yourself.  Jordan Burroughs will tell you. So will Kyle Dake, David Taylor, Tony Ramos, Logan Stieber, Angel Escobedo, Jason AND Alex Tsirtsis, Andrew Howe, Stevan Micic, and so many others.  Don't take it from me. I know enough to know I don't know anything at all. Take it from them.
 
Deondre Wilson, former 2x undefeated state champ, started wrestling as a freshman. Some called him an athletic phenom.  He wasn't really, but he was programmed mentally and had just enough technique to win in Indiana at the time.  As soon as his freshman season was over, and every year after, we went to as many freestyle and greco tournaments as possible to double his output because we didn't have time to waste and I knew better.  His first summer of wrestling we sent him to Cadet world Team Trials (very funny at the time) knowing he wouldnt win a match - and he understood that perspective too. Our goal was to score just once on someone.  He didn't win a match or course, but he pushed out eventual placer Kyle Norstrem.  This one point was an extra ingredient to a relatively successful high school career knowing now he could "score on the best in the country". 
 
He wrestled freshman Drew Hughes in the finals his Junior year for his first state title and if I remember correctly scored all his takedowns on the edge of the mat, because you have to keep wrestling on the edge. He got that from Freestyle and Greco.  Folkstyle wrestlers know you have to wrestle on the edge, but you aren't penalized for it like you are in the international styles, which creates more of a HABIT of wrestling on the edge.  This is just one small example of many on how the international styles help out your folkstyle wrestling. I believe he ended up ranked around 13th in the country by graduation.
 
Since stalling has been a discussion, another advantage of Freestyle and Greco is they penalize you even more for it, to MAKE you wrestle!  You get hit for stalling in Folkstyle from running away, hanging on, not doing anything, etc.  But most kids know how to squeek by this and so what if we get hit for stalling as we have a couple more times before it costs us. On the other hand, if you get for stalling in F/G you are put on the clock and HAVE to score or you are penalized. You try and hang on to something and you're going to get scored because of how easy it is to score.  Much more mat and body awareness is required for success in F/G, which directly crosses over to even more folkstyle success. The officials, although I of course don't agree with every call, do their best and that's enough for me. Officiating isn't easy. But ultimately it's not the refs fault we do or don't stall.  That's on us.  Freestyle however enforces the HABIT of action.
 
Again, there a countless amount of reasons where we could pin our lack of national success on. I do think classing Indiana wrestling WILL help get more kids wrestling, and I had pride being the only champ at my weight class at the time.  But many of the things that may be holding us back (wrestlebacks, ending the 300 mile rule, classing or not, population, school culture, admin support, etc) may not change any time soon.  We essentially must play the hand we are dealt like it's the hand we want.  It's like our expectations are just too low sometimes.  We operate more on hope, and hope is not an effective strategy.  Our kids won't be Olympic Champs anyway? Why not? Well they definitely aren't off to a good start if we are holding them back right out of the gate.  Instead we should be pushing EVERY last one of our athletes in our programs to aim for an Olympic title because it's going to take their best to do it. Every great athlete started their ultimate journey with a belief.  So what if they fail?  Aiming for the stars at least gets you to the moon.  
 
In conclusion, training in Folkstyle year-round is a step in the right direction, and better than doing nothing.  However, if that is all you choose to focus on, you are not maximizing your potential in this sport - plain and simple. You are trying to master the art of wrestling with 1/3 of the tools actually needed to even get close.  This is almost identical to trying to become a state champion but you are only good on your feet and are absolutely terrible on bottom and top.  Can you get close?  Sure?  But chances are you will fall short, and that is exactly where 95 % of Indiana athletes are versus the top athletes in the country.  Please do not call to boycott Indiana's Freestyle State Tournament.  We need to embrace it.  The two tournament qualifier is new and the waiver issue got out of hand last year, but if you want more CJ Red's and Nick Lee's then we individually and collectively need to train in the international styles much, much, much more.

Whoa.  Let's slow down on boycotting freestyle state. This mindset is actually one of the reasons more of our kids aren't nationally ranked and why we aren't a top 5 state. The ISWA is not pushing kids away from getting nationally ranked. It's actually part of our objective.  Where most local coaches, fans and wrestlers are concerned with their school program, the ISWA, as a subsidiary of USAW and fueled in the OLYMPIC spirit, have the ENTIRE state to worry about.  To be fair, I don't think anyone is knowingly pushing kids away. Everyone wants the best for the state in some way, it's just that some people have different opinions on what it takes to be one of the best in the country.
 
I believe more of our kids are NOT nationally ranked because more of our kids do NOT wrestle - or win - where there are more nationally ranked kids. Specifically with our H.S./Cadet/Junior athletes, this means success at high-end tournaments like Fargo, UWW Cadet and Junior World Trials, Flo, Super 32, Walsh, Junior & Cadet Duals, USAW Regionals, etc. Indiana has a few guys that can wrestle with the best guys in the country, but we simply aren't deep enough.  Most of even our best kids are largely unequipped to consistently beat the nation's best and are usually outclassed, if not immediately, as these tournaments get into the later rounds. There are a variety of factors as to why this is so (class system, time, money, population, politics, etc) but I'll get right to it and say one of the biggest reasons we aren't ranked higher as a state is because we don't train in Freestyle and Greco enough. 
 
We primarily focus on Folkstyle because that is what we wrestle in school.  As a H.S. coach, their job is doing the best they can for that school's program.  IF the coach has time, which most usually don't, this essentially means a year-round program, developing a strong feeder system, keeping as many of them together as possible throughout the summer, training, bonding, strengthening that TEAM concept, camps, summer team competitions, etc.  If you want to build a high school dynasty these are some of the things that must be addressed in some capacity. This is very difficult to do for internal and external reasons. Tonte, Schoettle, Harper, Snyder, Schaeffer, Pendowski, etc. all are perfect examples of coaches who have been fortunate to get some things clicking and build great high school programs using these methods. Many of them will also tell you how vital Freestyle and Greco are as they push their kids to train in these styles as much as possible.  Yes, they have great programs and state ranked guys, but I'm 99% certain that every one of their NATIONALLY RANKED athletes wrestle Freestyle.
 
Unfortunately for the bulk of Indiana athletes versus the nation's best, because our primary focus is Folkstyle, this hampers our wrestler's growth as more nationally ranked kids wrestle Freestyle and Greco than not.  Can you become nationally ranked by being solely focused on Folkstyle?  Sure. I trained Nathan Boston for a few years, who already had some national success, but he stayed away from the international styles until I basically had to make him do it. Drew Hughes, Colton Cummings, and Blake Rypel don't really mess around with it as much as I'd like either - and that's ok. I know them all and have love for them all.  They rep Indiana so I rep them. Mason Parrish doesn't as well...yet. But I would also argue, and they've heard it directly from me and other credible sources, that they would be ranked even higher, and more dominant, if they did wrestle these styles as much as possible.
 
Not only do you have a higher chance of being nationally ranked with success in the international styles but more, and better, colleges will be recruiting you with this success. There are only a few Folkstyle tournaments after Folkstyle state out there that effect the national rankings.  Intermat and Flo don't even put that much stock into USAW Folkstyle Nationals. Aside from H.S. state, Flo, and maybe one or two more folkstyle events in the summer, the top, top, top college coaches and programs don't put that much stock in them either - because they prefer the well-rounded wrestlers that Freestyle and Greco PRODUCE.  
 
These folkstyle tournaments are alive, both locally and nationally, because the masses have to be fed - but the masses of our kids arent nationally ranked. There are absolutely a few nationally ranked guys at Disney Duals and other national folkstyle tournaments, and the top collegiate programs like Penn State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Minnesota, etc. just might send a letter to you if you win USAW Folkstyle Nationals.  On the other hand, you can actually go up and talk to John Smith, Brands, Sanderson, etc. personally because you'll SEE them at Fargo. 
 
Why Fargo? Because when you look at the majority of nationally ranked wrestlers - THEY WRESTLE FREESTYLE.  Yes, there are exceptions, but I am talking about the majority.  Plenty percentages have been thrown around so I am sure someone can look at Flo's Top Sophomore list and see the percentage of these guys who wrestle in the international styles. http://www.flowrestling.org/ranking/607-steveson-snags-top-sophomore-spot/2016-02-19/sophomore. Guess who is at the top of that list? Gable Steveson, and yes he is an avid freestyle and greco wrestler.  Look at Intermat's top 100 seniors and you'll see the same.  Are there guys on there who don't wrestle Folkstyle?  Sure.  But not the one's at the top.
 
How about this: Fans LOVED the CJ Red vs. Nick Lee match.   LOVED IT!  Highlight of the night!!!  Standing ovation before it even started! Let's make it the last match. Two of Indiana's absolute best, aaaaaaaaaaaand they train and wrestle avidly in the international styles.  Why?  It's not BECAUSE they are great, it's because they want to BE great. It helps them do just that and they'll tell you the same.  But most fans don't know this.  They see them from the stands, they get a quick picture if they're lucky, maybe even have a brief chat, rave about them online, but they only see the results and not the process. The process is about MAXIMIZING YOUR POTENTIAL. Will you get better training Folkstyle year-round?  Absolutely.  Will you almost double that progress by wrestling Freestyle and Greco? Yes you will.  Crunch those numbers and see for yourself.  Jordan Burroughs will tell you. So will Kyle Dake, David Taylor, Tony Ramos, Logan Stieber, Angel Escobedo, Jason AND Alex Tsirtsis, Andrew Howe, Stevan Micic, and so many others.  Don't take it from me. I know enough to know I don't know anything at all. Take it from them.
 
Deondre Wilson, former 2x undefeated state champ, started wrestling as a freshman. Some called him an athletic phenom.  He wasn't really, but he was programmed mentally and had just enough technique to win in Indiana at the time.  As soon as his freshman season was over, and every year after, we went to as many freestyle and greco tournaments as possible to double his output because we didn't have time to waste and I knew better.  His first summer of wrestling we sent him to Cadet world Team Trials (very funny at the time) knowing he wouldnt win a match - and he understood that perspective too. Our goal was to score just once on someone.  He didn't win a match or course, but he pushed out eventual placer Kyle Norstrem.  This one point was an extra ingredient to a relatively successful high school career knowing now he could "score on the best in the country". 
 
He wrestled freshman Drew Hughes in the finals his Junior year for his first state title and if I remember correctly scored all his takedowns on the edge of the mat, because you have to keep wrestling on the edge. He got that from Freestyle and Greco.  Folkstyle wrestlers know you have to wrestle on the edge, but you aren't penalized for it like you are in the international styles, which creates more of a HABIT of wrestling on the edge.  This is just one small example of many on how the international styles help out your folkstyle wrestling. I believe he ended up ranked around 13th in the country by graduation.
 
Since stalling has been a discussion, another advantage of Freestyle and Greco is they penalize you even more for it, to MAKE you wrestle!  You get hit for stalling in Folkstyle from running away, hanging on, not doing anything, etc.  But most kids know how to squeek by this and so what if we get hit for stalling as we have a couple more times before it costs us. On the other hand, if you get for stalling in F/G you are put on the clock and HAVE to score or you are penalized. You try and hang on to something and you're going to get scored because of how easy it is to score.  Much more mat and body awareness is required for success in F/G, which directly crosses over to even more folkstyle success. The officials, although I of course don't agree with every call, do their best and that's enough for me. Officiating isn't easy. But ultimately it's not the refs fault we do or don't stall.  That's on us.  Freestyle however enforces the HABIT of action.
 
Again, there a countless amount of reasons where we could pin our lack of national success on. I do think classing Indiana wrestling WILL help get more kids wrestling, and I had pride being the only champ at my weight class at the time.  But many of the things that may be holding us back (wrestlebacks, ending the 300 mile rule, classing or not, population, school culture, admin support, etc) may not change any time soon.  We essentially must play the hand we are dealt like it's the hand we want.  It's like our expectations are just too low sometimes.  We operate more on hope, and hope is not an effective strategy.  Our kids won't be Olympic Champs anyway? Why not? Well they definitely aren't off to a good start if we are holding them back right out of the gate.  Instead we should be pushing EVERY last one of our athletes in our programs to aim for an Olympic title because it's going to take their best to do it. Every great athlete started their ultimate journey with a belief.  So what if they fail?  Aiming for the stars at least gets you to the moon.  
 
In conclusion, training in Folkstyle year-round is a step in the right direction, and better than doing nothing.  However, if that is all you choose to focus on, you are not maximizing your potential in this sport - plain and simple. You are trying to master the art of wrestling with 1/3 of the tools actually needed to even get close.  This is almost identical to trying to become a state champion but you are only good on your feet and are absolutely terrible on bottom and top.  Can you get close?  Sure?  But chances are you will fall short, and that is exactly where 95 % of Indiana athletes are versus the top athletes in the country.  Please do not call to boycott Indiana's Freestyle State Tournament.  We need to embrace it.  The two tournament qualifier is new and the waiver issue got out of hand last year, but if you want more CJ Red's and Nick Lee's then we individually and collectively need to train in the international styles much, much, much more.

We will be getting a better gauge on that this year as well as we tighten up the RTC program.  Exact numbers and exact kids will eventually be compiled and tracked to see who, what, when, where, etc.  This data could be turned into useful information but will primarily be used to help with recruiting for Team Indiana trips and resource allocation.  Some sites clearly have higher turnouts than others but we are in the process of strengthening them all.  We are even leaning in the direction of an RTC Dual Series when the time comes to add another dimension to Indiana's wrestling culture.
 
 
More and more clubs and schools are interested in becoming a ISWA/USAW Regional Training Center, which is fantastic.  As long as we understand they are only for Freestyle and Greco, Schoolboy and up, with USAW membership - it's almost the more the merrier.  We do not, however, want to sacrifice quality for quantity.  We look to ensure each RTC is qualified, on the same page regarding our overall development, and we help supply them with the tools they need to make their RTC and school program better.  The results may be both instant and gradual, but there will be gains.  We are continuing to work with current and future sights to ensure we have locations set up for each region for our athletes.
 
 
In regards to attendance?  I can imagine statewide that there are a contingent of wrestlers who go to an academy practice rather than an RTC.  So on the front end, yes, but not as many as one may think.  On the back end, I believe academies are slowly making the RTCs stronger because they are slowly helping Indiana athletes get better so it balances out to say the least.  Academies fill a gap by offering year-round training and competition opportunities whereas RTCs, and the majority of school programs, are seasonal.  In our case the wrestlers who come to practice rather than go to an RTC are because of their relationship or agenda with the coaching staff, not the competition.  We may be a little thin but typically kids go to RTCs, especially the big ones, for the competition and guest clinician(s).  One really doesn't go wrong with either.
 
 
One of the goals of the RTCs is to definitely help the advancement of the international styles in the state, but hopefully it's us as coaches who eventually become the backbone of it.  As the official liaisons between the athlete and sport, coaches have the most influence over selling, planting, watering or even enforcing the dream. Still, the RTCs are increasingly becoming better designed to provide that platform if needed.  Many of our Indiana kids truly do want to get better and take a leap (or tip-toe) of faith into this Freestyle and Greco thing, but just don't have the opportunity to get after it.  The RTC does help fill THAT gap.  With that said, it is important to impress the need to attend as many as we can, learn as much as we can, and train, compete and perform as much as we can.  It's an Olympic year so the spirit will definitely be in the air. Let this be the year we open our senses up to the alchemy, and the ISWA/USAW Regional Training Centers are a vital ingredient.

Whoa.  Let's slow down on boycotting freestyle state. This mindset is actually one of the reasons more of our kids aren't nationally ranked and why we aren't a top 5 state. The ISWA is not pushing kids away from getting nationally ranked. It's actually part of our objective.  Where most local coaches, fans and wrestlers are concerned with their school program, the ISWA, as a subsidiary of USAW and fueled in the OLYMPIC spirit, have the ENTIRE state to worry about.  To be fair, I don't think anyone is knowingly pushing kids away. Everyone wants the best for the state in some way, it's just that some people have different opinions on what it takes to be one of the best in the country.
 
I believe more of our kids are NOT nationally ranked because more of our kids do NOT wrestle - or win - where there are more nationally ranked kids. Specifically with our H.S./Cadet/Junior athletes, this means success at high-end tournaments like Fargo, UWW Cadet and Junior World Trials, Flo, Super 32, Walsh, Junior & Cadet Duals, USAW Regionals, etc. Indiana has a few guys that can wrestle with the best guys in the country, but we simply aren't deep enough.  Most of even our best kids are largely unequipped to consistently beat the nation's best and are usually outclassed, if not immediately, as these tournaments get into the later rounds. There are a variety of factors as to why this is so (class system, time, money, population, politics, etc) but I'll get right to it and say one of the biggest reasons we aren't ranked higher as a state is because we don't train in Freestyle and Greco enough. 
 
We primarily focus on Folkstyle because that is what we wrestle in school.  As a H.S. coach, their job is doing the best they can for that school's program.  IF the coach has time, which most usually don't, this essentially means a year-round program, developing a strong feeder system, keeping as many of them together as possible throughout the summer, training, bonding, strengthening that TEAM concept, camps, summer team competitions, etc.  If you want to build a high school dynasty these are some of the things that must be addressed in some capacity. This is very difficult to do for internal and external reasons. Tonte, Schoettle, Harper, Snyder, Schaeffer, Pendowski, etc. all are perfect examples of coaches who have been fortunate to get some things clicking and build great high school programs using these methods. Many of them will also tell you how vital Freestyle and Greco are as they push their kids to train in these styles as much as possible.  Yes, they have great programs and state ranked guys, but I'm 99% certain that every one of their NATIONALLY RANKED athletes wrestle Freestyle.
 
Unfortunately for the bulk of Indiana athletes versus the nation's best, because our primary focus is Folkstyle, this hampers our wrestler's growth as more nationally ranked kids wrestle Freestyle and Greco than not.  Can you become nationally ranked by being solely focused on Folkstyle?  Sure. I trained Nathan Boston for a few years, who already had some national success, but he stayed away from the international styles until I basically had to make him do it. Drew Hughes, Colton Cummings, and Blake Rypel don't really mess around with it as much as I'd like either - and that's ok. I know them all and have love for them all.  They rep Indiana so I rep them. Mason Parrish doesn't as well...yet. But I would also argue, and they've heard it directly from me and other credible sources, that they would be ranked even higher, and more dominant, if they did wrestle these styles as much as possible.
 
Not only do you have a higher chance of being nationally ranked with success in the international styles but more, and better, colleges will be recruiting you with this success. There are only a few Folkstyle tournaments after Folkstyle state out there that effect the national rankings.  Intermat and Flo don't even put that much stock into USAW Folkstyle Nationals. Aside from H.S. state, Flo, and maybe one or two more folkstyle events in the summer, the top, top, top college coaches and programs don't put that much stock in them either - because they prefer the well-rounded wrestlers that Freestyle and Greco PRODUCE.  
 
These folkstyle tournaments are alive, both locally and nationally, because the masses have to be fed - but the masses of our kids arent nationally ranked. There are absolutely a few nationally ranked guys at Disney Duals and other national folkstyle tournaments, and the top collegiate programs like Penn State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Minnesota, etc. just might send a letter to you if you win USAW Folkstyle Nationals.  On the other hand, you can actually go up and talk to John Smith, Brands, Sanderson, etc. personally because you'll SEE them at Fargo. 
 
Why Fargo? Because when you look at the majority of nationally ranked wrestlers - THEY WRESTLE FREESTYLE.  Yes, there are exceptions, but I am talking about the majority.  Plenty percentages have been thrown around so I am sure someone can look at Flo's Top Sophomore list and see the percentage of these guys who wrestle in the international styles. http://www.flowrestling.org/ranking/607-steveson-snags-top-sophomore-spot/2016-02-19/sophomore. Guess who is at the top of that list? Gable Steveson, and yes he is an avid freestyle and greco wrestler.  Look at Intermat's top 100 seniors and you'll see the same.  Are there guys on there who don't wrestle Folkstyle?  Sure.  But not the one's at the top.
 
How about this: Fans LOVED the CJ Red vs. Nick Lee match.   LOVED IT!  Highlight of the night!!!  Standing ovation before it even started! Let's make it the last match. Two of Indiana's absolute best, aaaaaaaaaaaand they train and wrestle avidly in the international styles.  Why?  It's not BECAUSE they are great, it's because they want to BE great. It helps them do just that and they'll tell you the same.  But most fans don't know this.  They see them from the stands, they get a quick picture if they're lucky, maybe even have a brief chat, rave about them online, but they only see the results and not the process. The process is about MAXIMIZING YOUR POTENTIAL. Will you get better training Folkstyle year-round?  Absolutely.  Will you almost double that progress by wrestling Freestyle and Greco? Yes you will.  Crunch those numbers and see for yourself.  Jordan Burroughs will tell you. So will Kyle Dake, David Taylor, Tony Ramos, Logan Stieber, Angel Escobedo, Jason AND Alex Tsirtsis, Andrew Howe, Stevan Micic, and so many others.  Don't take it from me. I know enough to know I don't know anything at all. Take it from them.
 
Deondre Wilson, former 2x undefeated state champ, started wrestling as a freshman. Some called him an athletic phenom.  He wasn't really, but he was programmed mentally and had just enough technique to win in Indiana at the time.  As soon as his freshman season was over, and every year after, we went to as many freestyle and greco tournaments as possible to double his output because we didn't have time to waste and I knew better.  His first summer of wrestling we sent him to Cadet world Team Trials (very funny at the time) knowing he wouldnt win a match - and he understood that perspective too. Our goal was to score just once on someone.  He didn't win a match or course, but he pushed out eventual placer Kyle Norstrem.  This one point was an extra ingredient to a relatively successful high school career knowing now he could "score on the best in the country". 
 
He wrestled freshman Drew Hughes in the finals his Junior year for his first state title and if I remember correctly scored all his takedowns on the edge of the mat, because you have to keep wrestling on the edge. He got that from Freestyle and Greco.  Folkstyle wrestlers know you have to wrestle on the edge, but you aren't penalized for it like you are in the international styles, which creates more of a HABIT of wrestling on the edge.  This is just one small example of many on how the international styles help out your folkstyle wrestling. I believe he ended up ranked around 13th in the country by graduation.
 
Since stalling has been a discussion, another advantage of Freestyle and Greco is they penalize you even more for it, to MAKE you wrestle!  You get hit for stalling in Folkstyle from running away, hanging on, not doing anything, etc.  But most kids know how to squeek by this and so what if we get hit for stalling as we have a couple more times before it costs us. On the other hand, if you get for stalling in F/G you are put on the clock and HAVE to score or you are penalized. You try and hang on to something and you're going to get scored because of how easy it is to score.  Much more mat and body awareness is required for success in F/G, which directly crosses over to even more folkstyle success. The officials, although I of course don't agree with every call, do their best and that's enough for me. Officiating isn't easy. But ultimately it's not the refs fault we do or don't stall.  That's on us.  Freestyle however enforces the HABIT of action.
 
Again, there a countless amount of reasons where we could pin our lack of national success on. I do think classing Indiana wrestling WILL help get more kids wrestling, and I had pride being the only champ at my weight class at the time.  But many of the things that may be holding us back (wrestlebacks, ending the 300 mile rule, classing or not, population, school culture, admin support, etc) may not change any time soon.  We essentially must play the hand we are dealt like it's the hand we want.  It's like our expectations are just too low sometimes.  We operate more on hope, and hope is not an effective strategy.  Our kids won't be Olympic Champs anyway? Why not? Well they definitely aren't off to a good start if we are holding them back right out of the gate.  Instead we should be pushing EVERY last one of our athletes in our programs to aim for an Olympic title because it's going to take their best to do it. Every great athlete started their ultimate journey with a belief.  So what if they fail?  Aiming for the stars at least gets you to the moon.  
 
In conclusion, training in Folkstyle year-round is a step in the right direction, and better than doing nothing.  However, if that is all you choose to focus on, you are not maximizing your potential in this sport - plain and simple. You are trying to master the art of wrestling with 1/3 of the tools actually needed to even get close.  This is almost identical to trying to become a state champion but you are only good on your feet and are absolutely terrible on bottom and top.  Can you get close?  Sure?  But chances are you will fall short, and that is exactly where 95 % of Indiana athletes are versus the top athletes in the country.  Please do not call to boycott Indiana's Freestyle State Tournament.  We need to embrace it.  The two tournament qualifier is new and the waiver issue got out of hand last year, but if you want more CJ Red's and Nick Lee's then we individually and collectively need to train in the international styles much, much, much more.

Whoa.  Let's slow down on boycotting freestyle state. This mindset is actually one of the reasons more of our kids aren't nationally ranked and why we aren't a top 5 state. The ISWA is not pushing kids away from getting nationally ranked. It's actually part of our objective.  Where most local coaches, fans and wrestlers are concerned with their school program, the ISWA, as a subsidiary of USAW and fueled in the OLYMPIC spirit, have the ENTIRE state to worry about.  To be fair, I don't think anyone is knowingly pushing kids away. Everyone wants the best for the state in some way, it's just that some people have different opinions on what it takes to be one of the best in the country.
 
I believe more of our kids are NOT nationally ranked because more of our kids do NOT wrestle - or win - where there are more nationally ranked kids. Specifically with our H.S./Cadet/Junior athletes, this means success at high-end tournaments like Fargo, UWW Cadet and Junior World Trials, Flo, Super 32, Walsh, Junior & Cadet Duals, USAW Regionals, etc. Indiana has a few guys that can wrestle with the best guys in the country, but we simply aren't deep enough.  Most of even our best kids are largely unequipped to consistently beat the nation's best and are usually outclassed, if not immediately, as these tournaments get into the later rounds. There are a variety of factors as to why this is so (class system, time, money, population, politics, etc) but I'll get right to it and say one of the biggest reasons we aren't ranked higher as a state is because we don't train in Freestyle and Greco enough. 
 
We primarily focus on Folkstyle because that is what we wrestle in school.  As a H.S. coach, their job is doing the best they can for that school's program.  IF the coach has time, which most usually don't, this essentially means a year-round program, developing a strong feeder system, keeping as many of them together as possible throughout the summer, training, bonding, strengthening that TEAM concept, camps, summer team competitions, etc.  If you want to build a high school dynasty these are some of the things that must be addressed in some capacity. This is very difficult to do for internal and external reasons. Tonte, Schoettle, Harper, Snyder, Schaeffer, Pendowski, etc. all are perfect examples of coaches who have been fortunate to get some things clicking and build great high school programs using these methods. Many of them will also tell you how vital Freestyle and Greco are as they push their kids to train in these styles as much as possible.  Yes, they have great programs and state ranked guys, but I'm 99% certain that every one of their NATIONALLY RANKED athletes wrestle Freestyle.
 
Unfortunately for the bulk of Indiana athletes versus the nation's best, because our primary focus is Folkstyle, this hampers our wrestler's growth as more nationally ranked kids wrestle Freestyle and Greco than not.  Can you become nationally ranked by being solely focused on Folkstyle?  Sure. I trained Nathan Boston for a few years, who already had some national success, but he stayed away from the international styles until I basically had to make him do it. Drew Hughes, Colton Cummings, and Blake Rypel don't really mess around with it as much as I'd like either - and that's ok. I know them all and have love for them all.  They rep Indiana so I rep them. Mason Parrish doesn't as well...yet. But I would also argue, and they've heard it directly from me and other credible sources, that they would be ranked even higher, and more dominant, if they did wrestle these styles as much as possible.
 
Not only do you have a higher chance of being nationally ranked with success in the international styles but more, and better, colleges will be recruiting you with this success. There are only a few Folkstyle tournaments after Folkstyle state out there that effect the national rankings.  Intermat and Flo don't even put that much stock into USAW Folkstyle Nationals. Aside from H.S. state, Flo, and maybe one or two more folkstyle events in the summer, the top, top, top college coaches and programs don't put that much stock in them either - because they prefer the well-rounded wrestlers that Freestyle and Greco PRODUCE.  
 
These folkstyle tournaments are alive, both locally and nationally, because the masses have to be fed - but the masses of our kids arent nationally ranked. There are absolutely a few nationally ranked guys at Disney Duals and other national folkstyle tournaments, and the top collegiate programs like Penn State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Minnesota, etc. just might send a letter to you if you win USAW Folkstyle Nationals.  On the other hand, you can actually go up and talk to John Smith, Brands, Sanderson, etc. personally because you'll SEE them at Fargo. 
 
Why Fargo? Because when you look at the majority of nationally ranked wrestlers - THEY WRESTLE FREESTYLE.  Yes, there are exceptions, but I am talking about the majority.  Plenty percentages have been thrown around so I am sure someone can look at Flo's Top Sophomore list and see the percentage of these guys who wrestle in the international styles. http://www.flowrestling.org/ranking/607-steveson-snags-top-sophomore-spot/2016-02-19/sophomore. Guess who is at the top of that list? Gable Steveson, and yes he is an avid freestyle and greco wrestler.  Look at Intermat's top 100 seniors and you'll see the same.  Are there guys on there who don't wrestle Folkstyle?  Sure.  But not the one's at the top.
 
How about this: Fans LOVED the CJ Red vs. Nick Lee match.   LOVED IT!  Highlight of the night!!!  Standing ovation before it even started! Let's make it the last match. Two of Indiana's absolute best, aaaaaaaaaaaand they train and wrestle avidly in the international styles.  Why?  It's not BECAUSE they are great, it's because they want to BE great. It helps them do just that and they'll tell you the same.  But most fans don't know this.  They see them from the stands, they get a quick picture if they're lucky, maybe even have a brief chat, rave about them online, but they only see the results and not the process. The process is about MAXIMIZING YOUR POTENTIAL. Will you get better training Folkstyle year-round?  Absolutely.  Will you almost double that progress by wrestling Freestyle and Greco? Yes you will.  Crunch those numbers and see for yourself.  Jordan Burroughs will tell you. So will Kyle Dake, David Taylor, Tony Ramos, Logan Stieber, Angel Escobedo, Jason AND Alex Tsirtsis, Andrew Howe, Stevan Micic, and so many others.  Don't take it from me. I know enough to know I don't know anything at all. Take it from them.
 
Deondre Wilson, former 2x undefeated state champ, started wrestling as a freshman. Some called him an athletic phenom.  He wasn't really, but he was programmed mentally and had just enough technique to win in Indiana at the time.  As soon as his freshman season was over, and every year after, we went to as many freestyle and greco tournaments as possible to double his output because we didn't have time to waste and I knew better.  His first summer of wrestling we sent him to Cadet world Team Trials (very funny at the time) knowing he wouldnt win a match - and he understood that perspective too. Our goal was to score just once on someone.  He didn't win a match or course, but he pushed out eventual placer Kyle Norstrem.  This one point was an extra ingredient to a relatively successful high school career knowing now he could "score on the best in the country". 
 
He wrestled freshman Drew Hughes in the finals his Junior year for his first state title and if I remember correctly scored all his takedowns on the edge of the mat, because you have to keep wrestling on the edge. He got that from Freestyle and Greco.  Folkstyle wrestlers know you have to wrestle on the edge, but you aren't penalized for it like you are in the international styles, which creates more of a HABIT of wrestling on the edge.  This is just one small example of many on how the international styles help out your folkstyle wrestling. I believe he ended up ranked around 13th in the country by graduation.
 
Since stalling has been a discussion, another advantage of Freestyle and Greco is they penalize you even more for it, to MAKE you wrestle!  You get hit for stalling in Folkstyle from running away, hanging on, not doing anything, etc.  But most kids know how to squeek by this and so what if we get hit for stalling as we have a couple more times before it costs us. On the other hand, if you get for stalling in F/G you are put on the clock and HAVE to score or you are penalized. You try and hang on to something and you're going to get scored because of how easy it is to score.  Much more mat and body awareness is required for success in F/G, which directly crosses over to even more folkstyle success. The officials, although I of course don't agree with every call, do their best and that's enough for me. Officiating isn't easy. But ultimately it's not the refs fault we do or don't stall.  That's on us.  Freestyle however enforces the HABIT of action.
 
Again, there a countless amount of reasons where we could pin our lack of national success on. I do think classing Indiana wrestling WILL help get more kids wrestling, and I had pride being the only champ at my weight class at the time.  But many of the things that may be holding us back (wrestlebacks, ending the 300 mile rule, classing or not, population, school culture, admin support, etc) may not change any time soon.  We essentially must play the hand we are dealt like it's the hand we want.  It's like our expectations are just too low sometimes.  We operate more on hope, and hope is not an effective strategy.  Our kids won't be Olympic Champs anyway? Why not? Well they definitely aren't off to a good start if we are holding them back right out of the gate.  Instead we should be pushing EVERY last one of our athletes in our programs to aim for an Olympic title because it's going to take their best to do it. Every great athlete started their ultimate journey with a belief.  So what if they fail?  Aiming for the stars at least gets you to the moon.  
 
In conclusion, training in Folkstyle year-round is a step in the right direction, and better than doing nothing.  However, if that is all you choose to focus on, you are not maximizing your potential in this sport - plain and simple. You are trying to master the art of wrestling with 1/3 of the tools actually needed to even get close.  This is almost identical to trying to become a state champion but you are only good on your feet and are absolutely terrible on bottom and top.  Can you get close?  Sure?  But chances are you will fall short, and that is exactly where 95 % of Indiana athletes are versus the top athletes in the country.  Please do not call to boycott Indiana's Freestyle State Tournament.  We need to embrace it.  The two tournament qualifier is new and the waiver issue got out of hand last year, but if you want more CJ Red's and Nick Lee's then we individually and collectively need to train in the international styles much, much, much more.

Whoa.  Let's slow down on boycotting freestyle state. This mindset is actually one of the reasons more of our kids aren't nationally ranked and why we aren't a top 5 state. The ISWA is not pushing kids away from getting nationally ranked. It's actually part of our objective.  Where most local coaches, fans and wrestlers are concerned with their school program, the ISWA, as a subsidiary of USAW and fueled in the OLYMPIC spirit, have the ENTIRE state to worry about.  To be fair, I don't think anyone is knowingly pushing kids away. Everyone wants the best for the state in some way, it's just that some people have different opinions on what it takes to be one of the best in the country.
 
I believe more of our kids are NOT nationally ranked because more of our kids do NOT wrestle - or win - where there are more nationally ranked kids. Specifically with our H.S./Cadet/Junior athletes, this means success at high-end tournaments like Fargo, UWW Cadet and Junior World Trials, Flo, Super 32, Walsh, Junior & Cadet Duals, USAW Regionals, etc. Indiana has a few guys that can wrestle with the best guys in the country, but we simply aren't deep enough.  Most of even our best kids are largely unequipped to consistently beat the nation's best and are usually outclassed, if not immediately, as these tournaments get into the later rounds. There are a variety of factors as to why this is so (class system, time, money, population, politics, etc) but I'll get right to it and say one of the biggest reasons we aren't ranked higher as a state is because we don't train in Freestyle and Greco enough. 
 
We primarily focus on Folkstyle because that is what we wrestle in school.  As a H.S. coach, their job is doing the best they can for that school's program.  IF the coach has time, which most usually don't, this essentially means a year-round program, developing a strong feeder system, keeping as many of them together as possible throughout the summer, training, bonding, strengthening that TEAM concept, camps, summer team competitions, etc.  If you want to build a high school dynasty these are some of the things that must be addressed in some capacity. This is very difficult to do for internal and external reasons. Tonte, Schoettle, Harper, Snyder, Schaeffer, Pendowski, etc. all are perfect examples of coaches who have been fortunate to get some things clicking and build great high school programs using these methods. Many of them will also tell you how vital Freestyle and Greco are as they push their kids to train in these styles as much as possible.  Yes, they have great programs and state ranked guys, but I'm 99% certain that every one of their NATIONALLY RANKED athletes wrestle Freestyle.
 
Unfortunately for the bulk of Indiana athletes versus the nation's best, because our primary focus is Folkstyle, this hampers our wrestler's growth as more nationally ranked kids wrestle Freestyle and Greco than not.  Can you become nationally ranked by being solely focused on Folkstyle?  Sure. I trained Nathan Boston for a few years, who already had some national success, but he stayed away from the international styles until I basically had to make him do it. Drew Hughes, Colton Cummings, and Blake Rypel don't really mess around with it as much as I'd like either - and that's ok. I know them all and have love for them all.  They rep Indiana so I rep them. Mason Parrish doesn't as well...yet. But I would also argue, and they've heard it directly from me and other credible sources, that they would be ranked even higher, and more dominant, if they did wrestle these styles as much as possible.
 
Not only do you have a higher chance of being nationally ranked with success in the international styles but more, and better, colleges will be recruiting you with this success. There are only a few Folkstyle tournaments after Folkstyle state out there that effect the national rankings.  Intermat and Flo don't even put that much stock into USAW Folkstyle Nationals. Aside from H.S. state, Flo, and maybe one or two more folkstyle events in the summer, the top, top, top college coaches and programs don't put that much stock in them either - because they prefer the well-rounded wrestlers that Freestyle and Greco PRODUCE.  
 
These folkstyle tournaments are alive, both locally and nationally, because the masses have to be fed - but the masses of our kids arent nationally ranked. There are absolutely a few nationally ranked guys at Disney Duals and other national folkstyle tournaments, and the top collegiate programs like Penn State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Minnesota, etc. just might send a letter to you if you win USAW Folkstyle Nationals.  On the other hand, you can actually go up and talk to John Smith, Brands, Sanderson, etc. personally because you'll SEE them at Fargo. 
 
Why Fargo? Because when you look at the majority of nationally ranked wrestlers - THEY WRESTLE FREESTYLE.  Yes, there are exceptions, but I am talking about the majority.  Plenty percentages have been thrown around so I am sure someone can look at Flo's Top Sophomore list and see the percentage of these guys who wrestle in the international styles. http://www.flowrestling.org/ranking/607-steveson-snags-top-sophomore-spot/2016-02-19/sophomore. Guess who is at the top of that list? Gable Steveson, and yes he is an avid freestyle and greco wrestler.  Look at Intermat's top 100 seniors and you'll see the same.  Are there guys on there who don't wrestle Folkstyle?  Sure.  But not the one's at the top.
 
How about this: Fans LOVED the CJ Red vs. Nick Lee match.   LOVED IT!  Highlight of the night!!!  Standing ovation before it even started! Let's make it the last match. Two of Indiana's absolute best, aaaaaaaaaaaand they train and wrestle avidly in the international styles.  Why?  It's not BECAUSE they are great, it's because they want to BE great. It helps them do just that and they'll tell you the same.  But most fans don't know this.  They see them from the stands, they get a quick picture if they're lucky, maybe even have a brief chat, rave about them online, but they only see the results and not the process. The process is about MAXIMIZING YOUR POTENTIAL. Will you get better training Folkstyle year-round?  Absolutely.  Will you almost double that progress by wrestling Freestyle and Greco? Yes you will.  Crunch those numbers and see for yourself.  Jordan Burroughs will tell you. So will Kyle Dake, David Taylor, Tony Ramos, Logan Stieber, Angel Escobedo, Jason AND Alex Tsirtsis, Andrew Howe, Stevan Micic, and so many others.  Don't take it from me. I know enough to know I don't know anything at all. Take it from them.
 
Deondre Wilson, former 2x undefeated state champ, started wrestling as a freshman. Some called him an athletic phenom.  He wasn't really, but he was programmed mentally and had just enough technique to win in Indiana at the time.  As soon as his freshman season was over, and every year after, we went to as many freestyle and greco tournaments as possible to double his output because we didn't have time to waste and I knew better.  His first summer of wrestling we sent him to Cadet world Team Trials (very funny at the time) knowing he wouldnt win a match - and he understood that perspective too. Our goal was to score just once on someone.  He didn't win a match or course, but he pushed out eventual placer Kyle Norstrem.  This one point was an extra ingredient to a relatively successful high school career knowing now he could "score on the best in the country". 
 
He wrestled freshman Drew Hughes in the finals his Junior year for his first state title and if I remember correctly scored all his takedowns on the edge of the mat, because you have to keep wrestling on the edge. He got that from Freestyle and Greco.  Folkstyle wrestlers know you have to wrestle on the edge, but you aren't penalized for it like you are in the international styles, which creates more of a HABIT of wrestling on the edge.  This is just one small example of many on how the international styles help out your folkstyle wrestling. I believe he ended up ranked around 13th in the country by graduation.
 
Since stalling has been a discussion, another advantage of Freestyle and Greco is they penalize you even more for it, to MAKE you wrestle!  You get hit for stalling in Folkstyle from running away, hanging on, not doing anything, etc.  But most kids know how to squeek by this and so what if we get hit for stalling as we have a couple more times before it costs us. On the other hand, if you get for stalling in F/G you are put on the clock and HAVE to score or you are penalized. You try and hang on to something and you're going to get scored because of how easy it is to score.  Much more mat and body awareness is required for success in F/G, which directly crosses over to even more folkstyle success. The officials, although I of course don't agree with every call, do their best and that's enough for me. Officiating isn't easy. But ultimately it's not the refs fault we do or don't stall.  That's on us.  Freestyle however enforces the HABIT of action.
 
Again, there a countless amount of reasons where we could pin our lack of national success on. I do think classing Indiana wrestling WILL help get more kids wrestling, and I had pride being the only champ at my weight class at the time.  But many of the things that may be holding us back (wrestlebacks, ending the 300 mile rule, classing or not, population, school culture, admin support, etc) may not change any time soon.  We essentially must play the hand we are dealt like it's the hand we want.  It's like our expectations are just too low sometimes.  We operate more on hope, and hope is not an effective strategy.  Our kids won't be Olympic Champs anyway? Why not? Well they definitely aren't off to a good start if we are holding them back right out of the gate.  Instead we should be pushing EVERY last one of our athletes in our programs to aim for an Olympic title because it's going to take their best to do it. Every great athlete started their ultimate journey with a belief.  So what if they fail?  Aiming for the stars at least gets you to the moon.  
 
In conclusion, training in Folkstyle year-round is a step in the right direction, and better than doing nothing.  However, if that is all you choose to focus on, you are not maximizing your potential in this sport - plain and simple. You are trying to master the art of wrestling with 1/3 of the tools actually needed to even get close.  This is almost identical to trying to become a state champion but you are only good on your feet and are absolutely terrible on bottom and top.  Can you get close?  Sure?  But chances are you will fall short, and that is exactly where 95 % of Indiana athletes are versus the top athletes in the country.  Please do not call to boycott Indiana's Freestyle State Tournament.  We need to embrace it.  The two tournament qualifier is new and the waiver issue got out of hand last year, but if you want more CJ Red's and Nick Lee's then we individually and collectively need to train in the international styles much, much, much more.

After 12 years of being involved in wrestling in the state of Indiana, the Franklin family is saying thanks for the memories.  Two boys and over 215 career IHSAA (between them) victories later we are bowing out and thanking the sport for all it has taught us.  Jack made it to Banker's this year which was a special moment for all of us.  For those of you that remember Jack's older brother, Andy (3x NHC Champ - 2008, 2009 & 2010), he is in his second year of law school at IU (Bloomington) and in the top 20% of his class.  Jack is headed to Ball State this Fall.  As for me, I hope the aging process slows to a normal pace as it feels I've aged 25 years during the times I lived and died with my sons these past 12 years.  Homestead HS, where Jack and Andy attended, is in great hands with Coaches Devaux, Stockman and Oberlin.  Viva Indiana wrestling!

Whoa.  Let's slow down on boycotting freestyle state. This mindset is actually one of the reasons more of our kids aren't nationally ranked and why we aren't a top 5 state. The ISWA is not pushing kids away from getting nationally ranked. It's actually part of our objective.  Where most local coaches, fans and wrestlers are concerned with their school program, the ISWA, as a subsidiary of USAW and fueled in the OLYMPIC spirit, have the ENTIRE state to worry about.  To be fair, I don't think anyone is knowingly pushing kids away. Everyone wants the best for the state in some way, it's just that some people have different opinions on what it takes to be one of the best in the country.
 
I believe more of our kids are NOT nationally ranked because more of our kids do NOT wrestle - or win - where there are more nationally ranked kids. Specifically with our H.S./Cadet/Junior athletes, this means success at high-end tournaments like Fargo, UWW Cadet and Junior World Trials, Flo, Super 32, Walsh, Junior & Cadet Duals, USAW Regionals, etc. Indiana has a few guys that can wrestle with the best guys in the country, but we simply aren't deep enough.  Most of even our best kids are largely unequipped to consistently beat the nation's best and are usually outclassed, if not immediately, as these tournaments get into the later rounds. There are a variety of factors as to why this is so (class system, time, money, population, politics, etc) but I'll get right to it and say one of the biggest reasons we aren't ranked higher as a state is because we don't train in Freestyle and Greco enough. 
 
We primarily focus on Folkstyle because that is what we wrestle in school.  As a H.S. coach, their job is doing the best they can for that school's program.  IF the coach has time, which most usually don't, this essentially means a year-round program, developing a strong feeder system, keeping as many of them together as possible throughout the summer, training, bonding, strengthening that TEAM concept, camps, summer team competitions, etc.  If you want to build a high school dynasty these are some of the things that must be addressed in some capacity. This is very difficult to do for internal and external reasons. Tonte, Schoettle, Harper, Snyder, Schaeffer, Pendowski, etc. all are perfect examples of coaches who have been fortunate to get some things clicking and build great high school programs using these methods. Many of them will also tell you how vital Freestyle and Greco are as they push their kids to train in these styles as much as possible.  Yes, they have great programs and state ranked guys, but I'm 99% certain that every one of their NATIONALLY RANKED athletes wrestle Freestyle.
 
Unfortunately for the bulk of Indiana athletes versus the nation's best, because our primary focus is Folkstyle, this hampers our wrestler's growth as more nationally ranked kids wrestle Freestyle and Greco than not.  Can you become nationally ranked by being solely focused on Folkstyle?  Sure. I trained Nathan Boston for a few years, who already had some national success, but he stayed away from the international styles until I basically had to make him do it. Drew Hughes, Colton Cummings, and Blake Rypel don't really mess around with it as much as I'd like either - and that's ok. I know them all and have love for them all.  They rep Indiana so I rep them. Mason Parrish doesn't as well...yet. But I would also argue, and they've heard it directly from me and other credible sources, that they would be ranked even higher, and more dominant, if they did wrestle these styles as much as possible.
 
Not only do you have a higher chance of being nationally ranked with success in the international styles but more, and better, colleges will be recruiting you with this success. There are only a few Folkstyle tournaments after Folkstyle state out there that effect the national rankings.  Intermat and Flo don't even put that much stock into USAW Folkstyle Nationals. Aside from H.S. state, Flo, and maybe one or two more folkstyle events in the summer, the top, top, top college coaches and programs don't put that much stock in them either - because they prefer the well-rounded wrestlers that Freestyle and Greco PRODUCE.  
 
These folkstyle tournaments are alive, both locally and nationally, because the masses have to be fed - but the masses of our kids arent nationally ranked. There are absolutely a few nationally ranked guys at Disney Duals and other national folkstyle tournaments, and the top collegiate programs like Penn State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Minnesota, etc. just might send a letter to you if you win USAW Folkstyle Nationals.  On the other hand, you can actually go up and talk to John Smith, Brands, Sanderson, etc. personally because you'll SEE them at Fargo. 
 
Why Fargo? Because when you look at the majority of nationally ranked wrestlers - THEY WRESTLE FREESTYLE.  Yes, there are exceptions, but I am talking about the majority.  Plenty percentages have been thrown around so I am sure someone can look at Flo's Top Sophomore list and see the percentage of these guys who wrestle in the international styles. http://www.flowrestling.org/ranking/607-steveson-snags-top-sophomore-spot/2016-02-19/sophomore. Guess who is at the top of that list? Gable Steveson, and yes he is an avid freestyle and greco wrestler.  Look at Intermat's top 100 seniors and you'll see the same.  Are there guys on there who don't wrestle Folkstyle?  Sure.  But not the one's at the top.
 
How about this: Fans LOVED the CJ Red vs. Nick Lee match.   LOVED IT!  Highlight of the night!!!  Standing ovation before it even started! Let's make it the last match. Two of Indiana's absolute best, aaaaaaaaaaaand they train and wrestle avidly in the international styles.  Why?  It's not BECAUSE they are great, it's because they want to BE great. It helps them do just that and they'll tell you the same.  But most fans don't know this.  They see them from the stands, they get a quick picture if they're lucky, maybe even have a brief chat, rave about them online, but they only see the results and not the process. The process is about MAXIMIZING YOUR POTENTIAL. Will you get better training Folkstyle year-round?  Absolutely.  Will you almost double that progress by wrestling Freestyle and Greco? Yes you will.  Crunch those numbers and see for yourself.  Jordan Burroughs will tell you. So will Kyle Dake, David Taylor, Tony Ramos, Logan Stieber, Angel Escobedo, Jason AND Alex Tsirtsis, Andrew Howe, Stevan Micic, and so many others.  Don't take it from me. I know enough to know I don't know anything at all. Take it from them.
 
Deondre Wilson, former 2x undefeated state champ, started wrestling as a freshman. Some called him an athletic phenom.  He wasn't really, but he was programmed mentally and had just enough technique to win in Indiana at the time.  As soon as his freshman season was over, and every year after, we went to as many freestyle and greco tournaments as possible to double his output because we didn't have time to waste and I knew better.  His first summer of wrestling we sent him to Cadet world Team Trials (very funny at the time) knowing he wouldnt win a match - and he understood that perspective too. Our goal was to score just once on someone.  He didn't win a match or course, but he pushed out eventual placer Kyle Norstrem.  This one point was an extra ingredient to a relatively successful high school career knowing now he could "score on the best in the country". 
 
He wrestled freshman Drew Hughes in the finals his Junior year for his first state title and if I remember correctly scored all his takedowns on the edge of the mat, because you have to keep wrestling on the edge. He got that from Freestyle and Greco.  Folkstyle wrestlers know you have to wrestle on the edge, but you aren't penalized for it like you are in the international styles, which creates more of a HABIT of wrestling on the edge.  This is just one small example of many on how the international styles help out your folkstyle wrestling. I believe he ended up ranked around 13th in the country by graduation.
 
Since stalling has been a discussion, another advantage of Freestyle and Greco is they penalize you even more for it, to MAKE you wrestle!  You get hit for stalling in Folkstyle from running away, hanging on, not doing anything, etc.  But most kids know how to squeek by this and so what if we get hit for stalling as we have a couple more times before it costs us. On the other hand, if you get for stalling in F/G you are put on the clock and HAVE to score or you are penalized. You try and hang on to something and you're going to get scored because of how easy it is to score.  Much more mat and body awareness is required for success in F/G, which directly crosses over to even more folkstyle success. The officials, although I of course don't agree with every call, do their best and that's enough for me. Officiating isn't easy. But ultimately it's not the refs fault we do or don't stall.  That's on us.  Freestyle however enforces the HABIT of action.
 
Again, there a countless amount of reasons where we could pin our lack of national success on. I do think classing Indiana wrestling WILL help get more kids wrestling, and I had pride being the only champ at my weight class at the time.  But many of the things that may be holding us back (wrestlebacks, ending the 300 mile rule, classing or not, population, school culture, admin support, etc) may not change any time soon.  We essentially must play the hand we are dealt like it's the hand we want.  It's like our expectations are just too low sometimes.  We operate more on hope, and hope is not an effective strategy.  Our kids won't be Olympic Champs anyway? Why not? Well they definitely aren't off to a good start if we are holding them back right out of the gate.  Instead we should be pushing EVERY last one of our athletes in our programs to aim for an Olympic title because it's going to take their best to do it. Every great athlete started their ultimate journey with a belief.  So what if they fail?  Aiming for the stars at least gets you to the moon.  
 
In conclusion, training in Folkstyle year-round is a step in the right direction, and better than doing nothing.  However, if that is all you choose to focus on, you are not maximizing your potential in this sport - plain and simple. You are trying to master the art of wrestling with 1/3 of the tools actually needed to even get close.  This is almost identical to trying to become a state champion but you are only good on your feet and are absolutely terrible on bottom and top.  Can you get close?  Sure?  But chances are you will fall short, and that is exactly where 95 % of Indiana athletes are versus the top athletes in the country.  Please do not call to boycott Indiana's Freestyle State Tournament.  We need to embrace it.  The two tournament qualifier is new and the waiver issue got out of hand last year, but if you want more CJ Red's and Nick Lee's then we individually and collectively need to train in the international styles much, much, much more.

Whoa.  Let's slow down on boycotting freestyle state. This mindset is actually one of the reasons more of our kids aren't nationally ranked and why we aren't a top 5 state. The ISWA is not pushing kids away from getting nationally ranked. It's actually part of our objective.  Where most local coaches, fans and wrestlers are concerned with their school program, the ISWA, as a subsidiary of USAW and fueled in the OLYMPIC spirit, have the ENTIRE state to worry about.  To be fair, I don't think anyone is knowingly pushing kids away. Everyone wants the best for the state in some way, it's just that some people have different opinions on what it takes to be one of the best in the country.
 
I believe more of our kids are NOT nationally ranked because more of our kids do NOT wrestle - or win - where there are more nationally ranked kids. Specifically with our H.S./Cadet/Junior athletes, this means success at high-end tournaments like Fargo, UWW Cadet and Junior World Trials, Flo, Super 32, Walsh, Junior & Cadet Duals, USAW Regionals, etc. Indiana has a few guys that can wrestle with the best guys in the country, but we simply aren't deep enough.  Most of even our best kids are largely unequipped to consistently beat the nation's best and are usually outclassed, if not immediately, as these tournaments get into the later rounds. There are a variety of factors as to why this is so (class system, time, money, population, politics, etc) but I'll get right to it and say one of the biggest reasons we aren't ranked higher as a state is because we don't train in Freestyle and Greco enough. 
 
We primarily focus on Folkstyle because that is what we wrestle in school.  As a H.S. coach, their job is doing the best they can for that school's program.  IF the coach has time, which most usually don't, this essentially means a year-round program, developing a strong feeder system, keeping as many of them together as possible throughout the summer, training, bonding, strengthening that TEAM concept, camps, summer team competitions, etc.  If you want to build a high school dynasty these are some of the things that must be addressed in some capacity. This is very difficult to do for internal and external reasons. Tonte, Schoettle, Harper, Snyder, Schaeffer, Pendowski, etc. all are perfect examples of coaches who have been fortunate to get some things clicking and build great high school programs using these methods. Many of them will also tell you how vital Freestyle and Greco are as they push their kids to train in these styles as much as possible.  Yes, they have great programs and state ranked guys, but I'm 99% certain that every one of their NATIONALLY RANKED athletes wrestle Freestyle.
 
Unfortunately for the bulk of Indiana athletes versus the nation's best, because our primary focus is Folkstyle, this hampers our wrestler's growth as more nationally ranked kids wrestle Freestyle and Greco than not.  Can you become nationally ranked by being solely focused on Folkstyle?  Sure. I trained Nathan Boston for a few years, who already had some national success, but he stayed away from the international styles until I basically had to make him do it. Drew Hughes, Colton Cummings, and Blake Rypel don't really mess around with it as much as I'd like either - and that's ok. I know them all and have love for them all.  They rep Indiana so I rep them. Mason Parrish doesn't as well...yet. But I would also argue, and they've heard it directly from me and other credible sources, that they would be ranked even higher, and more dominant, if they did wrestle these styles as much as possible.
 
Not only do you have a higher chance of being nationally ranked with success in the international styles but more, and better, colleges will be recruiting you with this success. There are only a few Folkstyle tournaments after Folkstyle state out there that effect the national rankings.  Intermat and Flo don't even put that much stock into USAW Folkstyle Nationals. Aside from H.S. state, Flo, and maybe one or two more folkstyle events in the summer, the top, top, top college coaches and programs don't put that much stock in them either - because they prefer the well-rounded wrestlers that Freestyle and Greco PRODUCE.  
 
These folkstyle tournaments are alive, both locally and nationally, because the masses have to be fed - but the masses of our kids arent nationally ranked. There are absolutely a few nationally ranked guys at Disney Duals and other national folkstyle tournaments, and the top collegiate programs like Penn State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Minnesota, etc. just might send a letter to you if you win USAW Folkstyle Nationals.  On the other hand, you can actually go up and talk to John Smith, Brands, Sanderson, etc. personally because you'll SEE them at Fargo. 
 
Why Fargo? Because when you look at the majority of nationally ranked wrestlers - THEY WRESTLE FREESTYLE.  Yes, there are exceptions, but I am talking about the majority.  Plenty percentages have been thrown around so I am sure someone can look at Flo's Top Sophomore list and see the percentage of these guys who wrestle in the international styles. http://www.flowrestling.org/ranking/607-steveson-snags-top-sophomore-spot/2016-02-19/sophomore. Guess who is at the top of that list? Gable Steveson, and yes he is an avid freestyle and greco wrestler.  Look at Intermat's top 100 seniors and you'll see the same.  Are there guys on there who don't wrestle Folkstyle?  Sure.  But not the one's at the top.
 
How about this: Fans LOVED the CJ Red vs. Nick Lee match.   LOVED IT!  Highlight of the night!!!  Standing ovation before it even started! Let's make it the last match. Two of Indiana's absolute best, aaaaaaaaaaaand they train and wrestle avidly in the international styles.  Why?  It's not BECAUSE they are great, it's because they want to BE great. It helps them do just that and they'll tell you the same.  But most fans don't know this.  They see them from the stands, they get a quick picture if they're lucky, maybe even have a brief chat, rave about them online, but they only see the results and not the process. The process is about MAXIMIZING YOUR POTENTIAL. Will you get better training Folkstyle year-round?  Absolutely.  Will you almost double that progress by wrestling Freestyle and Greco? Yes you will.  Crunch those numbers and see for yourself.  Jordan Burroughs will tell you. So will Kyle Dake, David Taylor, Tony Ramos, Logan Stieber, Angel Escobedo, Jason AND Alex Tsirtsis, Andrew Howe, Stevan Micic, and so many others.  Don't take it from me. I know enough to know I don't know anything at all. Take it from them.
 
Deondre Wilson, former 2x undefeated state champ, started wrestling as a freshman. Some called him an athletic phenom.  He wasn't really, but he was programmed mentally and had just enough technique to win in Indiana at the time.  As soon as his freshman season was over, and every year after, we went to as many freestyle and greco tournaments as possible to double his output because we didn't have time to waste and I knew better.  His first summer of wrestling we sent him to Cadet world Team Trials (very funny at the time) knowing he wouldnt win a match - and he understood that perspective too. Our goal was to score just once on someone.  He didn't win a match or course, but he pushed out eventual placer Kyle Norstrem.  This one point was an extra ingredient to a relatively successful high school career knowing now he could "score on the best in the country". 
 
He wrestled freshman Drew Hughes in the finals his Junior year for his first state title and if I remember correctly scored all his takedowns on the edge of the mat, because you have to keep wrestling on the edge. He got that from Freestyle and Greco.  Folkstyle wrestlers know you have to wrestle on the edge, but you aren't penalized for it like you are in the international styles, which creates more of a HABIT of wrestling on the edge.  This is just one small example of many on how the international styles help out your folkstyle wrestling. I believe he ended up ranked around 13th in the country by graduation.
 
Since stalling has been a discussion, another advantage of Freestyle and Greco is they penalize you even more for it, to MAKE you wrestle!  You get hit for stalling in Folkstyle from running away, hanging on, not doing anything, etc.  But most kids know how to squeek by this and so what if we get hit for stalling as we have a couple more times before it costs us. On the other hand, if you get for stalling in F/G you are put on the clock and HAVE to score or you are penalized. You try and hang on to something and you're going to get scored because of how easy it is to score.  Much more mat and body awareness is required for success in F/G, which directly crosses over to even more folkstyle success. The officials, although I of course don't agree with every call, do their best and that's enough for me. Officiating isn't easy. But ultimately it's not the refs fault we do or don't stall.  That's on us.  Freestyle however enforces the HABIT of action.
 
Again, there a countless amount of reasons where we could pin our lack of national success on. I do think classing Indiana wrestling WILL help get more kids wrestling, and I had pride being the only champ at my weight class at the time.  But many of the things that may be holding us back (wrestlebacks, ending the 300 mile rule, classing or not, population, school culture, admin support, etc) may not change any time soon.  We essentially must play the hand we are dealt like it's the hand we want.  It's like our expectations are just too low sometimes.  We operate more on hope, and hope is not an effective strategy.  Our kids won't be Olympic Champs anyway? Why not? Well they definitely aren't off to a good start if we are holding them back right out of the gate.  Instead we should be pushing EVERY last one of our athletes in our programs to aim for an Olympic title because it's going to take their best to do it. Every great athlete started their ultimate journey with a belief.  So what if they fail?  Aiming for the stars at least gets you to the moon.  
 
In conclusion, training in Folkstyle year-round is a step in the right direction, and better than doing nothing.  However, if that is all you choose to focus on, you are not maximizing your potential in this sport - plain and simple. You are trying to master the art of wrestling with 1/3 of the tools actually needed to even get close.  This is almost identical to trying to become a state champion but you are only good on your feet and are absolutely terrible on bottom and top.  Can you get close?  Sure?  But chances are you will fall short, and that is exactly where 95 % of Indiana athletes are versus the top athletes in the country.  Please do not call to boycott Indiana's Freestyle State Tournament.  We need to embrace it.  The two tournament qualifier is new and the waiver issue got out of hand last year, but if you want more CJ Red's and Nick Lee's then we individually and collectively need to train in the international styles much, much, much more.

Whoa.  Let's slow down on boycotting freestyle state. This mindset is actually one of the reasons more of our kids aren't nationally ranked and why we aren't a top 5 state. The ISWA is not pushing kids away from getting nationally ranked. It's actually part of our objective.  Where most local coaches, fans and wrestlers are concerned with their school program, the ISWA, as a subsidiary of USAW and fueled in the OLYMPIC spirit, have the ENTIRE state to worry about.  To be fair, I don't think anyone is knowingly pushing kids away. Everyone wants the best for the state in some way, it's just that some people have different opinions on what it takes to be one of the best in the country.
 
I believe more of our kids are NOT nationally ranked because more of our kids do NOT wrestle - or win - where there are more nationally ranked kids. Specifically with our H.S./Cadet/Junior athletes, this means success at high-end tournaments like Fargo, UWW Cadet and Junior World Trials, Flo, Super 32, Walsh, Junior & Cadet Duals, USAW Regionals, etc. Indiana has a few guys that can wrestle with the best guys in the country, but we simply aren't deep enough.  Most of even our best kids are largely unequipped to consistently beat the nation's best and are usually outclassed, if not immediately, as these tournaments get into the later rounds. There are a variety of factors as to why this is so (class system, time, money, population, politics, etc) but I'll get right to it and say one of the biggest reasons we aren't ranked higher as a state is because we don't train in Freestyle and Greco enough. 
 
We primarily focus on Folkstyle because that is what we wrestle in school.  As a H.S. coach, their job is doing the best they can for that school's program.  IF the coach has time, which most usually don't, this essentially means a year-round program, developing a strong feeder system, keeping as many of them together as possible throughout the summer, training, bonding, strengthening that TEAM concept, camps, summer team competitions, etc.  If you want to build a high school dynasty these are some of the things that must be addressed in some capacity. This is very difficult to do for internal and external reasons. Tonte, Schoettle, Harper, Snyder, Schaeffer, Pendowski, etc. all are perfect examples of coaches who have been fortunate to get some things clicking and build great high school programs using these methods. Many of them will also tell you how vital Freestyle and Greco are as they push their kids to train in these styles as much as possible.  Yes, they have great programs and state ranked guys, but I'm 99% certain that every one of their NATIONALLY RANKED athletes wrestle Freestyle.
 
Unfortunately for the bulk of Indiana athletes versus the nation's best, because our primary focus is Folkstyle, this hampers our wrestler's growth as more nationally ranked kids wrestle Freestyle and Greco than not.  Can you become nationally ranked by being solely focused on Folkstyle?  Sure. I trained Nathan Boston for a few years, who already had some national success, but he stayed away from the international styles until I basically had to make him do it. Drew Hughes, Colton Cummings, and Blake Rypel don't really mess around with it as much as I'd like either - and that's ok. I know them all and have love for them all.  They rep Indiana so I rep them. Mason Parrish doesn't as well...yet. But I would also argue, and they've heard it directly from me and other credible sources, that they would be ranked even higher, and more dominant, if they did wrestle these styles as much as possible.
 
Not only do you have a higher chance of being nationally ranked with success in the international styles but more, and better, colleges will be recruiting you with this success. There are only a few Folkstyle tournaments after Folkstyle state out there that effect the national rankings.  Intermat and Flo don't even put that much stock into USAW Folkstyle Nationals. Aside from H.S. state, Flo, and maybe one or two more folkstyle events in the summer, the top, top, top college coaches and programs don't put that much stock in them either - because they prefer the well-rounded wrestlers that Freestyle and Greco PRODUCE.  
 
These folkstyle tournaments are alive, both locally and nationally, because the masses have to be fed - but the masses of our kids arent nationally ranked. There are absolutely a few nationally ranked guys at Disney Duals and other national folkstyle tournaments, and the top collegiate programs like Penn State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Minnesota, etc. just might send a letter to you if you win USAW Folkstyle Nationals.  On the other hand, you can actually go up and talk to John Smith, Brands, Sanderson, etc. personally because you'll SEE them at Fargo. 
 
Why Fargo? Because when you look at the majority of nationally ranked wrestlers - THEY WRESTLE FREESTYLE.  Yes, there are exceptions, but I am talking about the majority.  Plenty percentages have been thrown around so I am sure someone can look at Flo's Top Sophomore list and see the percentage of these guys who wrestle in the international styles. http://www.flowrestling.org/ranking/607-steveson-snags-top-sophomore-spot/2016-02-19/sophomore. Guess who is at the top of that list? Gable Steveson, and yes he is an avid freestyle and greco wrestler.  Look at Intermat's top 100 seniors and you'll see the same.  Are there guys on there who don't wrestle Folkstyle?  Sure.  But not the one's at the top.
 
How about this: Fans LOVED the CJ Red vs. Nick Lee match.   LOVED IT!  Highlight of the night!!!  Standing ovation before it even started! Let's make it the last match. Two of Indiana's absolute best, aaaaaaaaaaaand they train and wrestle avidly in the international styles.  Why?  It's not BECAUSE they are great, it's because they want to BE great. It helps them do just that and they'll tell you the same.  But most fans don't know this.  They see them from the stands, they get a quick picture if they're lucky, maybe even have a brief chat, rave about them online, but they only see the results and not the process. The process is about MAXIMIZING YOUR POTENTIAL. Will you get better training Folkstyle year-round?  Absolutely.  Will you almost double that progress by wrestling Freestyle and Greco? Yes you will.  Crunch those numbers and see for yourself.  Jordan Burroughs will tell you. So will Kyle Dake, David Taylor, Tony Ramos, Logan Stieber, Angel Escobedo, Jason AND Alex Tsirtsis, Andrew Howe, Stevan Micic, and so many others.  Don't take it from me. I know enough to know I don't know anything at all. Take it from them.
 
Deondre Wilson, former 2x undefeated state champ, started wrestling as a freshman. Some called him an athletic phenom.  He wasn't really, but he was programmed mentally and had just enough technique to win in Indiana at the time.  As soon as his freshman season was over, and every year after, we went to as many freestyle and greco tournaments as possible to double his output because we didn't have time to waste and I knew better.  His first summer of wrestling we sent him to Cadet world Team Trials (very funny at the time) knowing he wouldnt win a match - and he understood that perspective too. Our goal was to score just once on someone.  He didn't win a match or course, but he pushed out eventual placer Kyle Norstrem.  This one point was an extra ingredient to a relatively successful high school career knowing now he could "score on the best in the country". 
 
He wrestled freshman Drew Hughes in the finals his Junior year for his first state title and if I remember correctly scored all his takedowns on the edge of the mat, because you have to keep wrestling on the edge. He got that from Freestyle and Greco.  Folkstyle wrestlers know you have to wrestle on the edge, but you aren't penalized for it like you are in the international styles, which creates more of a HABIT of wrestling on the edge.  This is just one small example of many on how the international styles help out your folkstyle wrestling. I believe he ended up ranked around 13th in the country by graduation.
 
Since stalling has been a discussion, another advantage of Freestyle and Greco is they penalize you even more for it, to MAKE you wrestle!  You get hit for stalling in Folkstyle from running away, hanging on, not doing anything, etc.  But most kids know how to squeek by this and so what if we get hit for stalling as we have a couple more times before it costs us. On the other hand, if you get for stalling in F/G you are put on the clock and HAVE to score or you are penalized. You try and hang on to something and you're going to get scored because of how easy it is to score.  Much more mat and body awareness is required for success in F/G, which directly crosses over to even more folkstyle success. The officials, although I of course don't agree with every call, do their best and that's enough for me. Officiating isn't easy. But ultimately it's not the refs fault we do or don't stall.  That's on us.  Freestyle however enforces the HABIT of action.
 
Again, there a countless amount of reasons where we could pin our lack of national success on. I do think classing Indiana wrestling WILL help get more kids wrestling, and I had pride being the only champ at my weight class at the time.  But many of the things that may be holding us back (wrestlebacks, ending the 300 mile rule, classing or not, population, school culture, admin support, etc) may not change any time soon.  We essentially must play the hand we are dealt like it's the hand we want.  It's like our expectations are just too low sometimes.  We operate more on hope, and hope is not an effective strategy.  Our kids won't be Olympic Champs anyway? Why not? Well they definitely aren't off to a good start if we are holding them back right out of the gate.  Instead we should be pushing EVERY last one of our athletes in our programs to aim for an Olympic title because it's going to take their best to do it. Every great athlete started their ultimate journey with a belief.  So what if they fail?  Aiming for the stars at least gets you to the moon.  
 
In conclusion, training in Folkstyle year-round is a step in the right direction, and better than doing nothing.  However, if that is all you choose to focus on, you are not maximizing your potential in this sport - plain and simple. You are trying to master the art of wrestling with 1/3 of the tools actually needed to even get close.  This is almost identical to trying to become a state champion but you are only good on your feet and are absolutely terrible on bottom and top.  Can you get close?  Sure?  But chances are you will fall short, and that is exactly where 95 % of Indiana athletes are versus the top athletes in the country.  Please do not call to boycott Indiana's Freestyle State Tournament.  We need to embrace it.  The two tournament qualifier is new and the waiver issue got out of hand last year, but if you want more CJ Red's and Nick Lee's then we individually and collectively need to train in the international styles much, much, much more.

Whoa.  Let's slow down on boycotting freestyle state. This mindset is actually one of the reasons more of our kids aren't nationally ranked and why we aren't a top 5 state. The ISWA is not pushing kids away from getting nationally ranked. It's actually part of our objective.  Where most local coaches, fans and wrestlers are concerned with their school program, the ISWA, as a subsidiary of USAW and fueled in the OLYMPIC spirit, have the ENTIRE state to worry about.  To be fair, I don't think anyone is knowingly pushing kids away. Everyone wants the best for the state in some way, it's just that some people have different opinions on what it takes to be one of the best in the country.
 
I believe more of our kids are NOT nationally ranked because more of our kids do NOT wrestle - or win - where there are more nationally ranked kids. Specifically with our H.S./Cadet/Junior athletes, this means success at high-end tournaments like Fargo, UWW Cadet and Junior World Trials, Flo, Super 32, Walsh, Junior & Cadet Duals, USAW Regionals, etc. Indiana has a few guys that can wrestle with the best guys in the country, but we simply aren't deep enough.  Most of even our best kids are largely unequipped to consistently beat the nation's best and are usually outclassed, if not immediately, as these tournaments get into the later rounds. There are a variety of factors as to why this is so (class system, time, money, population, politics, etc) but I'll get right to it and say one of the biggest reasons we aren't ranked higher as a state is because we don't train in Freestyle and Greco enough. 
 
We primarily focus on Folkstyle because that is what we wrestle in school.  As a H.S. coach, their job is doing the best they can for that school's program.  IF the coach has time, which most usually don't, this essentially means a year-round program, developing a strong feeder system, keeping as many of them together as possible throughout the summer, training, bonding, strengthening that TEAM concept, camps, summer team competitions, etc.  If you want to build a high school dynasty these are some of the things that must be addressed in some capacity. This is very difficult to do for internal and external reasons. Tonte, Schoettle, Harper, Snyder, Schaeffer, Pendowski, etc. all are perfect examples of coaches who have been fortunate to get some things clicking and build great high school programs using these methods. Many of them will also tell you how vital Freestyle and Greco are as they push their kids to train in these styles as much as possible.  Yes, they have great programs and state ranked guys, but I'm 99% certain that every one of their NATIONALLY RANKED athletes wrestle Freestyle.
 
Unfortunately for the bulk of Indiana athletes versus the nation's best, because our primary focus is Folkstyle, this hampers our wrestler's growth as more nationally ranked kids wrestle Freestyle and Greco than not.  Can you become nationally ranked by being solely focused on Folkstyle?  Sure. I trained Nathan Boston for a few years, who already had some national success, but he stayed away from the international styles until I basically had to make him do it. Drew Hughes, Colton Cummings, and Blake Rypel don't really mess around with it as much as I'd like either - and that's ok. I know them all and have love for them all.  They rep Indiana so I rep them. Mason Parrish doesn't as well...yet. But I would also argue, and they've heard it directly from me and other credible sources, that they would be ranked even higher, and more dominant, if they did wrestle these styles as much as possible.
 
Not only do you have a higher chance of being nationally ranked with success in the international styles but more, and better, colleges will be recruiting you with this success. There are only a few Folkstyle tournaments after Folkstyle state out there that effect the national rankings.  Intermat and Flo don't even put that much stock into USAW Folkstyle Nationals. Aside from H.S. state, Flo, and maybe one or two more folkstyle events in the summer, the top, top, top college coaches and programs don't put that much stock in them either - because they prefer the well-rounded wrestlers that Freestyle and Greco PRODUCE.  
 
These folkstyle tournaments are alive, both locally and nationally, because the masses have to be fed - but the masses of our kids arent nationally ranked. There are absolutely a few nationally ranked guys at Disney Duals and other national folkstyle tournaments, and the top collegiate programs like Penn State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Minnesota, etc. just might send a letter to you if you win USAW Folkstyle Nationals.  On the other hand, you can actually go up and talk to John Smith, Brands, Sanderson, etc. personally because you'll SEE them at Fargo. 
 
Why Fargo? Because when you look at the majority of nationally ranked wrestlers - THEY WRESTLE FREESTYLE.  Yes, there are exceptions, but I am talking about the majority.  Plenty percentages have been thrown around so I am sure someone can look at Flo's Top Sophomore list and see the percentage of these guys who wrestle in the international styles. http://www.flowrestling.org/ranking/607-steveson-snags-top-sophomore-spot/2016-02-19/sophomore. Guess who is at the top of that list? Gable Steveson, and yes he is an avid freestyle and greco wrestler.  Look at Intermat's top 100 seniors and you'll see the same.  Are there guys on there who don't wrestle Folkstyle?  Sure.  But not the one's at the top.
 
How about this: Fans LOVED the CJ Red vs. Nick Lee match.   LOVED IT!  Highlight of the night!!!  Standing ovation before it even started! Let's make it the last match. Two of Indiana's absolute best, aaaaaaaaaaaand they train and wrestle avidly in the international styles.  Why?  It's not BECAUSE they are great, it's because they want to BE great. It helps them do just that and they'll tell you the same.  But most fans don't know this.  They see them from the stands, they get a quick picture if they're lucky, maybe even have a brief chat, rave about them online, but they only see the results and not the process. The process is about MAXIMIZING YOUR POTENTIAL. Will you get better training Folkstyle year-round?  Absolutely.  Will you almost double that progress by wrestling Freestyle and Greco? Yes you will.  Crunch those numbers and see for yourself.  Jordan Burroughs will tell you. So will Kyle Dake, David Taylor, Tony Ramos, Logan Stieber, Angel Escobedo, Jason AND Alex Tsirtsis, Andrew Howe, Stevan Micic, and so many others.  Don't take it from me. I know enough to know I don't know anything at all. Take it from them.
 
Deondre Wilson, former 2x undefeated state champ, started wrestling as a freshman. Some called him an athletic phenom.  He wasn't really, but he was programmed mentally and had just enough technique to win in Indiana at the time.  As soon as his freshman season was over, and every year after, we went to as many freestyle and greco tournaments as possible to double his output because we didn't have time to waste and I knew better.  His first summer of wrestling we sent him to Cadet world Team Trials (very funny at the time) knowing he wouldnt win a match - and he understood that perspective too. Our goal was to score just once on someone.  He didn't win a match or course, but he pushed out eventual placer Kyle Norstrem.  This one point was an extra ingredient to a relatively successful high school career knowing now he could "score on the best in the country". 
 
He wrestled freshman Drew Hughes in the finals his Junior year for his first state title and if I remember correctly scored all his takedowns on the edge of the mat, because you have to keep wrestling on the edge. He got that from Freestyle and Greco.  Folkstyle wrestlers know you have to wrestle on the edge, but you aren't penalized for it like you are in the international styles, which creates more of a HABIT of wrestling on the edge.  This is just one small example of many on how the international styles help out your folkstyle wrestling. I believe he ended up ranked around 13th in the country by graduation.
 
Since stalling has been a discussion, another advantage of Freestyle and Greco is they penalize you even more for it, to MAKE you wrestle!  You get hit for stalling in Folkstyle from running away, hanging on, not doing anything, etc.  But most kids know how to squeek by this and so what if we get hit for stalling as we have a couple more times before it costs us. On the other hand, if you get for stalling in F/G you are put on the clock and HAVE to score or you are penalized. You try and hang on to something and you're going to get scored because of how easy it is to score.  Much more mat and body awareness is required for success in F/G, which directly crosses over to even more folkstyle success. The officials, although I of course don't agree with every call, do their best and that's enough for me. Officiating isn't easy. But ultimately it's not the refs fault we do or don't stall.  That's on us.  Freestyle however enforces the HABIT of action.
 
Again, there a countless amount of reasons where we could pin our lack of national success on. I do think classing Indiana wrestling WILL help get more kids wrestling, and I had pride being the only champ at my weight class at the time.  But many of the things that may be holding us back (wrestlebacks, ending the 300 mile rule, classing or not, population, school culture, admin support, etc) may not change any time soon.  We essentially must play the hand we are dealt like it's the hand we want.  It's like our expectations are just too low sometimes.  We operate more on hope, and hope is not an effective strategy.  Our kids won't be Olympic Champs anyway? Why not? Well they definitely aren't off to a good start if we are holding them back right out of the gate.  Instead we should be pushing EVERY last one of our athletes in our programs to aim for an Olympic title because it's going to take their best to do it. Every great athlete started their ultimate journey with a belief.  So what if they fail?  Aiming for the stars at least gets you to the moon.  
 
In conclusion, training in Folkstyle year-round is a step in the right direction, and better than doing nothing.  However, if that is all you choose to focus on, you are not maximizing your potential in this sport - plain and simple. You are trying to master the art of wrestling with 1/3 of the tools actually needed to even get close.  This is almost identical to trying to become a state champion but you are only good on your feet and are absolutely terrible on bottom and top.  Can you get close?  Sure?  But chances are you will fall short, and that is exactly where 95 % of Indiana athletes are versus the top athletes in the country.  Please do not call to boycott Indiana's Freestyle State Tournament.  We need to embrace it.  The two tournament qualifier is new and the waiver issue got out of hand last year, but if you want more CJ Red's and Nick Lee's then we individually and collectively need to train in the international styles much, much, much more.

Reaction time and settling into control are highly emphasized in high school wrestling for officials.  That was not a takedown.  That official is a past Olympic official and anyone would argue he's one of the 2 or 3 best in our state--if not the best.  It was exciting and it was close to a miracle and all of that; however, you have to settle into control in high school wrestling more than in college--and much more than the exposure and quick-fall situations of freestyle and greco.  We the fans are the ones freaked out by that situation and bringing our biases--not the official on the mat that's officiated far better wrestlers in far bigger moments than Red-Gunsett.

Just found this video of Pavletic
 

As a coach at a small school that doesn't churn out state qualifiers, I have a request for all the underdogs on the 13th.
 
Don't worry about who you've drawn at semistate. Nobody's past wins, losses, or accolades mean anything once the whistle blows. You've busted your butts all year, more than anyone not involved with wrestling could possibly comprehend. Your blood, sweat, and determination have gotten you this far. Let nothing stand in your way. Fight for victory with every fiber of your being. Win or lose, if you know you have left it all on the mat, you have nothing to be ashamed of.
 
Many great wrestlers have imparted profound words of motivation to the next generation of wrestlers. But I think the strongest words I've ever read have been from a world-class runner, the late Steve Prefontaine. "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
 
Have a great week of practice, and give 'em hell, boys.

I hate to be the person to break this all to you, but it doesn't matter.  They will not be receiving a ring for being the number 1 in the rankings. I am pretty sure it doesn't get you out of wrestling the ticket round of Semi-State.  They all in their own right have earned a shot at winning the real thing.  Only 5 more weeks and all your questions will be answered.

Preface: I am only in support of two classes.
Here are some stats to look over
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1r-4OoK27f6-4cfQlPpjYA--6h4Z9IbyXwmAwnAeo9cc/edit?usp=sharing
 
First and foremost I'm a fan of wrestling, as a fan of wrestling I like that we have our true champion, our spotlight, etc. However as someone that has coached at both big and small schools and someone that now promotes the sport I am left to wonder how much damage we are doing by having a single class system. There is no question that it "can happen" and "does happen."
Are we in this sport for just the state champs though? Are we only here as coaches and parents of this great sport for the state champs? I would hope not, I would think we are here to give our kids a great experience in this sport in hopes of they continue the great tradition with their kids. With that said does it really matter if you have to share a state title with others? Does Prairie Heights or Bellmont feel slighted by their titles this week? Do those in other states feel their state titles are "cheaper?" I wrestled in Ohio in college and when you'd ask a kid how he did at state he would say "champ, "3rd", "4th", etc...and very rarely would they include what division.
 
Now let's say we go to two classes and double the number of state qualifiers. Now we'd have about 10% of the varsity wrestlers qualifying for state, up from just over 5%. Note that this would still be one of the top 7 most difficult state tournaments in the country, so we would lose very little prestige. With an added 12 qualifiers for small schools(note approximately 4 qualify already) per weight we will see many more teams represented at the state finals. Many more kids, coaches, families, teams, and communities will get to participate in the parade of champions, enjoy a parade through the school halls, and all the other fun stuff that goes with going to state. Let's say 50 more schools are now represented at state each year(up from around 100). This means the sport is getting more attention at those schools, more attention then will trickle to the other students, parents, youth, and community. That kind of attention will help grow the sport.
 
When I was at Garrett as an athlete I was literally the SECOND semi-state qualifier in school history...that was in 1997! We were extremely mediocre and going to regional used to be a BIG DEAL. With a change of attitude and some hard work it is now expected that Garrett take athlete(s) to the state finals. After we got our first state qualifier the flood gates opened and it helped grow the program from the youth level up. Can that be done with the current setup? Of course, but again what are we sacrificing for our spotlight? Are we really hurting more than we are helping?
 
Lastly one typical comeback is, why not just increase the number of state qualifiers to 32? It would help, but in reality only four more small school athletes would get to state rather than 12 if you split into two classes.

Very sorry to hear about the passing of Jillian Tsirtsis in a vehicle collision. I'm sure the family is devastated, and I just want to offer a sincere condolence to the family. What a tragedy.

The official write-up is coming....but unofficially much of the this thread is correct.  We do need more of our best guys to show in order to do well but, yes, to compete for the title we need EVERY stud available.  The seeding criteria is a good indicator but it doesn't guarantee anything.  We still have to show up and wrestle.  Illinois had a decent amount of seeding points above Oklahoma but Oklahoma kind of rolled over them in the freestyle finals.  Those early matches are important to summon that spirit and get the ball rolling and that is exactly what happened. 
 
SEEDING:  Our best wrestlers can wrestle with the best wrestlers in the country, but the top ranked states are just deeper.  For example, if we put every Indiana stud in the lineup lets say we get 25 seeding points.  However, you can seed two wrestlers per weight, so not only do the top states have seeds from their starters, the alternates have seeds as well.  That's where you see the 40 and 50 point seeded teams.  Oklahoma had 3 nationally ranked wrestlers at one weight for example.  It's more of a privilege for the them to compete for their team.  The super cool thing is NO FOLKSTYLE criteria is applicable.  Which means every one of those kids got their seeds from either Greco-Roman or Freestyle, the easiest of which is winning a Regional.  Having our best guys in the line-up is essential but bringing those alternates is crucial too because the level of competition can be very tough and keeping guys fresh and healthy is huge.  We tried to do that this year but the only weight class we were able to double up on was 126 with Austin Holmes and Jeremiah Reitz, both of which wrestled well and came out essentially unscathed.
 
GRECO:  Although we lost the majority of our Greco duals as a team, individually we did relatively well.  We lost to teams that only won one or two matches, but because of the forfeits we just couldn't dig out of the hole.  If we would have at least been able to fill the line-up we would have done much much better.  Even without being greco world champions, Indiana still has some solid wrestlers of course.  We still aren't on the level of using a lot of high scoring moves consistently, like reverse lifts, suplex, etc., but as far a keeping a solid position we were relatively decent.  With regard to putting some of the Freestyle guys in at Greco, we decided it would be better to have our guys fresh for Freestyle instead of getting them banged up.  At a local backyard tournament in Indiana, sure, go both styles.  But this tournament, like Fargo, can be physically and mentally tough to endure and it takes a very special athlete to handle that grind.  We even lost an athlete who was there for Freestyle but got hurt wrestling Greco.  Taking two separate teams is essential.  Big shout out to Gunnar and Jose for stepping up though.  Even if a kid didn't go both, as a staff we weren't holding any grudges because we wanted fresh Freestyle legs.
 
PRICE:  Indiana, believe it or not is not the most expensive state.  We must also keep in mind that each state is different, has a different set rules, a different culture, etc. Sponsorship and fundraising policies and procedure vary.  Some states use pull tabs which are a great source of raising funds but could be considered gambling.  Others use raffle tickets to help the kids raise money, and there a few which are even performance based.  I will say that we are making additional adjustments on this end, for the Junior Duals in particular, to help make this trip more attractive to our top athletes and their families from a financial standpoint.  But to anyone who thinks that the ISWA is putting making money above providing our kids with the best opportunities is wrong.  We strive to get better across the board and Indiana's success is where our focus is.
 
BETTER REPRESENTATION:  I am envious of these top states who bring their best kids, year in and out.  It is more of a privilege to them.  We did lose some kids last minute because of their commitment to other tournaments and/or injuries, and it is difficult.  I know it's tough as a H.S. coach looking to build their program to send their best kid to this tournament, especially with Disney and Jazz Town going on around the same time, as well as the financial burden of sending them to Virginia Beach and Las Vegas.  But hopefully we can begin to see that having our best kid represented on that dual team helps our programs out just as much on the back end and gives our other team members something to strive for.  If you are wrestling at this tournament you are hands down wrestling better competition than ANY of those previous mentioned tournaments.  Perfect example, Ty Mills and his father flew from Jazz Town to Oklahoma just to get the best competition because that is how we get better, and his first match was against a nationally ranked state champion.  Not every body can afford to do that, but it just goes to show the importance of being able to participate in an event of this caliber individually, let alone for the pride of representing your state.  Whether they went undefeated or lost every match, every one of our kids got better as result of participating at this tournament.  Mat time is mat time, so as long as you are wrestling year-round you are going to get better.  But when you are wrestling or have success against the best of the best of the best, you get a higher DEGREE of confidence and experience.  
 
I could go on forever about this trip but I do want to take the time to thank USAWrestling for having this event, the ISWA for embracing the Olympic dream and sending these teams, the athletes for coming out and performing, and their families for believing in this tournament and making the sacrifices to make it happen.  It was refreshing having the parents down there with us showing support and doing whatever was needed for our boys (Mama Champagne, Mr. Larsen and Mr. Mills).  Trust we are hungry to get Indiana to the top and working diligently this second to ensure that is the case.  I know personally, myself, as well as the other coaches, have already started planning and planting seeds for next year.  Until we win the whole thing there is no satisfaction. Even then it will only be for a day or so because we have to come back and repeat again, and again, and again.

The ISWA changed the policy concerning qualification for Freestyle due to a number of reasons.  Athletes were not competing in the locals and just wrestling the state tournament.  Clubs had quit hosting Freestyle and Greco tournaments because numbers were down.  We made the change because the ISWA’s mission is to provide our athletes with opportunities to compete.   We made that change at our Annual meeting in September of 2014.  We posted it on our website, on our Face Book page and in our newsletters.
This was successful to some extent.  I have been told that over 500 more athletes competed in the locals than last season.  Three new tournaments were placed on the schedule to help the athletes to be able to qualify for the state tournament.   These are all positive things that have come out of this policy change.
 
Now let’s talk about the petition or wavier process.  The wavier or petition process has been around for as long as I have belonged on the ISWA board.  This process was used all those years but not greatly because the kids were wrestling in local the tournaments.   We always have taken the kids side and tried to help everyone.  We look at the reasons and make decisions on whether or not to allow that person to compete.    Each person who called and contacted us was told to email the request for a waiver.  Unfortunately there have been miscommunications and some people did not get a response.  I will take full responsibility on that one.  We failed and I do apologize.    Better planning on our part will correct that issue.
 
This year it became apparent that all the clubs were not aware of the process.    To make sure that all the clubs knew of the process we sent out the letter.   Was that wrong to make sure everyone was aware of the process.  No.  Our goal is not to hand out waivers to everyone, just the few that legitimately could not make the locals.  But like anything there are people who will not be totally truthful and will abuse what is meant to be good and make it bad.
 
Did those that went to the local tournaments make sacrifices?  I am sure they did.  Did all the local clubs and officials who volunteered their time make sacrifices?  Sure they did.  Why?  Because they believe in the sport of wrestling! 
Can the ISWA do a better job?  Yes we can!  Do all decisions make everyone happy?  NO.  But one thing you can be certain of, we are here volunteering for your kids. 
 
Respectfully yours
Louis Rosbottom
ISWA State Chairman

We have a greater population that about 25-30 states that have classed wrestling.
 
Our state tournament is one of the top two toughest state tournaments to qualify for in whole nation. That has yet to translate into Indiana being one of the toughest states in the nation however.