"I think a better question in decided whether or not freestyle is good for the wrestlers is to ask Andrew Howe, Angel Escobedo or Alex Tsirtsis what has helped them get to the level they are at? Where did the college coaches that recruited them see them wrestle? Some how i don't think it was at some Hyway event."
That is a good argument, but I don't think it has hurt Michigan kids from getting recruited or being all americans in college and the USA wrestling organization in Michigan is almost non-existent, at least at the youth level. I couldn't find a USA wrestling tournament in Michigan last year and couldn't get a response to multiple emails about what it took to qualify for the state tournament. We didn't go, but when I checked the results it looked like what should have been big weight classes were 5 - 10 kids max at the state free-style tournament. Between MYWAY and Border War tournaments, I did not miss free-style at all.
I think it would be a better question to consider the number of kids Indiana has been able to get to the Howe, Escobedo, and Tsirtsis level and then consider whether it is worth putting all the other kids through longer unorganized tournaments in their youth to get there or if there would be more kids who enjoy the sport if the tournaments could be completed earlier. This is no knock on Indiana wrestling, I am from Indiana and love to see the kids make it big. I think the wrestling Academies in Indiana have helped these kids a ton and would never root against an Indiana kid.
I know it won't happen over night for HYWAY and there could be a year or two of growing pains. I am just much more impressed by what MYWAY has done than where I think the ISWA is headed based on my experiences. Everyone wants what is best for the kids, I just enjoy MYWAY much more than ISWA and think most people would. I am just a parent who has wants to see the sport grow.