I guess the first thing that comes to mind as I sift through these posts is "perspective." Just who are you in relation to the issue? Are you a coach, a grandfather of a wrestler, an ex-wrestler, a current high school wrestler? If you are a coach, you will likely understand the dynamics of a small school better than most, as compared to a large school. (i.e. - lesser resources to work with, smaller coaching staff, fewer drill partners in the practice room, smaller gene pool of athletes to pull from, etc) I would also caution that the vantage point of a "teacher-coach" is much, much different than that of a "lay coach." I have been both. I was a lay coach for 18 years before becoming a teacher for the past 10 years. Even as a lay coach, I had no idea about the dynamics and inter-workings surrounding the students and their available resources during the school day and on the athletic field.
If we want to grow actual wrestling in our state, class wrestling is the way to go. It offers fair and equitable opportunities to all who participate across the state. We should class Indiana wrestling for the very same reasons we now class Indiana football, Indiana baseball, etc... The days of Hickory HS and the movie Hoosiers is long gone. Community and school dynamics have changed drastically in recent decades.
Class wrestling works in Iowa, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois to name just a few, and it would work tremendously in Indiana. I don't think anyone can say that the class system has hurt wrestling in any of these other states that surround us.
So back to perspective... just who should have the final say on this topic, since so many people are divided on the issue? The fan in the stands who doesn't have a singlet on? The IHSAA who only seems to care about money and self-preservation? Or should the schools/teams who are the ones in the trenches have the final say-so?
I think this point has been made before, but I will mention it again. If there is no use for "class anything", then let's do away with class football in Indiana. It's 11 vs 11 right? Them there small schools should be able to hang with Warren Central and Ben Davis on the gridiron. While we are at it, let's do away with DI, DII and DIII classifications at the collegiate level! Those DIII wrestlers need to quit making excuses and man up against Penn State, Oklahoma State and Iowa! That's a fair assessment isn't it?
There are classifications of all kinds in our society's infrastructure in the name of "fair play." It is time Indiana class its high school wrestling season to offer more equitable opportunities to kids from varying communities and school districts across the state and to grow the sport as a whole. Mark my words... if we implement class wrestling, our numbers and overall strength of the sport will sky rocket across the state!
Coach McCormick