awood1

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You hrew the baby out with the bath water when you introduced DIVING and GYMNASTICSin to a sports discussion!! They call them JUDGES!! (P.S. It is a commonly known "Wood law" that anything that you can't get ahold of someone is not considered a REAL sport!) ;D

Michigan City HS is about 1.o miles off of the I80 exit and .5 miles off of 421. I could make it from Indianapolis to a seat in MC's gym in under 3 hrs. without breaking a single traffic law. Getting to Mville is pitiful...you have 65 if you are coming from the south, but getting through the "shopping district" is not easy and then it is tucked behind some houses on a tiny side street....then it's another hike around to the back of the building where you have to enter.

That all makes sense if the maximum capacity of Merrillville's gym is about 2,000! Plus it doesn't help that half the lower level is closed until the finals! DOH!

So relatively speaking...wouldn't the match that determines the end of your season be considered "the big match" in any given season?

Always a classic.... 8)

First, you have to define "great". Not to be flipid, but I think the benefits of kids being involved in wrestling weigh heavier then their ultimate wrestling resume. I know guys that have accomplished National recognition and others that were the "big fish in a small pond".....none of which matters when you are more then 18 years old for most of them. It is the impact of the overall wrestling experience that lasts and makes them individuals that I want on my team as friends and co-workers. All that said, if you want to measure "greatness" in the win column alone, my list is as follows in order of importance ; MAT TIME Quality work-out partners MAT TIME Quality coaching MAT TIME MAT TIME MAT TIME MAT TIME MAT TIME MAT TIME Of course all of this causes a conundrum in "my world" as I am a firm believer in a kid getting the "full" benefit of his/her HS experience....aka. be involved and diversified in your interest. I am old school in thinking that if a kid is 140lbs. plus walking the halls, he has something to contribute to the football team as well....If he is blessed with speed, he could probably help the track, soccer and/or cross country team...if he grew up playing ball in the back yard with his buddies, he might be the best baseball player in the school AND a wrestler. Heck the kid may be comfortable and confident beyond any of his peers and be the perfect person to be involved in theatre or music (wrestling does build confidence!) Of course all of the time spent doing these things means less time available for MAT TIME. Kids that want to be basketball players can go to any park or driverway and shoot baskets, baseball players can go to the batting cages or play catch, football guys can play catch in the yard, go 7 on 7, or a pick-up game at the park. Wrestlings equivalent is the open room or RTC and freestyle/greco tnmts. Seldom have I been able to go to the local park and wrestle without sirens being involved at some point. ;D

The largest armpit to ever host a semi-state!

This is the California individual format...except they do it in 2 days!! (single class) ;D

The only WE that has a clue what happened is you and the rest of the folks that were there....do the rest of us a favor and share...it's okay, thats what we are here for...

It was...I am searching for something that says "That dude knows who he is and what he likes?" Freddy may have missed the mark? How you like the new family photo?

Here is where I fly off the path most traveled.....I would either A.) call stalling on the top guy for throwing in legs OR B.) call stalling on both. In a perfect world...I would NEVER call stalling on a bottom guy when the top man has legs in. Very few have the skill or strength to secure a fall when riding legs...translation, they are not actively looking to improve their position. They are riding on the back like ticks hoping the official will get tired of watching it and call stalling to force the bottom man to do something totally stupid to advance his position. IMHO, riding legs is like the 4 corners in basketball designed to occupy time with little or no risk...

This from a guy who has Freddie Mercury as his avatar... I am glad SOMEBODY noticed! HAHA Gotta do something to entertain the folks that aren't reading through eyes filled with tears of rage! HAHA I plan on rotating in some avatars to keep my boo count rising....you can't just insult peoples intelligence and expect the boos to go up! Some people arent smart enough to recognize it! HAHA

+1 I was trying to read the post, but the spelling just kept blocking me off!?! I must be stalling...or is that a sealmate? ;D

This may apply more to the southern part of the state where they are ALL related!!! ;D

It's amazing how the most dosile mother can turn to a raving lunatic when her son's eyes are getting gouged out at MSA....are you sure that Mom wasn't from Michiana? HAHA

I do too.....but that's 8,000+ folks! IF they happened to fill the lower level, I think PU would agree to holding all of their meets there! ;D

DING -1 pt. On another note, we actually have 1 official here that I believe does a good job. He consistently gets crap though, because people don't get it. His procedure is as follows, one the shoulder are there he begins his count and IF a fall occurs, he blows his whistle and taps the offensive wrestler and then the mat. As some other wise men pointed out, the slapping of the mat means that a fall HAS OCCURED! In this case the ref holds the whistle in his mouth and AS SOON as the fall occurs, he blows his whistle, taps the winner (to let him know its over) and THEN raises his hand and slaps the mat. To many people assume that once you have elevated your hand, that a fall has occured. In any case, the raised hand could be nothing more than anticipation of a near fall going to fall. In peoples desire for instant information, they overlook the fact that for good officials the slap of the mat is AFTER the fall and just because your hand is elevated in anticipation, does not mean that it is imminent.

It is sad but true...coaches are like kids. They need boundaries and unless you estbalish those boundaries early and consistently enforce them, they will always be testing them. On the flip side, a lot of parents get their panties in a bunch when a ref follows the letter of the law and claims that he is inflating his importance. I am sure it will happen in IN someday also, but you should hear the ruccus in CA about the ref that called a kid for delaying the match as he took time to kneel and pray at the edge of the mat. The kid wasn't ready, the ref made the call within the letter of the rule and all heck broke loose! Refs can take control, the question is "Is that what you really want?"

Yes...see link here...and No, according to the info. from his parents.

You could try talking to the IHSAA, if you enjoy wasting your time. But the absolute quickest (and maybe the only) way to get something done is to have grandpa call a lawyer! Title 24 of the building code requires that he have EQUAL ACCESS to ALL facilities, that will get action real quick!

If you read the ihsaa.org side bar on their web site, you will see that the IHSAA has sold their soul at every opportunity. Official this and official that has become a great $ generator for the IHSAA. They don't care how many DVD's they sell or the public view of our kids, it's all about the benjamins. At the head of this fund raising committee are folks the likes of Blake Ress and Janis Qualliza (Merrillville AD). They make decisions like (at their last executive meeting) that the Official Ball provider for all IHSAA sports is now Wilson! WOOHOO Why is that important to anyone? It isn't except to say that Wilson just bought the rights to a sweetheart deal that guarantees sale of their product in Indiana for the next 5 years....becasue the IHSAA says so! They could make their product out of dog hide in sweat shops using 7 yr. olds getting paid in candy, but by golly they are the OFFICIAL ball provider for the IHSAA! Think it sounds ridiculous? Consider how many people bang their heads on the wall each year wondering why in the world such a premier event as the Merrillville SS is held in such a crappy facility while other, more suitable facilities, set dormant that same weekend. Check the name of the last IHSAA Board Prez.....none other than Ms. Janis Qualliza - Merrillville AD. Good luck changing their mind with logic like "It's good for the kids" or "It's good for the sport"....it's all about the benjamins!! :-X

ff's equal a pin. lol...what? This reminds me of the Little League mother that was keeping stats for me...she explained that strike-outs "didn't count" against her son's batting average because it wasn't an "at bat" unless he hit the ball!?!

To be in line with the PC majority, shouldn't we assemble a JV undefeated or less then 8 losses with none coming against a girl or otherwise disabled wrestler of equal or greater weight or physical maturity? : :

PLEASE tell me the architect that designed that is unemployed!! > I would like to see LPD or Vito post Lowell's wrestling room....They were just starting construction on it when I left a few years ago and I never got to see how it all turned out?