doctorWrestling

Some of you may have seen the video of "The Slam" from the DCC vs Davison team state championships in MI from Saturday.  It was the one where Davison's #1 nationally ranked Alex Facundo lost on a slam call that looked like a normal hard double leg.  The DCC kid ( who is a really tough kid and Fargo AA ) looked fine, got up and went to the line to start wrestling before his coach called him over to be looked at by his trainer.  DCC's version of the story is that their trainer was in the bathroom so the MHSAA sent a doctor out to evaluate the kid and the doctor said he was not fit to finish and DCC picks up 6 points in a match they would almost surely lost by bonus points.  It looked like a terrible decision to have the kid take a dive but according to DCC, the coach didn't intend it that way and it got taken out of his hands.
 
I also saw a clip on Twitter where Mocco talks about a time he hurt a guy from Iowa State and Bobby Douglas jumped out of the stands to make his guy wrestle 1 second so he could then forfeit to Mocco because he didn't want to take a win like that.
 
I thought it might help to share some stories of coaching decisions and scenarios that went well or went terribly wrong.  I am not sure I would know the rules for stopping injury time before it ran out or the concussion rules in the heat of the moment of a match.  I could see where things happen quickly and decisions are made or not made so a bad result happens unintentionally.  I don't like DCC but have made enough mistakes to see how it could happen.
 
Anyone care to share?

Friday night at Maconaquah was filled with some great action and a lot of young ladies putting themselves on the line, but I wanted to share with all of you a photo I took that really hit me. 
 
Heritage High School hasn't (according to IndianaMat results) won a dual meet in the last four years and they are 0-47 in that time. But every time I see coaches Lockett and Martin, I am impressed at the way they run their program. They are full of energy and passion for their kids. I have seen it at home dual meets, at the ACAC duals and I saw it on Friday night. 
 
Heritage had one girl wrestling. One girl. Yet the entire team (almost, I think) and both coaches were in attendance and coaching their hearts out and laughing with their kids. This made a huge impression on me and I will be rooting for the Patriots the rest of the year. 
The whole team spent six hours in a gym to watch Amber Hoy wrestle four matches. 
 
Kudos to the Heritage team and to both coaches for the role they are playing in their program and congrats to Amber Hoy on her placement Friday night. 

All this talk has put so much emphasis on state champs. One place I think small schools would really see a bump in interest is the number of athletes winning sectional, qualifying to regional, making ticket round, etc. I know we are all supposed to aim high, but "high" is defined differently for some than it is for others. A lot of guys in our line-ups over the years climbed to their athletic peak by winning a sectional championship and/or making it to the ticket round of semi-state.

I used to be be a staunch 1 class believer but am not sure anymore.  I am 100% positive that the atmosphere at the state finals would not be the same.  I am no longer sure that is as important as I used to think.  If Indiana did decide to add classes, I would hope they would do 2 classes at most.  I think 3 would be pretty watered down. 
 
The Indiana State Finals are incredible and would hate to see that change but I also understand there are benefits for the smaller schools and the sport should be about the kids and not the fans.  

We ( Edwardsburg, MI ) have been bringing a small group of kids to Mishawaka and Jimtown regularly.  Both rooms are awesome.  Both have coaches who will jump in and help kids and are willing to go live.  I sort of wish Michigan had an RTC system in place like Indiana, but to be honest I would still want to go to IN for these rooms.  You can see the difference it is making with our kids.  I highly recommend both rooms.

We ( Edwardsburg, MI ) have been bringing a small group of kids to Mishawaka and Jimtown regularly.  Both rooms are awesome.  Both have coaches who will jump in and help kids and are willing to go live.  I sort of wish Michigan had an RTC system in place like Indiana, but to be honest I would still want to go to IN for these rooms.  You can see the difference it is making with our kids.  I highly recommend both rooms.

Boy I bet you are hating last nightsw result. Respect that man. He is a gamer you are a hater

I think its the "whatever they can" part that I tend to disagree on.  Moving to put your kid in a better academic school - totally understand.  Moving to put your kid in a better wrestling school - in some terrible situations, maybe.  Holding your kid back in 8th grade for the sole reason of having an age advantage over 99% of the other kids, that's where I start to wonder what the heck is going on.  You can do too much for your kids also - like parents who do their kid's homework, give them every possible advantage at the cost of letting their kid figure it out.  I would just encourage parents to think about the long term lesson in doing something like that.

I think its the "whatever they can" part that I tend to disagree on.  Moving to put your kid in a better academic school - totally understand.  Moving to put your kid in a better wrestling school - in some terrible situations, maybe.  Holding your kid back in 8th grade for the sole reason of having an age advantage over 99% of the other kids, that's where I start to wonder what the heck is going on.  You can do too much for your kids also - like parents who do their kid's homework, give them every possible advantage at the cost of letting their kid figure it out.  I would just encourage parents to think about the long term lesson in doing something like that.

Join us this Thursday at 5:30PM as we kick off the freestyle season. 
Take advantage of these off-season opportunities to get better!

Michigan does it for the state tournament.  I like that if you can't fill one weight but have 2 stud seniors stuck together you can get them both in the tournament.  There were 2 state finals matches between teammates this year I believe.  Some kid who may have not had a chance to compete came home a state-runner up.  Can't argue the kids deserved it if that's where they placed.

4 point near fall
3 point take down
2nd injury time = 1 point and choice (too many kids using injury time as a break, and simply giving them the choice to go on bottom is not always beneficial)
Allowing teams to enter more than 1 kid per weight at sectionals and individual tournaments ( would have to cap it at a certain #)
 

If I could change anything I would add a weight in back in the middle.  Those weights always seem to be loaded with both talent, and numbers.  I think you would actually see the % of FF go down as most teams could fill another middle spot. Also the 15th weight would make a difference for tie-breakers and things like that.
106
113
120
125
130
135
140
145
152
160
170
182
195
220
285

Mat-side weigh ins.  You said I'm czar for the day.  Haha.
As a process guy in my "professional" life, the whole idiocy of weigh-ins days or hours before actually wrestling defeats the purpose.  It would literally take a few seconds per match.  
You miss weight, it's a forfeit.  All the sudden you have eliminated your issue of kids cutting too much and people will wrestle their true weight.

I am not telling them what to do, but I don't see how being an undersized 106 is really any different than the freshmen kids who weigh 145 lbs or more who are going to face juniors and seniors all year long if they can make varsity.  They will both take losses because they are freshmen in that case.  You are at least guaranteed to face someone your age or maybe rarely a sophomore at that weight.  

Have to admit......I entertained the idea with Silas.  But ultimately.....had I done so, I would’ve outwardly been setting an example of athletics overriding academics.  And that’s a major breach of the Allred’s household priority line.
Being fully transparent.....Regardless of my sons success through relentless hard work, I still frequently think on the “what if’s”.  He could legit be a sophomore right now and not such a young junior.  Increased accolades in-state and Nationally would undoubtedly be attained.  But ultimately....if athletics isn’t the back up plan to education/career, we’re setting our kids up for misaligned values.  Make no mistake.....Silas plans to take the sport as far as his health, work ethic and God allows.  But one reality we’ve embraced.....is that the events of tomorrow can never be fully predicted.  And in retrospect......being young for his class and having to work harder to compensate for the age gap, has likely benefited his long term success and character much more than any medal could.  And rest assured, as it pertains to the topic of age/success/recruiting......programs are very aware of an athletes age/projection. So in most instances.....being young and successful is even more appealing to recruiters.  And that “success” I refer to here.....goes far beyond what an athlete accomplishes in their particular sport.  Character & Classroom has to come first.

My son is a QB that has done camps in GA and CA with kids from all over the country. Every QB parent that I have ever talked to from California, and many from Texas, had held their kid back. I was even given a tutorial on how/when to do it. We elected to stay the course and keep him in his natural grade even though he is on the young side. It has put him at a disadvantage in some cases, but he'll be fine either way.

I guess I am old school, but that is disturbing to me.  Here are a few reasons why it should be discouraged in my opinion.  First, wrestling probably shouldn't be such a priority for parents or kids at that age to want to give up a year of future earnings and leave their classmates so they have a better shot at winning matches.  Secondly, I think a year of taking your losses is a great lesson in life and the sport that will only help you later on and missing that lesson is definitely not going to help when you finally become a freshman in college if you continue in the sport.  I personally would much rather have a kid who struggles and then succeeds than a kid who took an advantage to make it easier to succeed when it comes to preparing for the beatings you will get in college.
I am not trying to attack those who did it.  Maybe a few even have a valid reason for it besides wrestling.  I just personally don't like it and think it isn't going to help them in the long run. 

I guess I am old school, but that is disturbing to me.  Here are a few reasons why it should be discouraged in my opinion.  First, wrestling probably shouldn't be such a priority for parents or kids at that age to want to give up a year of future earnings and leave their classmates so they have a better shot at winning matches.  Secondly, I think a year of taking your losses is a great lesson in life and the sport that will only help you later on and missing that lesson is definitely not going to help when you finally become a freshman in college if you continue in the sport.  I personally would much rather have a kid who struggles and then succeeds than a kid who took an advantage to make it easier to succeed when it comes to preparing for the beatings you will get in college.
I am not trying to attack those who did it.  Maybe a few even have a valid reason for it besides wrestling.  I just personally don't like it and think it isn't going to help them in the long run. 

Any idea how many of those took an extra year of middle school?  

I think there is common etiquette that should be followed.  Trying to save 100 seats so every extended family member and friend you have ever known can sit together is BS.  I once had a father trying to save 20 rows get super mad that I dared sit in his imaginary kingdom that was over 50% empty.  I still consider that guy one of the biggest dopes I have ever ran across.

I think there is common etiquette that should be followed.  Trying to save 100 seats so every extended family member and friend you have ever known can sit together is BS.  I once had a father trying to save 20 rows get super mad that I dared sit in his imaginary kingdom that was over 50% empty.  I still consider that guy one of the biggest dopes I have ever ran across.

I think there is common etiquette that should be followed.  Trying to save 100 seats so every extended family member and friend you have ever known can sit together is BS.  I once had a father trying to save 20 rows get super mad that I dared sit in his imaginary kingdom that was over 50% empty.  I still consider that guy one of the biggest dopes I have ever ran across.

I think there is common etiquette that should be followed.  Trying to save 100 seats so every extended family member and friend you have ever known can sit together is BS.  I once had a father trying to save 20 rows get super mad that I dared sit in his imaginary kingdom that was over 50% empty.  I still consider that guy one of the biggest dopes I have ever ran across.

By STEVE KRAH
stvkrh905@gmail.com
The identical Gimson twins — Conner and Matt — return for their senior wrestling season for Jimtown High School in 2018-19.
Both brothers are two-time IHSAA State Finals qualifiers. Both stepped onto the State Finals podium last season — Conner placed fifth at 138 pounds and Matt eighth at 132.
Both Jimmies are back and looking to do even better in their last prep mat go-round. They will likely be in those same weight divisions.
After going 46-4 in 2017-18, Conner Gimson’s three-year career record stands at 123-21. Matt Gimson went 46-5 last season and is now 127-20. “They have a ceiling that’s still really high,” says Jimtown head coach Jeremiah Maggart of the Gimsons, who are the youngest of Scott and Sherry Gimson’s four children (Drew and Kylie are the oldest). “They’re successful because they wrestle really hard and do things strong.”
Both brothers honed their skills and got different looks by competing in out-of-state tournaments last spring and summer. Among those were individual and national duals in Virginia Beach, Va., and the Super 32 in North Carolina.
“They showed me a different way to wrestle so I have to think differently,” says Conner Gimson.
His approach on the mat has changed since the beginning of his high school days.
“Earlier in my career, I was thinking strength could win it all,” says Conner Gimson. “But you need both technique and strength.
“You have to have the dedication in practice everyday. You push yourself more today than you did yesterday to be a better wrestler later on.”
Matt Gimson is also taking the lessons he learned in the summer and applying them in the Jimtown practice room. To improve, he has grappled with Maggart, Conner, Hunter Watts and others.
“I thank everyone that’s helped me through the process,” says Matt Gimson. “I’m better at getting takedowns (compared to my early prep career). In the neutral position is what I’ve been working on from my freshman year to now.”
Repetition is the key.
“When you do something so much, you get used to it will become muscle memory,” says Matt Gimson. “That’s what I think has gotten better for me.”
Conner has witnessed an improvement in Matt, his older brother by 27 minutes.
“He’s gotten smarter, faster and stronger, too,” says Conner Gimson of his brother. “He can do a quick re-shot compared to some other people.”
Maggart says he is trying to get Conner to realize his potential.
“He can win big matches,” says Maggart. “Last year, he lost at the Charger Invitational (at Elkhart Memorial) and two matches at the Al Smith (Classic at Mishawaka).”
After that, Conner told his coach that he wanted to step up his game.
His work ethic increased and so did his focus on technique.
“We drilled everyday from the Al Smith to State,” says Maggart of Conner Gimson. “He worked really hard in positions he wasn’t good at.
A kid coming up and saying I want to do this is pretty awesome.
“He beat a lot of good kids from the regional on (including Elkhart Memorial’s Bryton Goering in the Elkhart Sectional and Fort Wayne Semistate finals as well as Central Noble’s Austin Moore in the regional final and Yorktown’s Colt Rutter in the semistate “ticket round,” Western’s Hunter Nottingham in the semistate semifinals and Culver Military’s Adam Davis is the fifth-place match at State).”
Matt Gimson’s first loss as a junior came to Indianapolis Cathedral’s Alex Mosconi in the Al Smith Classic finals.
“That didn’t faze him,” says Maggart. “Sometimes you lose a match or two and you’re kind of shaky on where you’re at.
“(Conner and Matt) stayed the course and listened to our coaching staff about getting them where they want to be — state place winners.”
Maggart has seen the twins excel with what appears to be natural strength. It might also come from a 6-foot-4 father and grappling against bigger kids at a younger age.
“Wrestling stronger kids made me who I am today,” says Conner Gimson.
Their coach has noticed that muscle in both twins.
“They are so strong,” says Maggart. “They are no live-in-the-weight room kids. When they grab on to you, you say that kid’s really strong for 130 pounds.”
Does it help to have many moves in your arsenal?
“It helps if you know a lot of things, but if you stick to the basics that will be the best,” says Conner Gimson. “The basics we talk about are high crotches, single-legs and doubles.”
Maggart notes that the Gimsons have improved technically a lot the last year and a half, but there is a comfort zone with certain moves. “I’m confident that I can get the stuff done if I do it my way,” says Conner Gimson.
Conner Gimson was once known for his spadles and Matt Gimson his cradles, but both have worked to diversify their attacks.
“I have to have other moves if that one doesn’t work,” says Matt Gimson.
Some wrestlers can become known for certain things. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they can be stopped.
“If you do something well enough and hard enough, it doesn’t matter if they know it’s coming,” says Maggart. “You can’t be a one-trick pony and have one move. But if you have a couple of things and you do them well enough that no one can stop you, you’ll be OK.
“Jordan Burroughs is one of the best wrestlers in the world. Everyone in the world knows he shoots a double and he still scores on doubles on everybody.”
Not only are the brothers physically tough, there’s mental toughness there, too.
“Probably the biggest part of the sport that is unnoticed is how tough are you when things are tough?,” says Maggart. “Everybody’s going to eventually get in that spot. (The Gimsons) are tough. They’ll do whatever you ask them to do. They show up. They put a lot of time in.
“They’re always mentally in it.”
Both brothers plan to wrestle in college, but have not yet made commitments.
The Jimmies open the season with the Jimtown Super Dual Dec. 1. Some of the other competition include the Charger Invitational at Elkhart Memorial Dec. 8, the Henry Wilk Classic at Penn Dec. 15, a dual at NorthWood Dec. 18, the Al Smith Classic at Mishawaka Dec. 28-29, the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association State Duals in Fort Wayne Jan. 5, a dual against Northridge Jan. 8, Northern Indiana Conference Tournament Jan. 12 and a dual against Edwardsburg (Mich.) Jan. 15.

View full article