jetwrestling

One thing our area as done for a while for the beginner level kids is to have "Rival Nights". This is hosted by the area schools and we do mat side match ups based on age and weight. We include all of Adams County, Wells County, Jay County, New Haven, and Parkway Ohio- along with any other kid that has an USA card. The HS kids officiate and we push though as many matches as possible just to get them match experience. Since we have done this, I feel we have done a better job retaining our beginner kids. Our club numbers have increased significantly over the last 7-8 years. Once those kids have a couple years under their belt, we move them to the duals team, individual events, etc.

We are looking to add a Superdual to the schedule on 12/7. We will be much younger this year, but still will fill a decent team. 11/23 could potentially work as well. Thanks Tony Currie currie5fam@gmail.com

Adman Central has had a lay head coach for last 12 years. We hold a free elementary camp each season right before club sign ups. This is always well attended and we pick up some new kids for the club each year. We had 75 elementary club kids this year, our biggest numbers maybe ever. Solid numbers for a 1A school. The other big thing is to build relationships and be visible year round. The youth baseball fields is the place to be in Monroe all summer. Visibility and relationships may be a little easier in a small community where the coaches have grown up.

The proposal has 13 classes listed. Looks like they just bumped the light weights a few pounds and took out 195. I favor more middle weigh classes as that is where most HS kids fall.

And for the record, I am not a proponent of classing the individual tournament. I wish they would increase to 24 kids in the state bracket. Ticket round winners place top 4 at semi state. Ticket round loser wrestle to 5/6. This eliminates the death draw issue and basically assures the top kids qualify. Take 6 to state. Add 1 round Friday for 4 vs 5 and 3 vs 6. Semi state champs and runner ups have a bye. Somehow random draw in the first round like they do now. Keep the rest of the tournament series the same. I am a huge proponent of Class Duals.

I agree and appreciate the fact that 6A schools have multiple sport athletes as well and are successful at that. My point is that is is much more common in smaller school settings. My varsity line up: 113, 120, 138- cross country. 126, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220- football. 132 was football until this year. 106 first year kid that was literally the only one I could find to make weight in the school. So if you can tell me that Brownsburg had 11-12 varsity wrestling starters that played a fall sport, then I will stop trying to post about the differences we face. They get much better year round buy in and that is the advantage. I give Snyder props for what he has done. Brownsburg came to our duals for a couple years prior to his head coaching. We actually won the two duals we had with them. Then last year we faced them at the Bellmont main event and took a whooping. He has changed their culture and elevated that program.

Year round wrestling training is the difference. Period. Hard work pays off and those kids that invest in wrestling only are reaping the rewards. Others that invest their hard work in other sports have to play catch up. Enrollment does not matter. The focus of the kids efforts is what does.

I am not trying to make excuses, this is just the reality that small schools face. I am curious of the small school kids that are being listed as examples of being successful, how many have quit their other sports to focus on wrestling only and regularly attend academies. I could be way off here, but I truly believe that is the overwhelming factor that is separating the top from everyone else. Like I said size of school does not matter, it is the other opportunities that does. Whether that opportunity is being able to play football and baseball as well or the local wrestling training academy. I believe I read where Silas Allred had to make the decision to focus on wrestling only. And that kid is a dominant force from a small school.

This was the very point I was trying to make earlier and was jumped on for it. The size of school is irrelevant. The biggest factor is year round wrestling that is being done. I posted earlier that AC has several athletes that work their tails off year round, the difference is that it is in 2-3 sports. The kids that wrestle only are separating themselves. This is a fact and you see it in the rise of the communities that are doing it. This is the biggest factor to their success. A small school kid can do it also, but at the expense of the other sports that they are being recruited to play by their peers and the other head coaches. If we want all our programs to be successful, AC has to share athletes between their sports as there are truly only a set number to choose from in a school of 375 total HS students.