Galagore

Post retracted due to misreading information...doing more research and will repost...

California participation: 14-15: 26374 15-16: 23945 16-17: 22383 17-18: file won't work for some reason 18-19: 22602 Their participation looks to be following a similar trend as Indiana There are several small school coaches who have active feeder programs, help out with MS and/or youth and usually run one or the other. We don't just "make appearances," we actually run practices, organize schedules, and communicate with parents.

What an individual classed tournament gives small schools is a foothold to sell all of that hard work. At our school, we have had two state champions. One was a guy who was 275 pounds and still athlete enough to run the 200m dash on our track team. The other was literally the best athlete in the history of our school. My point is, not people I can walk up to the average kid walking the hallway and say, "hey, just do what he did!" The class wrestling foothold gives us a chance to have more wrestlers of reasonable athletic ability who have put in the work show success, thus making the work more

Me, too. It is a thrilling environment. My son just asked me the other day, "Dad, do you think I could be a state champion?" and I said (and meant it) yes, and explained to him all of the camps, tournaments, etc. that it would take to make that happen. My son wrestling in this system does not worry me. The decline in participation in Indiana wrestling (while the rest of the nation is growing in wrestling participation) worries me. When you look at what the other states do that we don't do for small schools, there is one that stands out - a classed individual tournament.

At the end of the day, I think most of us recognize that being from a small school means it is more likely that a wrestler has a more difficult path to success at the state level. Some of us are OK with that, and some of us worry that discrepancy will have long-term negative consequences on the future of the sport in our state. As I have said before, from the perspective of my athletes and my own kids in a vacuum, I am just fine with the current system. However, from a more global perspective of the sport state-wide, our current system really worries me.

At the end of the day, we all agree that an athlete from a small school is, in Yes, and that is why I used West Central as an example. None of us in favor of class wrestling is insisting it can't be done. We and simply pointing out that the hill to climb is steeper the smaller the school you're at.

Thanks!

What about Culver? Caston? Pioneer? South Newton? West Central? etc...

You are correct about IHSAA. As for the community as a whole, we are actually on much better ground that we were ten years ago. The civility of the conversation alone is like another planet from the discussions in 2010, 2011, etc.

Point taken. However, the first step to getting it changed is having as many coaches and ADs as possible agreeing that it is a good idea.

Marginally jealous that I didn't think of this idea myself.

Sorry, wasn't trying to throw you under the bus...actually, just the opposite.

If small schools should get "their share" of placers, medal winners, etc., shouldn't that stay the same regardless of how many entries are allowed? The individuals in those extra entries would have no more or less advantage than the ones in the standard entries.

I knew you could only resist for so long.

If each school were allowed to enter two per weight, do you expect the number of state qualifiers per school size to: a) change in favor of small schools b) change in favor of large schools c) remain pretty much the same