Galagore

Our conference is changing teams next year, and we will only have seven involved in our conference tournament. We are working on how to handle the bye in the first round. Scoring is unfair to the teams that don't draw the bye, not scoring it is unfair to the teams that do. Has/does anyone else been in this situation and/or have any suggestions on how to handle it?

No worries, thank you!

Perhaps I just overlooked it, but what time?

Almost tagged you several times, but I knew...you'd find your way....

Why is everyone OK with people longingly wishing for wrestlebacks that will never happen, but we class wrestling folks always get mocked for longingly wishing for multiple classes that will never happen? The double standard continues...

Well, wrestlebacks and classes....in reverse order:}

Really like your idea on how to class the sport in our state, and that's outstanding that your son had so much success. If any of my posts indicated that kids should be pressured into doing multiple sports, then I have misrepresented myself. All of my posts were in reference to my apprehension to pressure kids not to do other sports and instead to focus on wrestling. If a wrestler wants to go hard in the spring and the summer, I am right there to help them along the journey. If the baseball coach wants to try and convince that kid to play baseball instead of doing extra wrestling....well, that's exactly what I do do the kids who say they want to "lift for football" instead of wrestle in the fall. Never press too hard, but it's OK to make a pitch to a kid to have multiple experiences and help multiple programs growing up.

Thank you for taking the time to understand my perspective. My argument is not solely based on small school wrestlers needing to contribute to other sports in order for the other sports to exist, but it is a major factor as to why wrestling at a small school has challenges different than wrestling at a large school. If any of my arguments have seemed to indicate that a class system would have no impact on large schools, then I apologize for not being clear. Of course classing would make winning an individual title more challenging for a large school wrestler. However, if making things a little "easier" for the small schools waters down the titles, why does making things a little "easier" for the large schools not water down their titles? This is in reference to all titles and recognition one can earn along the way of a state tournament, not just the state championship. Additionally, speaking to the multi-sport athlete and the potential erosion of opportunities, maybe wrestling wouldn't die out completely. My issue is with reducing opportunity for kids to do things that help them learn life skills and keep them out of trouble when they're not in the classroom. If the small school division existed and all of those champions (now referring to the actual state champion) were considered "watered down," how does that negatively impact the large school division? And if a small school feels like they are being cheated, why couldn't they just elect to compete in the large school division? It is very difficult for me to find a group of state champions who are negatively impacted by a multi-class individual tournament.

Thank you, that was the point I was driving at.

You seem upset. It is not my intention to upset you. I just want there to be an equitable playing field based on school size. You disagree, and that's OK. No need to get worked up about it. It doesn't even really make me that upset that you insinuate that I/we don't work hard here at Culver Community. We work hard and we don't need to prove that to anyone. Do a lot of college coaches attend our state tournament in hopes of landing prospects?

If wrestling is still around at the HS level and thriving enough for there to be a message boar where my grandchildren post, that will be wonderful.

First of all, it is great that we can finally have this conversation in a civil and open-minded way. That wasn't the case ten years ago. Second, my concern for the other sports is because if a kid wants to be able to play baseball (or ____ sport), they should have a baseball team to play on. This is not a reference to wrestlers playing baseball. This is a reference to any arbitrary Culver Community student. If we small school coaches push too hard and make our kids choose, then other students will suffer due to lack of options. Finally, you are absolutely right that big schools also face challenges. You are doing as much right as anyone that I am aware of, and not just for your wrestlers. You have taken on the challenge of making an entire area more competitive, and that is outstanding. Hopefully we can all continue to truly work toward functioning as one wrestling community.

Of course that's true. Has anyone denied that or given any indication that they deny that? If we didn't think it would be easier for a small school wrestler to have success in a classed system, then why in the world would we push for it? Please, don't pretend we are saying something that we are not. Doesn't having a single class system make it easier for a big school wrestler to have state success? If not, then what is the harm in having two classes? The big schools won't be any worse off and the small school kids will be better off.

Do you think your logic holds for team sports as well, or only individual sports?

See, this is what I am not doing. I am not insinuating that anyone is not doing their job. I know what my job is. You probably do not care for me to run down the list of things that I do to attempt to cultivate a culture and retain quality practice partners, so I won't do so.