RAJR

They already keep raising the lowest class, so I don't see any reason to keep raising it higher and putting the smaller kids at an even bigger disadvantage. The biggest thing that hurt us was taking a middle weight class away and adding another one to the bigger guys. There are many more kids having to wrestle JV in the middle weights because a weight class was taken away, and now a lot more forfeits in the bigger classes since they added one.

When are these foreign exchange students (i.e. Pierre Forfeit) going to learn they just need to work harder. And why are so many small schools recruiting them?!

Region Sports Media is proud to announce that all three local rounds of the 2016 state wrestling tournament will be available for viewing on regionwrestling.com.
 
2016 marks the second straight year Region Sports will provide live telestream coverage of the state tournament. Whereas in 2015 the coverage was limited to one camera covering four mats during two rounds (sectional & semi-state), this years coverage will include two cameras covering two mats each on all three Saturdays. The additional cameras allow fans to access to a second live video screen, thereby enhancing the viewing experience.
 
I have been asked to join the announce team with Bill Hawkins of RWA.

The spectators

That's not how this works... That's not how any of this works...

Your line of reasoning is just so far off its hard to take it seriously. You are putting the cart before the horse.
 
Teams aren't good because of the number of ranked guys they have. They get ranked because they're good and over the course of a season, every decent team has a chance to prove that.
 
You ridiculed the committee for their work and yet you still don't get it. If you want to find out how good a team is for a dual, write down all 14 guys. Look at their record. Look at their schedule. Look at what their record was last year. Look at where they placed in state tournament last year. I can honestly say that we seeded all of 3A and we didn't spend one second on the rankings page, because that's not how dual meets work, especially when you're looking at rankings three weeks into the season

I have attended all four IHSWCA Team State Duals and in my opinion the Ft. Wayne Coliseum has been the best facility. There are a couple small tweeks that I am sure the tournament director/coordinators will make that will help tremendously with seating. I received the impression from my athletes that the coliseum felt more like a state championship tournament facility than Westfield or Ball State. When we walked into the coliseum many of our wrestlers faces instantly lit up. I have always believed that if you treat a tournament like the super bowl then it becomes the super bowl, and for our kids the facility made that more true for them than in years past. Like I said, there can be some small tweeks made to make the facility even better like moving team seats to the center facing each other rather than on the sides of the scorers table which may allow the side bleaches to extend down further opening up 3-4 more rows of seating. Or moving the team food location somewhere else as well as the tournament directors stage which would allow there to be bleachers on both ends of the mats.

Say what you want, your logic of saying more ranked wrestlers makes a better team in a dual format is flawed. It's how teams match up and if rankings won matches, we wouldn't need to wrestle. How many times have there been upsets at team state that impacted the winner? Nearly every year. Like i said, the seedlings appeared to have been very accurate and well, nuff said. I do agree that there will likely be more Brownsburg kids ranked or at least on the watch list if not already.

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.

Agreed. We should have seeded them #1

Thanks for posting this info. Looks like a great day of wrestling! So glad the sport has this event and know there are many, many programs hoping and working to earn an invite.

Senior Nationals/Olympic Trials Qualifier event will be today and tomorrow in Las Vegas.  It's a hugely important event because it's by far the best chance to qualify for the Olympic Trials.  Anyone placing top 7 advances to the trials in April and opportunities to qualify after this weekend will be tricky.  Some of our top National Team people aren't participating because they've already sealed their berths at the trials, but everyone else will be there.  
 
You can follow the event live on Track and watch a live paid stream on Flo all day both days.
 
From Indiana (help me if I'm missing anyone):
 
Greco Roman and Women's Freestyle Day 1 (Today, Dec. 18):
 
Sarah Hildebrandt (53kg, #5 seed)
Caleb Smith (Greco 75kg)
Taylor Walsh (ex-IU) (Greco 75kg, #6 seed)
 
Men's Freestyle and Women's Freestyle Day 2 (Tomorrow, Dec. 19):
(seeds not announced yet)
 
Angel Escobedo (57kg)
Stevan Micic (57kg)
Reece Humphrey (already qualified for trials) (65kg)
Brandon Wright (65kg)
Andrew Howe (74kg)
Nick Borta (86kg)
Braden Atwood (97kg)
 
Prospectus:
--Hildebrandt should qualify, but she needs to perform.  There's a bit of a drop off after the first few girls, so she'll be looking to get 1 or 2 key wins that will guarantee her spot
--Walsh has shown flashes of being a future Olympic qualifying threat the last month.  He'll be favored to advance, but Greco is unpredictable.
--EDIT: Found out about Smith late.  He won a couple matches but did not qualify for the trials.
--Escobedo & Micic are in THE weight to watch this weekend and at the trials in April.  There are literally 15-17 guys who have been our top guy already or who have beaten our top guys.  Micic has shown he can beat anyone--but yet he's ranked #12 because this weight is so, so deep.  Even Escobedo, who will be the #3 or #4 seed this weekend, is absolutely not a shoo-in to make the trials.  Watch this weight!!
--Wright will be a heavy underdog at our second deepest weight.  He continues to pick up nice wins at these events, but he'll need 3 or 4 upset wins to qualify for the trials
--Humphrey is just looking to perform well, since he's already qualified.  Most people have written him off as a threat to be our rep in Rio with the move up in weight from the non-Olympic 61kg--but he's shown he can compete at 65kg.  All our best guys except the already-qualified Metcalf and Green will be there this weekend and placing top 3 would be a big boost to Hump's confidence going forward.
--Howe's weight has become much less crowded with numerous big dogs moving up to avoid Jordan Burroughs. He'll be the top seed this weekend and the favorite to face Burroughs in the Trials finals in April.  He's shown again this season in international tournaments that he would absolutely be a real Olympic medal threat if he weren't stuck behind the man.
--Borta, from North Montgomery's wrestling club, will be a heavy underdog. I'm guessing his primary goals are getting acclimated to the level of competition and competing well.
--Atwood will be a heavy underdog like Wright.  Winning a couple matches would be something to build on for him.

Maybe a weak spot was found at "Hotel Yorktown" like in Escape from Alcatraz?

The Curly Mustaches
 

Nice to see that addition! Really enjoy the rankings and appreciate all the time and effort, thank you!

Think he weighed in at 113.1 so was 120 for the day and bumped to 126 for better matches. At least that's how I read it.

Think he weighed in at 113.1 so was 120 for the day and bumped to 126 for better matches. At least that's how I read it.

I think the main issue on this thread is the double standard by which Yorktown is displaying. There is NO question (Yorktown) has benefited by MANY transfers over the last several years (some names listed in a previous post). Back in 2010 / 2011 was the MOST blatant example of questionable transfers ever!  Yorktown had a "hole" in their lineup at 138 that they felt needed to be filled to advance to the state finals. Early in the year I think there was a transfer student from Jay County who just happens to be a very good 138 lb wrestler. The IHSAA declared him ineligible to participate at Yorktown so this student decided it was in his best interest to go back to Jay County and wrestle that year. While Yorktown seemed to have missed out on this good fortune, Santa Clause must have thought Coach McCormick and Coach Delaney must have been good little boys and delivered them (for Christmas, 1/2 way thru the wrestling season) another 138 lb very good wrestler from Franklin (I believe).... One might ask how Yorktown received two move ins, both very good wrestlers at a weight they needed to fill in the same year? I have heard a lot about this particular incident, some fact, some speculation so I won't get into that. (Just a side note, Bellmont's 138 lber beat the Yorktown transfer student and Bellmont advanced to the State Finals, Yorktown went home...KARMA?)  
 
I for one am AMAZED and utterly shocked that Yorktown would be so bold, brash and are so willing to put themselves in this position. If you open your arms to accept transfers (some legit, some questionable and some blatantly unethical) your open arm policy should make darn sure your arms are open when they want to leave....  How can you have such a double standard?
 
As I stated earlier the main issue is the double standard by which Yorktown is displaying.

I don't think a bad relationship with a coach is an athletic problem but a social and well being issue.Coaches have a huge influence on athletes , good and bad.  There are many reasons families move their kids from one school to the next and if that student happens to be an athlete , that student should not be punished because of it. The schools exist  for the students . I have seen athletes where the only positive thing in their life was the sport they are a part of . They move and lose eligibility and now they find something more destructive to do or a family just does not like a school for what ever reason, and pull their kid out and put them in another school and kid does not want to leave but is a minor and has no say so. They should not be punished. 

Yorktown could have released the kids and nothing would have went to the IHSAA. Instead Yorktown decided to fight the transfers and so far has won.
 
This is coming from a program that willingly accepted a mid-season transfer of a state qualifier just a few short years ago. Along with a future state runner-up that tried to transfer to Yorktown, but had to sit out a year. Or the program that has had two serious IHSAA violations over the past two years.
 
Even better is I have heard a coach utter phrases like "I think kids should be able to go to whatever school they want without penalty, if they think it's in their best interest."

Yes there is much more to the story. Those who follow wrestling in central and east central Indiana know the history. I always thought there were three sides to a story, yours, theirs, and the right one. 
Question is why Yorktown wouldn't sign off for a kid going to the school district he always lived in? Especially considering all the transfers and "move ins" Yorktown has had over the years. And yes, I realize it's a rhetorical question.

He's ineligable due to the Hotel Yorktown rule where you can check in, but can not check out.

One thing that I think is cool is we have been graced with many very good wrestlers over the past 15 years. I hope the trend continues because it is fun discussing the best of the best.

I mean i'm more than qualified to be a heavy weight....Streck better watch out...I crushed an entire tombstone pizza last night.....