grecoref

I'm going to call it a day....posts by Fabio and Y2 that I agree with. Never say never..

McCubbins was a double Jr National Champ, a Jr World Team member, one of the early resident Greco athletes at the Olympic Training Center. He's also a close personal friend with Y2.

No, Cadets are not required to have a coach at any event.

I would suspect those numbers are not correct. No way we lost 340 programs in one year.

Ohio went to two classes in 1971 and to three classes in 1976. I would be interested to see the participation numbers from prior to 1971 and 1976.

My son and I are going both days

I have had the good fortune to see a lot of great matches in a variety of locations around the world. This match was one of the most entertaining I have ever seen. I know I can say this with 100% certainty....I have never seen a standing ovation for 3rd place heavyweight match anywhere on the planet. Well done gentlemen, well done!

The answer is pretty clear...who is he wrestling and where are they wrestling...the answer Iran/Iran. They get the benefit of the doubt

I went to Iran in 2000 for the Tahkti Cup. Hands down the best wrestling trip I had ever been on. The Iranian people are by far the most passionate and knowledgeable wrestling fans in the world....other than those who will be a Banker's Life this weekend, A little history lesson for a Friday...the World Cup originated in Toledo, Ohio. Joe Scalzo, Sr who lived in Toledo was the Vice President of Fila at the time. The event was held in Toledo from 1973-1992 with the exception of 2 years. The USA won the World Cup and beat the Soviet Union for the first time in 1980. I was there to witness it. Joe Scalzo Sr was a coach, referee or administrator at every Olympic Games from 1952-1984. He passed away in 1986. I wore a lapel pin that belonged to him on my suit jacket when Fila made us wear the coat and ties. So a little part of Joe made it to one more Olympics.

Terry Brands' wife told me it is much more difficult watching their son, Nelson wrestle than it was watching Terry. I know it's much tougher on the parents.

I saw a commercial the other day on the BTN with Ashneault from Rutgers saying 'If you wrestle me, you have to wrestle my entire family." I think it was Jim Gibbons who said "When you go out for wrestling your entire family goes out for wrestling too My family was the same way. When I first went out for wrestling, my dad was against it. He didn't understand it much. It didn't take long for him to catch on and fully support me. He grew to love the sport and was my biggest fan. When my mom moved from our family home to a retirement community, I found brackets and wall charts from tournaments I forgot I wrestled in. My brother, sister-in-law and niece faithfully followed me around. I have met so many great wrestling families over the years. People who truly care about one another and support each other. So, if this is your first trip, your umpteenth, or your last trip to the State Finals, I wish you the best. Most importantly, don't forget to enjoy the journey.

Your background check came up a little short.

No, it comes from way before that. I think he is an arrogant and uniformed a$$. Other than that I'm fairly neutral on the guy.

It's a sad day when FloWrestling is considered a credible news source. Willie is ok, but Pyles is the perfect example of "give a guy a microphone and he becomes an expert".

I was fortunate enough to make a trip to Iran with the US National Team in 2000. For a pure wrestling experience, this was the best trip I had been on. Passionate and knowledgeable fans, excellent food, VIP treatment, greeted at the airport by TV stations and the press, excellent competition. It was all about wrestling with very little else. One of my best referee friends is Iranian. We used to joke about how closed minded our governments were. Today they proved it.

You didn't kick him in the head again, did you?

Not only is it one of the toughest tournaments in the world, it's one of the toughest places in the world. Located in the Siberian Region of Russia, it's nothing for the temps to be -20F. I was there in 1993 and I am still cold.

The number 2 reason most referees don't continue on is they don't feel they advance as fast as they should. There are a variety of reasons for not advancing. Most are self inflicted.

Sweet Mother of Jesus!!!! I guess I wasn't hungry anyway.

Something I say to the other referees I'm working with from time to time. "We are going to start the day with 4 referees. The instant the first whistle blows everyone in the building becomes a referee. They will be able to see pins better than us, determine who is stalling and know the exact moment control is gained or lost. The only difference is they aren't going to step in and work a few matches for you when you need to use the restroom or get something to eat."

In order to become a licensed IHSAA wrestling official you can follow this link for details on the process. https://ihsaa.org/Officials/Licensing ******************************************************************************************** Specific points about the On-Line Testing Process that you need to know: Scholarships are now available for first year licensed officials, and most local official's associations will also waive their membership dues for the first year. For information on receiving a free license (you may officiate up to 3 sports at no additional cost, and $5 for each additional sport) please contact Chuck Barnett or Jim Russell, or any senior official in your local association. Another option is the 3 year mentoring program. New recruit gets a mentor (IHSAA official) that helps to get them started the correctly. We can set a new official up with a mentor form there local area (this saves the recruit the $50.00 IHSAA fee + any association (approx $30.00) fees for 1 year) The testing process is an on-line application. No longer do you need to plan to be at a site on a certain day. You do need to have access to a computer to take the test. The testing period is pretty much open all year This is not a timed test. No on-site paper and pencil tests will be provided unless you are taking a class in that sport. The early testing dates for wrestling are April 1-September 8, with regular season testing open from September 9-March 31. In short, you can now test pretty much all year. The test is composed of 100 questions, mostly multiple choice. You must earn 75% or better on the test to become licensed. You should receive your free rules books from IHSAA as soon as they are published and available by the NFHS. If you are testing in more than one sport, the books for the later seasons will be sent when those books arrive in the IHSAA office. Please begin to study for the test upon receipt of the rules books. You may repeat the test at least one time per calendar year if you do not pass it the first time with 75% accuracy. Time your testing wisely, as it does not behoove you to pay for your license once the season is practically over. All IHSAA licenses expire on May 31 of the calendar year and must be renewed between April 1-May 31 of the current calendar year. You should receive timely feedback on your test results but you may not schedule contests until you receive confirmation of such from the IHSAA office, which should come within 7-10 days after your test is submitted (and you have scored 75% or better). **********************************************************************************************Remember, you do not have to be licensed to officiate middle school events or elementary events, and this is a great venue to work and gain experience, especially for those of you who are unsure as to whether or not you actually want to proceed to the high school level. It's a perfect part-time job... especially for a college student. It's a 100 question test that is open book and done online, so you are allowed ample time to complete the examination with little or no stress. Also keep in mind that nearly all officials begin at lower levels and work their way up, so you will not be thrust into the high profile varsity contest with 3000 screaming fans in the stands. If you like the sport and are physically able, becoming an official is a great hobby that pays well, gets you in the door for free, and gives you the best seat in the house! Good Luck! IHSAA Referee.pdf

I regret that i can only like this post once.

Interestingly enough while I was typing the above post, one person made a post calling an official out by name on this message board (which since been deleted). And we wonder why there is a shortage of officials.

We had 131 referees apply for the Sectional. We need 128 referees to staff the tournament. While we were in the meeting with Mr. Faulkens going over the tournament series, his administrative assistant came in with a note that two referees had dropped out. Others will drop before the end of the week for a variety of reasons. We will end up using veteran officials who did not apply for the tournament and first year officials who have had good recommendations. The number one reason new referees do not continue is abuse from coaches and fans. We do everything we can to train them and keep them going. In the Indianapolis area our association offers a class and we have a mentor program, where the new officials shadow an experienced official. We have association meetings where we discuss situations and rules throughout the season. It's an uphill battle. Like it or not, referees are part of the sport. Without them there are no events. Our sport is doing everything we can do increase the number of athletes. We need the same effort to increase the number of referees. We should be in this together, but sometimes it seems we are fighting coaches and administrators.

No organization, company or entity of any kind is perfect. Offering suggestions and solutions to problems is one thing. What is going on here by a few people is something totally different. People aren't perfect either. They often make mistakes trying to do good things for other people. I don't always agree with what goes on either. When that happens i address the leaders of the organization. They don't always agree with what I think...that's probably a good thing. A difference of opinion and other ideas can make the world a better place. Thinking people are foolish because they don't agree with you is nonsense....it also goes both ways