sasquatch

I love this sport and the kids that participate. I assist a team in an urban area. It has become increasingling more difficult to get kids to come out and stay out. For many the complaint is it is just too hard. They can walk from the wrestling room to the basketball floor and find a completely different regimen. I am the "old guy" in the room and old school. The head coach and I are challenged about how we can make it more fun yet still prepare them properly for the battles they will face. I try to articulate to the kids that once they leave that employers etc. are not going to "create" environments where they can't expect the school or employer to diminish the hard work that is required to succeed. After all I believe our higher calling is to help mold better men, college students, husbands, fathers, employee's and future business owners. On the other hand we are confident if we can keep an athlete out that by his junior year we have a really good chance to make a highly competitive wrestler out of him. Just venting some and asking how others are striking a reasonable balance of preparing young men properly and keeping them engaged.

Indiana is blessed with many great coaches. One of the most overlooked is Al Hartman of South Bend Clay. He produces year in and year out. He is a hall of fame coach. He consistently develops strong teams abd fine young men under challenging urban circumstances with no real feeder system or a corporation that embraces the sport.

I was notified that Ryan Stahl transferred from Elkhart Memorial to......Mishawaka. I can see they are looking for another good recruiting season.

The responses to this subject are really curious. First of all, if you think this discussion topic is irrelevant and tiresome, WHY are you posting on it? Why don't you get over it? Most of us who either coach or have made a significant investment in the lives of all the young wrestlers we work with go way beyond their performance on the mat. I in no way implied the CP wrestlers were not getting life lessons along the way. It was simply my strong belief that it should be carried over after the match. It has become obvious that the virtuous convictions and principles most of us feel seperate wrestling from all other sports is not as prevalent as most would think. And no, it just isn't about shaking someone's hand. Too many of our kids do not have a home or surroundings where the basic tenets of respect are taught and reinforced. I am not a schoolteacher, but I know most of the head coaches are in the buildings in one capacity or another. I am in the building during the wrestling season and it confirms the "horror stories" of disrespect they seem to experience everyday. I don't like to see an opportunity lost for a young man to learn about principles of common courtesy, respect and a reasonable level of sportsmanship that seems to be disappearing in our society.

The sincerity of the handshake would be your own child's, not his opponent.

Y2- you are a genius! Yeah, even in my "region" football players and basketball players line up and SHAKE hands with the players and coaches after the game. What a novel idea...

Clive- you seem a bit paranoid. Read the post. I was impressed with the wrestlers performance, focus and preparation and congratulated them for it. Refer back to X card...this is a discussion board.I have every right to make an observation. Nobody insinuated anything about the young men. Nothing was said about them being thugs who cannot display good behavior. There were 224 wrestlers competing at Conseco. The only wrestlers not to shake the opposing coaches hand were from Crown point. I am fairly certain the boys do not make that decision on their own. If you aren't tired of the disrespect shown by alot of todays youth to adults and feel that missing an opportunity to display respect is a good example, especially in front of a fieldhouse full of young, impressionable, future wrestlers, you have every right to submit a post about it.

I was very impressed with the Crown point wrestlers this weekend. To a man they were all extremely prepared and focused, which is a testament to their hard work and their coaching staff. However, I am sick of watching only ONE school the entire weekend not demonstrate a modicum of sportsmanship at the State finals. I know that there has been talk on the site ad nauseum about shaking hands and how many times is necessary and all that baloney. However, we are at the Stae Finals! Not once did a Crown point wrestler shake an opposing coaches hand at the conclusion of a match. Every single Crown Point opponent in victory or defeat came over and shook the Crown point coaches hand. They even went so far as to leave John Grey from cathedral "out in the cold" during introductions. After every single pairing was announced the wrestlers went across the mat and shook the opposing coaches hand. Grey crossed the mat only to see the backs of the Bulldogs coaches walking away. The sport of wrestling teaches more life lessons than any other sport, in my opinion. It also gives coaches the opportunity to coach them up on what it means to be great people in addition to being great wrestlers. I am sick of hearing from CP coaches when they get out of the region to wrestle and tell me when I ask them why their wrestler didn't shake my hand that " we don't do that in the region!" Well, every other "region" school did it this weekend. CP coaches- wake up! Give your kids the "complete package" that wrestling offers and not just your arrogant version. Congrats to the bulldog wrestlers.

Al Hartman of South Bend Clay just recorded his 350th win. In a inner city public school district that doesn't exactly embrace it's athletics,unless it is basketball, Al continues to turn out a quality product.

Should be a great tournament. When looking at recent Mishawaka results I don't see Trent Reinhol wrestling. Is he injured?