Ed Pendoski

The job at Carmel will be posted soon. This has the potential to be a special job with the support of Carmel USA Wrestling Club. Please feel free to reach out to me or Tim Parham or Jim Inskeep, Athletic Director Ed Pendoski Ependoski8@gmail.com Tim Parham Tim.parham@carmelusawrestling.org Jim Inskeep JInskeep@ccs.k12.in.us

Gotta think South Haven is in this conversation.

Hard to find the words, but this feels right. I don’t have a picture from my first practice 30 years ago. I do have one from the 1996 State Finals — back when I still thought this ride might last just a few years. Another is 2025 State Finals Last week I walked out of my last practice. Not because I stopped loving this sport. Not because I stopped believing in what it can teach. But because sometimes it’s time to close a chapter before the story writes you instead. 30 years. 11 at Portage. 8 at CIA. 11 at Carmel. And hundreds of athletes and families who trusted me to help shape their kids — it was the honor of my life. To the parents: thank you for letting me be part of your kids’ journey. You trusted me with your sons and daughters — to push them, to teach them, and sometimes to be the voice they didn’t always want to hear. That trust was never taken lightly. To the athletes: we are forever family. You know what we built in those rooms. You know what it meant to wear that singlet. Hold those lessons tight. Keep chasing hard things. Wrestling in Indiana is in great hands. It’s grown stronger, faster, tougher, smarter. I will stay connected, but my role will be different now. One thing I never imagined when I started this career was that my own daughter would one day walk this journey with me. EVP — my favorite smart ass — was there for the beginning of her own path and stood beside me at the end of mine. Sharing this time with her was one of the greatest gifts wrestling gave me. I’m attaching a few photos. One from long ago, one from today, and three of the kid who always made sure her dad never took himself too seriously. Thank you, Indiana Wrestling. We are family. Now somebody give me a "Hell Yeah"

The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life....Muhammad Ali There is also a financial commitment to this equation because it would take a person out of the workforce for a year and it would be his most important year when looking at retirement if you believe in compound interest. (chat gpt for the win here) If I start a job and make $45,000 my first year and save it all. What is compound interest of that money for the next 43 years if rate of return is 10% After 43 years, your initial $45,000 investment would grow to approximately $2,710,803.11, assuming a 10% annual return with no additional contributions. Let's all agree my numbers are exaggerated because no one saves every dollar their first year, but we are also not counting the average increase in salary per year in America. Long-Term Average: From 1960 to 2024, wage growth in the United States averaged 6.18%.

132 Cedric Siegler, freshman

Subject: Important Updates for The Dan Nelson Folkstyle and IHSWCA MS State Qualifier Dear Coaches, Wrestlers, and Families, As we approach this weekend’s tournaments—The Dan Nelson Folkstyle Tournament and the IHSWCA Middle School State Qualifier—we want to share essential updates and provide clarification on a few logistical challenges. Registration and Flyer Challenges We are working diligently with the ISWA, USA Bracketing, and our local administration team at Carmel High School and the IHSWCA to address some registration and communication issues: USA Bracketing does not currently have the capability to host or display our registration flyer, which has limited our ability to disseminate details directly through their platform. Updating information on the ISWA website depends on their administrative team and is completed as their schedule allows. Our tournament administrators at Carmel and the IHSWCA are doing everything possible to ensure accurate details reach participants through alternative channels. We appreciate your patience as we navigate these challenges and remain committed to providing a high-quality experience for everyone involved. Tournament Venues and Schedules IHSWCA Middle School State Qualifier: Location: Fieldhouse at Carmel High School. We’ll run 6 full mats to ensure timely completion, with the ability to expand to 8 mats later if needed. Dan Nelson Folkstyle Tournament: Location: Upstairs gymnasium at Carmel High School. By hosting this tournament upstairs, we aim to reduce crowding in the Fieldhouse. Our goal is to move quickly, ensuring young wrestlers can complete their matches efficiently and head home in a timely manner. Weigh-Ins Saturday Night Early Weigh-Ins: Location: Community Room in the South Building of the football stadium (located at Smokey Row/136th St., north of Carmel High School). Sunday Morning Entry Information: Primary Entry: Door 21. Overflow Entry: If the Door 21 parking lot is full, please use Door 13, located at the northwest end of the building. We understand the importance of clear and timely communication. Please feel free to reach out to us directly at support@carmelusawrestling.org with any questions or concerns. Your support and cooperation make these tournaments possible, and we look forward to seeing everyone this weekend. Thank you for your understanding and commitment to Indiana wrestling! Carmel Folkstyle Open 2025 & MS State East Qualifier-new.docx

I wonder if there is a website or a media source that would entertain the idea of having a "town hall meeting" of some sort to discuss all of this. I've talked to a few academy coaches and school coaches and so far, everyone is on board with this idea. I am passionate about a lot of this. I'm staring at the end of a wrestling career and I can't help but be concerned about the future of wrestling. The dynamics if high school wrestling has definitely changed since the start of wrestling academies, open enrollment, and hope important high school sports have become to families. I do think this conversation quickly gets diluted because there are many different things that can go into what's healthy for wrestling when you look at Indiana as a whole. We don't have the population of wrestlers that other states have. We have one class. We have eliminated JV wrestling with Varsity 2 teams My biggest concern is with the dilution of the middle and lower levels of wresting. All of the things mentioned above, I believe, have an effect on wrestling. No one can predict how much effect, if any. Do we know the number of ffts in sectionals each year? I'd like to know that number. I believe the IHSAA takes the number of wrestlers in the state from athletes entered in myihsaa. I was told that last year by the IHSAA that there were 10 less teams that qualified for the IHSAA state finals than the year before. This is concerning.

I had a pretty good seat for Vega vs Schaefer I, II, and III I had the worst seat for Schaefer last match vs Portage in 98.

Gunsett vs McGinley finals match would go on my list of top 5 biggest state finals matches ever. It was an awesome environment. Irish fans on one side of MSA. Braves fans on other side.

Legend. RIP Steve