matts

Anyone have the final score of Bratcher-Smith?

Is she the first female to a make a semi-state? If not who else has?

I have to say in so many cases it is simply a matter of putting the right coach in place. I never believed that until I watched so many schools fall apart when X left, and then they found the right man with the character, understanding, modesty, and belief to make a strong program. I have rarely seen a coach do poor at one school, then create a powerhouse at another. BUT I have seen a coach create a powerhouse at one school, move another, and then create another pwerhouse out of nothing. I guess we can all remember coaches with all the credentials in the world who led programs down the drain too.

It wasnt all that long ago freestyle state was held at a really nice facility/arena at Ball State- and by the end of the weekend the building was absolutely trashed by spectators and wrestlers. It was shameful. After that fiasco I pretty much felt the State Fairgrounds was a perfect venue considering the behavior of a number kids AND adults that grace the ISWA tourneys.

Hi: Could someone please post complete Marion County scores and place winners? Thanks in advance.

Nick Hobbs = Class Act

Just thinking...... I'm not saying it is going to happen; but if the cosmos were to line up correctly it COULD happen. How cool would this be: 125- Angel Escobedo- Indiana 133- Reece Humphrey- Ohio State 141- Alex Tsirtsis- Iowa 165- Andrew Howe- Wisconsin Four NCAA D-1 champions from Indiana in 2009. One never knows.....

Dave May, mostly from Indianapolis Brebeuf, is by far the best coach I ever worked with. He was a truly great and humble man who opened his room for every kid in central Indiana. For a while the Braves Wrestling Club was packed with state champions and finalists. Most practices included Brebeuf, Chatard, North Central, Danville, Beech Grove, Plainfiled, Carmel, Pike... name it. Dave gave everything to anyone no matter where they went to school. I miss him terribly.

They said "Best" coach... not "Best looking" coach Of course, because everyone knows the best looking coaches all coach at Beech Grove Diesel- quit hyping yourself. -Matt S

Dual Meets. Everyone wrestles five times except for THS and THN. They save their big dual meet for their own gyms- a Terra Haute/cross town rival tradition.

When I was at North Central we hosted a soccer tournament which featured some of the best teams in the midwest (all within the 300 mile limit- I think one was Cincy Moeller, one from MO, etc...) and one team from California. At the time the California team was ranked 1st in the nation and NC was ranked 2nd. The school from CA made the trip as I guess everyone was told/believed the ISHAA would grant a waiver to NC if need be..... but they never did. The tournament was played, NC made it to the finals, as the team from California... and that is where it ended. The finals ended with a handshake and the #1 vs. #2 soccer match never happened. Lame.

I think more and more coaching wrestling is a young man's game. That is unless one is lucky enough to have a super-cool wife and zero kids... or perhaps one's own kid is part of the program. Factor in a mortgage and economy issues, and it is hard to create an adult life and continue coaching. To truly compete one has to coach year-round- all over the country- we all know that. Four years ago I went to see a financial planner to learn what I could do about saving some money. After studying my background, schedule, etc... the first thing he told me to do was quit coaching. At first I was shocked, but then he broke down all the hours I spent in the spring (freestyle), summer (camps, open room, clinics), and fall (conditioning) and showed me my potential income if I took a simple job waiting tables, mowing yards (I live in florida now), or bar tending. Quite frankly it was staggering. We often read about kids burning out, but it happens to coaches too. With the growing demands in the classroom collecting data, statewide testing, NCLB, and all the other educational mumbo jumbo, coaching simply became a burden that stressed my life, girlfriend, and wallet. I won't even go into issues with societal changes, kids who simply quit, screaming parents, etc... Ten years was enough. I dont know about Indiana, but in Florida more and more teams, good teams, are losing experienced coaches for such reasons. Many schools are now having a tough time assembling a staff- let alone finding experienced head coaches. I, for one, am glad there are young coaches right out of college willing to take on this sport. I hope parents think about this next time get upset with their kid's coaching staff over a difference of philosophy. It takes a ton of energy, dedication, and patience to run a wrestling program, so I think the new young coaches are great as they have the tools to make solid programs. Hopefully they will find solid mentors to guide them through their first few years- be it supportive parents and/or an experienced coach. The late Dave May and Coach Goddard from Ben Davis made all the difference in the world for me. Teaching wrestling was the easy part, but running a program is freakin' tough. Too bad some schools don't remember this when they run their 24 year old coaches off the mat over something like a trivial discipline issue.

I kind of like Forest, but lets not forget he committed the worst sin possible... He was a round-baller in high school and never really wrestled.

Remember when there was no twirly finger time out? If you were on your back one only had two options: gut it out and keep fighting, or if it really hurt lay down the shoulders, let the ref slap the mat, and the pain would go away. Those were the only two ways off your back. Remember at the end of period 2 and 3: up or down...no neutral and no defer? Remember when Vans made wrestling shoes...really ugly wrestling shoes? They were awesome. Remember wrestling at 1:00 AM Sunday morning in the Ben Davis or Tech HS gyms?

Gotta mention Todd Weaver from tiny Waldron back in the 1980s.

So when will you be taking the ref test and getting your own stripes?