samaj

There is a new summer tournament on the block and it's the real deal!!  The event information is listed in the Tournament Information Forum, where it should be.  I am hoping Joe leaves this post here as it becomes a discussion.
 
After many years of consideration and thought of trying to make this event happen, We finally jumped in feet first and made it a reality.  We contacted Adidas Wrestling and they jumped at the chance to be the title sponsor of this new event.  I am wondering what everyone's thoughts are.  This event strives to much more than a typical high school hosted Summer Duals. (You know, the summer events that unorganized teams verbally commit to and then cancel 2 weeks prior to the event, leaving the host school with the mess filling the spot and everything that goes with it.)
 
We want an event that is full every single year, with great programs, who show up ready to compete at a high level.  We want a waiting list of hammer teams.  We want an event, that quite honestly, is not for everybody.  This event has been "copied" after the Disney Duals.  We want it to be a smaller version of the Disney Duals, right here in Indiana.  We had a "soft opening" so that we could reach out to specific programs and get a wide representation state wide.  We also reached out to other states hoping to get a much different flavor, but have had little or no luck.
 
We have had some outstanding programs commit for this year. (see the list below) and we still have a few openings.  This should be a great event.  So tell us, what can we do to make it grow from 16 to 36 teams from all over the Midwest in the next 2-3 years?  What are the little things that make an event like this something everyone wants to do?  What separates an event like this from the others?  Talk to us.  Help us make this something Indiana can be proud of.
 
Here are the teams entered so far-
 
Team List (verbally committed 100%)
1. Cathedral
2. Lafayette Jefferson
3. Evansville Memorial
4. Evansville North
5. Mt. Vernon (Posey)
6. Westfield
7. Avon
8. Mater Dei
9. Edgewood
10. Carmel
11. Columbus East
12. ??
13. ??
14. ??
15. ??
16. ??

 
 
Jeff Schaefer
Evansville Memorial HS
E.I. Sports and Apparel.
 
 

There is a new summer tournament on the block and it's the real deal!!  The event information is listed in the Tournament Information Forum, where it should be.  I am hoping Joe leaves this post here as it becomes a discussion.
 
After many years of consideration and thought of trying to make this event happen, We finally jumped in feet first and made it a reality.  We contacted Adidas Wrestling and they jumped at the chance to be the title sponsor of this new event.  I am wondering what everyone's thoughts are.  This event strives to much more than a typical high school hosted Summer Duals. (You know, the summer events that unorganized teams verbally commit to and then cancel 2 weeks prior to the event, leaving the host school with the mess filling the spot and everything that goes with it.)
 
We want an event that is full every single year, with great programs, who show up ready to compete at a high level.  We want a waiting list of hammer teams.  We want an event, that quite honestly, is not for everybody.  This event has been "copied" after the Disney Duals.  We want it to be a smaller version of the Disney Duals, right here in Indiana.  We had a "soft opening" so that we could reach out to specific programs and get a wide representation state wide.  We also reached out to other states hoping to get a much different flavor, but have had little or no luck.
 
We have had some outstanding programs commit for this year. (see the list below) and we still have a few openings.  This should be a great event.  So tell us, what can we do to make it grow from 16 to 36 teams from all over the Midwest in the next 2-3 years?  What are the little things that make an event like this something everyone wants to do?  What separates an event like this from the others?  Talk to us.  Help us make this something Indiana can be proud of.
 
Here are the teams entered so far-
 
Team List (verbally committed 100%)
1. Cathedral
2. Lafayette Jefferson
3. Evansville Memorial
4. Evansville North
5. Mt. Vernon (Posey)
6. Westfield
7. Avon
8. Mater Dei
9. Edgewood
10. Carmel
11. Columbus East
12. ??
13. ??
14. ??
15. ??
16. ??

 
 
Jeff Schaefer
Evansville Memorial HS
E.I. Sports and Apparel.
 
 

Bad boys bad boys...whatcha gonna do??  I’m hearing from a reliable source that trouble is coming....should be fun.  

Bad boys bad boys...whatcha gonna do??  I’m hearing from a reliable source that trouble is coming....should be fun.  

Bad boys bad boys...whatcha gonna do??  I’m hearing from a reliable source that trouble is coming....should be fun.  

Bad boys bad boys...whatcha gonna do??  I’m hearing from a reliable source that trouble is coming....should be fun.  

A quick update...
 
Brute and Cliff Keen,  Both are true WRESTLING SUPPLIERS and have been for many years.  Both have supplied NCAA and HS teams across the country as long as any of us can remember.
 
Both are producing singlets is the Good Ol USA.  Cliff Keen in Michigan and Brute in Pennsylvania.  At this time both are running 3 weeks MAX on uniform production.  If your up for new uni's this season and want to get an American made product, at a great price, with a great lead time....Give E.I. Sports and Apparel a call.  812-474-1836 or eisports@sigecom.net.
 
 

I wanted to reach out to all coaches in the state that I have coached in for 30 years, and supplied uniforms for for 20 years.  This is not a topic to solicit business.  This is simply advice from somebody who knows the business and wants all wrestling programs to have good experiences.
 
If you need (or plan to buy) uniforms or any type of apparel this season, (whether you are purchasing from me or not),  Please take my advice and be sure to ask where the items are being manufactured.  Whether your vendor tells you the truth or not, the fact is that the "supply chain" is broken world wide due to COVID.  We are seeing weird things happen that the manufacturers do not have control over.  These issues WILL effect deliveries.  Some cannot get raw material (the cloth used to produce your garments), some factories are running at less than 50% capacity due to not being able to bring back enough employees, and we have even seen huge disruption in the ability for Fed Ex, UPS, and DHL type companies to even get the product out of those countries and into the states.  If you order from some companies you are taking a huge risk.  You may or may not ever see your gear.  It's a cruel hard fact in this crazy world right now.  Be Careful coaches and now more than ever, ORDER EARLY and BUY AMERICAN!!
 
 

I wanted to reach out to all coaches in the state that I have coached in for 30 years, and supplied uniforms for for 20 years.  This is not a topic to solicit business.  This is simply advice from somebody who knows the business and wants all wrestling programs to have good experiences.
 
If you need (or plan to buy) uniforms or any type of apparel this season, (whether you are purchasing from me or not),  Please take my advice and be sure to ask where the items are being manufactured.  Whether your vendor tells you the truth or not, the fact is that the "supply chain" is broken world wide due to COVID.  We are seeing weird things happen that the manufacturers do not have control over.  These issues WILL effect deliveries.  Some cannot get raw material (the cloth used to produce your garments), some factories are running at less than 50% capacity due to not being able to bring back enough employees, and we have even seen huge disruption in the ability for Fed Ex, UPS, and DHL type companies to even get the product out of those countries and into the states.  If you order from some companies you are taking a huge risk.  You may or may not ever see your gear.  It's a cruel hard fact in this crazy world right now.  Be Careful coaches and now more than ever, ORDER EARLY and BUY AMERICAN!!
 
 

Didn’t get to see it as I had to work today but heading up there now. Was just going off of what others said from his SS inj defaults. That’s damn impressive. 

I have been asked recently by coaches, and have had some discussion with some officials about the new rule that went into effect this year about Headgear only having 1 manufacturers logo on them.  The IHSAA recently told the officials that the new rule was going into effect despite the fact that Cliff Keen, Adidas, and Asics all had 2 logos on their headgear and that schools would have to mark logos out with a sharpie or cover them up with tape etc etc.
 
Today I got word, through Adidas Wrestling, and saw a copy of a letter from the NFHS to Adidas Wrestling, that states the new rule would NOT be going into effect this season because the manufacturers of headgear have not had time to comply with the new rules.
 
The information has been sent to the IHSAA.  I assume they may notify everyone officially on this.
 
If anybody has any questions, feel free to email me at eisports@sigecom.net
 
Jeff Schaefer
E.I. Sports and Apparel
Asst Coach - Evansville Memorial HS
 

E.I. Sports has decided to add another gift to our Fall Clinic booth giveaways.  The first 100 coaches to visit our booth next Thursday will get this IHSWCA tee shirt.

E.I. Sports and Apparel out of Evansville will be in attendance as a vendor for the 20th straight year and we have huge news!
We are thrilled to announce that Cliff Keen Wrestling and a member of their management team will be in our booth this year.  Be sure to register for this awesome clinic and then be sure to stop by and take a look at the samples and talk with us about one of the top wrestling brands in the world that supplies many of the best programs in the world.  
Cliff Keen has also announced that they are going to give away 14 of their new BEAST locker backpacks (see picture) with personalized sublimated team logos. These bags are all the rage in the wrestling world and some lucky program is going to get 14 of them for free. This prize is valued at $1260.
E.I. Sports and Cliff Keen will also be teaming up on an unbelievable promotional offer that offers a free sublimated team gear bag free with every singlet ordered.  That’s a $40 gear bag FREE with each singlet ordered for the upcoming season.
We look forward to seeing everyone in a couple weeks as we continue our support of the IHSWCA!
 

E.I. Sports and Apparel out of Evansville will be in attendance as a vendor for the 20th straight year and we have huge news!
We are thrilled to announce that Cliff Keen Wrestling and a member of their management team will be in our booth this year.  Be sure to register for this awesome clinic and then be sure to stop by and take a look at the samples and talk with us about one of the top wrestling brands in the world that supplies many of the best programs in the world.  
Cliff Keen has also announced that they are going to give away 14 of their new BEAST locker backpacks (see picture) with personalized sublimated team logos. These bags are all the rage in the wrestling world and some lucky program is going to get 14 of them for free. This prize is valued at $1260.
E.I. Sports and Cliff Keen will also be teaming up on an unbelievable promotional offer that offers a free sublimated team gear bag free with every singlet ordered.  That’s a $40 gear bag FREE with each singlet ordered for the upcoming season.
We look forward to seeing everyone in a couple weeks as we continue our support of the IHSWCA!
 

E.I. Sports and Apparel out of Evansville will be in attendance as a vendor for the 20th straight year and we have huge news!
We are thrilled to announce that Cliff Keen Wrestling and a member of their management team will be in our booth this year.  Be sure to register for this awesome clinic and then be sure to stop by and take a look at the samples and talk with us about one of the top wrestling brands in the world that supplies many of the best programs in the world.  
Cliff Keen has also announced that they are going to give away 14 of their new BEAST locker backpacks (see picture) with personalized sublimated team logos. These bags are all the rage in the wrestling world and some lucky program is going to get 14 of them for free. This prize is valued at $1260.
E.I. Sports and Cliff Keen will also be teaming up on an unbelievable promotional offer that offers a free sublimated team gear bag free with every singlet ordered.  That’s a $40 gear bag FREE with each singlet ordered for the upcoming season.
We look forward to seeing everyone in a couple weeks as we continue our support of the IHSWCA!
 

E.I. Sports and Apparel out of Evansville will be in attendance as a vendor for the 20th straight year and we have huge news!
We are thrilled to announce that Cliff Keen Wrestling and a member of their management team will be in our booth this year.  Be sure to register for this awesome clinic and then be sure to stop by and take a look at the samples and talk with us about one of the top wrestling brands in the world that supplies many of the best programs in the world.  
Cliff Keen has also announced that they are going to give away 14 of their new BEAST locker backpacks (see picture) with personalized sublimated team logos. These bags are all the rage in the wrestling world and some lucky program is going to get 14 of them for free. This prize is valued at $1260.
E.I. Sports and Cliff Keen will also be teaming up on an unbelievable promotional offer that offers a free sublimated team gear bag free with every singlet ordered.  That’s a $40 gear bag FREE with each singlet ordered for the upcoming season.
We look forward to seeing everyone in a couple weeks as we continue our support of the IHSWCA!
 

19 years providing wrestling uniforms to Indiana High Schools and this is Our lowest price ever on Brute Singlets!  
Only $52 each from now until Sept 10th.
if your gonna buy new Singlets this year, this is the deal for you.  Brute is one of the original “wrestling” manufacturers.  They have great quality and one of the quickest lead times in the industry.  Made in the USA!!  Top of the line quality at the price of the imported product lines.
-6 pc minimum order.
email eisports@sigecom.net for more info!

NWCA Duals at Wabash on April 4-6. -
We need Renegades at 138 and 195.  5lb allowance.  1 weigh in.  No seniors.
Need to be Semi State or State Level Wrestler to compete in this event.  Very tough tournament.
entry packet with cost etc etc can be emailed to you. 
If your interested please Email your “resume” to Eisports@sigecom.net

We have been working hard on getting this information ready so that we can put out educated information to our customers. We are glad to have 3 of our 4 major vendors information ready to publish.
 
Please review the flyer and let us know if we can be of any help. For those that interested in Adidas, they are still a couple weeks away from being ready to release info.
 
a couple of notes-
 
Our vendors have made adjustments to not only meet the new standards but also made improvements to ,make sure that what you buy will perform better in the competitive environment that they will be subjected to.
 
The Brute upgrades are huge....better cloth with more stretch, a lycra crotch insert, and more stitches per inch on seams (seam burst strength) that will accomodate the stress that they will go through.
 
A note from a coach to coaches - if you are in the market for this type of uniform and looking at a "non-major" brand (the majors being Brute and Cliff Keen), I would ask them point blank if they made any upgrades in "quality" of their previous shorts that will help withstand the much higher degree of wear and tear that these shorts will take. Many companies seem to be making the cut adjustments but no other adjustments to seam burst strengths, more forgiving cloth, roomier cuts that allow for wider range of movements, etc etc.
 
Bottom line...if your seriously considering these uniforms...please consider giving us a call. We are not a manufacturer pushing only our line...we are a team dealer that can push multiple lines, and I have been in contact with the owners and upper management of each of these companies and understand what changes have been made. (along with who is cutting corners) I can discuss this with you and help you get what you need.
 
Here is our initial flyer....
 

Coaches-
 
I have already had a couple of coaches contact me today about looking at purchasing new sets of the compression shirt and loose fit short uniforms that were just recently approved.
 
I wanted to get word out to everyone to be careful when you are buying these.  Yes, I want you to purchase them from EI Sports and Apparel if your in the market for them, BUT I am also a informing everyone, as a wrestling coach, AND a uniform supplier that the "cart is before the horse" on this right now.
 
There are MANY uniform supplier options out there to choose from, but the newly voted in 2 pc uniform option is still being developed by the manufacturers.  If anybody approaches you about selling you 2 pc uniforms this early in the game, they very well could be selling you something that will be illegal.  The reason is that the NFHS sent out TODAY, to a select few manufacturers, the "specifications" that these uniforms must meet to be considered legal.  Things like inseam length etc etc, have very specific guidelines that must be met to be legal.  I have been in touch with 4 major manufacturers this morning and all of them are STILL WORKING on the final products because they had already met with the NFHS (in a small meeting a couple weekends ago in Indianapolis), and they were waiting for the specifications that they got today.
 
So basically, be careful.  If the manufacturer is not privy to the specifications that must be met, they have no clue what they are doing right now, and they very well could be pushing an illegal uniform.  I wont say who was supplied with the specifications today, but I will say that many of the manufacturers that many of you use are not "in the know" as of this moment.
 
As far as EI Sports, we are working very closely with 4 manufacturers on this project.  We have confirmed that all 4 of those companies have the specifications in hand and are working on what they intend to market as quickly as possible.  It is our intention to bring all for options to all of you as quickly as possible and provide everyone with 4 different options that will provide an answer for everyone in the market.  Whether you are interested more in quality, price, or fastest delivery....we will have something to take care of everyone.
 
Let me know if you have any other questions.  I can be contacted at eisports@sigecom.net
 
Jeff Schaefer
EI Sports and Apparel - Owner
Asst Coach - Evansville Memorial HS

Coaches- Be sure to read what I posted in another post about what you need to know about the new legal 2 pc uniform. 

Castle losing the regional is a travesty. A huge part SW Indiana HS Wrestling tradition is going away. Very sad day.

I thought I would write some history on the Scholastic Duals, the IHSWCA involvement, and the Renegades..  I will try to keep this short, but doubt it ends up that way.
 
First - Who am I?  My name is Jeff Schaefer.  I own E.I. Sports and Apparel in Evansville, I am an assistant coach at Evansville Memorial, I am the team gear provider and sponsor for the IHSWCA Scholastic teams (I provide the team gear for the IHSWCA Gold and Blue teams at my cost each year which provides them top quality gear at a greatly reduced cost), I am the coordinator of the Renegades teams and I helped promote, plan, fill spots, and coached with the IHSWCA Scholastic Duals teams for 10-12 years.  So basically, I know a lot of the inside story on a lot of the questions and issues that are happening right now.
 
The IHSWCA - The coaches association has been sponsoring two teams at this event for many years.  My first year was in 2003 and at that time they had been involved for several years already.  At the time I joined the fray in 2003 the event was at Delaware Univ. but it went to Delaware State for a couple of years, then to York College in PA, and maybe one other location before being moved to Indiana and Wabash College.  Back when I started helping, the IHSWCA had trouble filling the team with our top notch kids.  We got some blue chippers but it was a struggle.  Many of our best programs and coaches simply would not buy in and commit to this event.  Over the next few years we made a significant push to educate the coaches and programs in the state and recruit the very best kids by talking about the event, talking to coaches earlier, and just working harder to be better prepared.  
 
The results were great.  We got better kids each year and for a few years we had teams that were truly powerhouses at a very prestigious event.  We had some great showings out on the East coast, including a runner up finish one year.
 
The Renegades - (who are they and why?)-  The early days, the Blue team would almost always be hard to fill and the coaches who put time into the event would be able to place a wrestler on the Blue team and travel with that wrestler as a coach to a national event on the East coast.  It was a great deal!  However, as the IHSWCA started getting the better kids, the spots on the Blue team became filled with those same upper echelon kids as were on the Gold team.  This pushed the "coaches kids" out of the picture since they were no longer needed to fill spots on the Blue team.
 
The coaches who put the Blue and Gold teams together for this event had an idea to create a 3rd Indiana team (the White Team) and fill it with coaches kids.  This team would get destroyed in the competition but it would give the coaches a small perk for traveling to the East Coast for 4 days on a charter bus etc etc.  The Idea of the White team was nixed by an IHSWCA president who did not want to show favortism to a group of coaches and was worried that the White team not having a "qualifying system" would cause issues.
 
At that time, I stepped down from helping the IHSWCA teams and approached the Scholastic Duals tournament director about putting a team of Indiana Renegades into the event.  The tournament director needed a few teams to fill out the tournament brackets and allowed us to put a team together.  The only stipulation was that we would not try to take any of the wrestlers that have qualified for the IHSWCA teams and we have always lived by that.  To us, there is not even a question of if we should do that or not, because to those of us that do this, we have always felt like the Renegades are an extension of the IHSWCA teams.  The Renegades have been putting teams into this event ever since then, and we work very closely with the IHSWCA to not approach or try to take the same wrestlers that our IHSWCA teams need to put the best possible Indiana teams on the mat.
 
 
A "National" Championship??? - This is where many of the problems that we are seeing stem from.  In 2003 - 2010, this event truly was a National Event.  When we went to Deleware, there would be 18-22 teams of hammers.  2 teams from PA, NY, NJ, DE, VA, IN, NE, IL, and OH, plus single teams from  Florida, Colorado, and Michigan.  When PA and NJ went at it, it was awesome to watch and it was not for women and children!!  BUT....then the event moved to Indiana.  Since then, the east coast powerhouses have decided to stop coming.  Is it fair after all the years we all went out there?  no its not, but what can you do about it?  
 
The tournament leadership has tried (save for another discussion) but has had little luck on bringing the powerhouses back into the picture.  Instead, we now have IN, IL, Colorado, KY, and some other teams.  The event is still very tough but is NOT what it once was.  When it was on the east coast, Mike Moyer and Jeff Peanut Bower with the NWCA were at the event and Jason Bryant was involved and covered it.  Today, the NWCA has its name on the event but I do not know if they actually have anything to do with the event at all.  To the old school coaches who have been involved in this event forever, yes we like to call it a national championship, but the reality is that while it is called a national championship, it is not a national championship caliber event because we know there is a LOT of fire power not attending.
 
So whats the problem and how do we fix it?  The Scholastic Duals needs teams every year.  They need teams to fill brackets and pay the entry fees to cover expenses and make sure the tournament happens.  National Event, regional event, whatever you want to call it, we would all call it a huge loss if it suddenly no longer happened.  As a coach who saw this event back in the hayday, I would like nothing more than to see PA, NJ, NY, VA, etc etc show up with teams and give all of us the greatest HS Wrestling show this side of our State Finals every April.  In a perfect world, this would happen and there would be no need for the Renegades or the Gorillas and I would support that decision 100% while sitting in the front row of beachers watching our states best compete as one team.
 
Back to the Renegades -  Because the event needs teams, the Renegades are allowed in.  We don't rock the boat and we pull on the same end of the rope as the IHSWCA so we are welcomed each year.  We are allowed to bring 3 teams and the teams are put together by a group of coaches in the Northern, the Central and the Southwestern portions of the state.  Our Teams allow 42 wrestlers the chance to get 7-8 dual meets matches versus some of the best wrestlers in the midwest in a tournament that cannot be replicated anywhere else.  Our teams purposely do not approach wrestlers who may end up on the Gold and Blue teams, and in fact, our teams got pilfered for approx 8 wrestlers at the last minute last year to fill spots on the IHSWCA Teams which caused us to scramble to fill spots at the midnight hour.
 
It has become increasingly harder to fill the Renegade teams each year.  The coaches know about us, and we get emails every year from many coaches who want to get 3 or 4 wrestlers onto our teams.  Our teams have evolved enough that we don't want 3-4 guys from any one team and we like to spread the wealth and have a nice mix of teams represented. (Full Transparency - the SW Renegades team is the original team and we usually pull from the Castle Regional first where we can before going out to other areas...this is also why we usually finish lower than the other Renegade teams) We try our best to get state qualifiers first then work down to the semi state level kids.  All in all, we have given MANY guys who were knocking on the door a chance to improve by participating in this event.  
 
The Gorillas - I will not state my opinion of Joe and the Gorillas.  In all honesty, I like to stay out of all of that mess and have done so the last couple of years.  What I will say, is that Joe's picture of what this tournament is and what some of the old timers picture of what this tournament is are two totally different things.  To Joe, this is NOT a National Championship so its comical to him that some people see it that way.  To the Tournament Director, and in the event entry paperwork, this event is indeed thought of as a National Championship and they have put many years of work and effort into seeing it happen each year.  The entry info suggests that teams are made of wrestlers from the same state, and that each state has a qualifying process.  This was the case back in the day....not so much anymore.  These two different ways of thinking have made it a difficult situation.
 
If the event was full of state teams from all over, like it was back in the old days, this would not be an issue, because there would only be the 2 original IHSWCA teams and we would have two REALLY good teams that we could all root for.
 
So basically....blame all of this nonsense on PA and the other East Coast teams who wont do what we did for years, travel and compete.
 

I thought I would write some history on the Scholastic Duals, the IHSWCA involvement, and the Renegades..  I will try to keep this short, but doubt it ends up that way.
 
First - Who am I?  My name is Jeff Schaefer.  I own E.I. Sports and Apparel in Evansville, I am an assistant coach at Evansville Memorial, I am the team gear provider and sponsor for the IHSWCA Scholastic teams (I provide the team gear for the IHSWCA Gold and Blue teams at my cost each year which provides them top quality gear at a greatly reduced cost), I am the coordinator of the Renegades teams and I helped promote, plan, fill spots, and coached with the IHSWCA Scholastic Duals teams for 10-12 years.  So basically, I know a lot of the inside story on a lot of the questions and issues that are happening right now.
 
The IHSWCA - The coaches association has been sponsoring two teams at this event for many years.  My first year was in 2003 and at that time they had been involved for several years already.  At the time I joined the fray in 2003 the event was at Delaware Univ. but it went to Delaware State for a couple of years, then to York College in PA, and maybe one other location before being moved to Indiana and Wabash College.  Back when I started helping, the IHSWCA had trouble filling the team with our top notch kids.  We got some blue chippers but it was a struggle.  Many of our best programs and coaches simply would not buy in and commit to this event.  Over the next few years we made a significant push to educate the coaches and programs in the state and recruit the very best kids by talking about the event, talking to coaches earlier, and just working harder to be better prepared.  
 
The results were great.  We got better kids each year and for a few years we had teams that were truly powerhouses at a very prestigious event.  We had some great showings out on the East coast, including a runner up finish one year.
 
The Renegades - (who are they and why?)-  The early days, the Blue team would almost always be hard to fill and the coaches who put time into the event would be able to place a wrestler on the Blue team and travel with that wrestler as a coach to a national event on the East coast.  It was a great deal!  However, as the IHSWCA started getting the better kids, the spots on the Blue team became filled with those same upper echelon kids as were on the Gold team.  This pushed the "coaches kids" out of the picture since they were no longer needed to fill spots on the Blue team.
 
The coaches who put the Blue and Gold teams together for this event had an idea to create a 3rd Indiana team (the White Team) and fill it with coaches kids.  This team would get destroyed in the competition but it would give the coaches a small perk for traveling to the East Coast for 4 days on a charter bus etc etc.  The Idea of the White team was nixed by an IHSWCA president who did not want to show favortism to a group of coaches and was worried that the White team not having a "qualifying system" would cause issues.
 
At that time, I stepped down from helping the IHSWCA teams and approached the Scholastic Duals tournament director about putting a team of Indiana Renegades into the event.  The tournament director needed a few teams to fill out the tournament brackets and allowed us to put a team together.  The only stipulation was that we would not try to take any of the wrestlers that have qualified for the IHSWCA teams and we have always lived by that.  To us, there is not even a question of if we should do that or not, because to those of us that do this, we have always felt like the Renegades are an extension of the IHSWCA teams.  The Renegades have been putting teams into this event ever since then, and we work very closely with the IHSWCA to not approach or try to take the same wrestlers that our IHSWCA teams need to put the best possible Indiana teams on the mat.
 
 
A "National" Championship??? - This is where many of the problems that we are seeing stem from.  In 2003 - 2010, this event truly was a National Event.  When we went to Deleware, there would be 18-22 teams of hammers.  2 teams from PA, NY, NJ, DE, VA, IN, NE, IL, and OH, plus single teams from  Florida, Colorado, and Michigan.  When PA and NJ went at it, it was awesome to watch and it was not for women and children!!  BUT....then the event moved to Indiana.  Since then, the east coast powerhouses have decided to stop coming.  Is it fair after all the years we all went out there?  no its not, but what can you do about it?  
 
The tournament leadership has tried (save for another discussion) but has had little luck on bringing the powerhouses back into the picture.  Instead, we now have IN, IL, Colorado, KY, and some other teams.  The event is still very tough but is NOT what it once was.  When it was on the east coast, Mike Moyer and Jeff Peanut Bower with the NWCA were at the event and Jason Bryant was involved and covered it.  Today, the NWCA has its name on the event but I do not know if they actually have anything to do with the event at all.  To the old school coaches who have been involved in this event forever, yes we like to call it a national championship, but the reality is that while it is called a national championship, it is not a national championship caliber event because we know there is a LOT of fire power not attending.
 
So whats the problem and how do we fix it?  The Scholastic Duals needs teams every year.  They need teams to fill brackets and pay the entry fees to cover expenses and make sure the tournament happens.  National Event, regional event, whatever you want to call it, we would all call it a huge loss if it suddenly no longer happened.  As a coach who saw this event back in the hayday, I would like nothing more than to see PA, NJ, NY, VA, etc etc show up with teams and give all of us the greatest HS Wrestling show this side of our State Finals every April.  In a perfect world, this would happen and there would be no need for the Renegades or the Gorillas and I would support that decision 100% while sitting in the front row of beachers watching our states best compete as one team.
 
Back to the Renegades -  Because the event needs teams, the Renegades are allowed in.  We don't rock the boat and we pull on the same end of the rope as the IHSWCA so we are welcomed each year.  We are allowed to bring 3 teams and the teams are put together by a group of coaches in the Northern, the Central and the Southwestern portions of the state.  Our Teams allow 42 wrestlers the chance to get 7-8 dual meets matches versus some of the best wrestlers in the midwest in a tournament that cannot be replicated anywhere else.  Our teams purposely do not approach wrestlers who may end up on the Gold and Blue teams, and in fact, our teams got pilfered for approx 8 wrestlers at the last minute last year to fill spots on the IHSWCA Teams which caused us to scramble to fill spots at the midnight hour.
 
It has become increasingly harder to fill the Renegade teams each year.  The coaches know about us, and we get emails every year from many coaches who want to get 3 or 4 wrestlers onto our teams.  Our teams have evolved enough that we don't want 3-4 guys from any one team and we like to spread the wealth and have a nice mix of teams represented. (Full Transparency - the SW Renegades team is the original team and we usually pull from the Castle Regional first where we can before going out to other areas...this is also why we usually finish lower than the other Renegade teams) We try our best to get state qualifiers first then work down to the semi state level kids.  All in all, we have given MANY guys who were knocking on the door a chance to improve by participating in this event.  
 
The Gorillas - I will not state my opinion of Joe and the Gorillas.  In all honesty, I like to stay out of all of that mess and have done so the last couple of years.  What I will say, is that Joe's picture of what this tournament is and what some of the old timers picture of what this tournament is are two totally different things.  To Joe, this is NOT a National Championship so its comical to him that some people see it that way.  To the Tournament Director, and in the event entry paperwork, this event is indeed thought of as a National Championship and they have put many years of work and effort into seeing it happen each year.  The entry info suggests that teams are made of wrestlers from the same state, and that each state has a qualifying process.  This was the case back in the day....not so much anymore.  These two different ways of thinking have made it a difficult situation.
 
If the event was full of state teams from all over, like it was back in the old days, this would not be an issue, because there would only be the 2 original IHSWCA teams and we would have two REALLY good teams that we could all root for.
 
So basically....blame all of this nonsense on PA and the other East Coast teams who wont do what we did for years, travel and compete.
 

I thought I would write some history on the Scholastic Duals, the IHSWCA involvement, and the Renegades..  I will try to keep this short, but doubt it ends up that way.
 
First - Who am I?  My name is Jeff Schaefer.  I own E.I. Sports and Apparel in Evansville, I am an assistant coach at Evansville Memorial, I am the team gear provider and sponsor for the IHSWCA Scholastic teams (I provide the team gear for the IHSWCA Gold and Blue teams at my cost each year which provides them top quality gear at a greatly reduced cost), I am the coordinator of the Renegades teams and I helped promote, plan, fill spots, and coached with the IHSWCA Scholastic Duals teams for 10-12 years.  So basically, I know a lot of the inside story on a lot of the questions and issues that are happening right now.
 
The IHSWCA - The coaches association has been sponsoring two teams at this event for many years.  My first year was in 2003 and at that time they had been involved for several years already.  At the time I joined the fray in 2003 the event was at Delaware Univ. but it went to Delaware State for a couple of years, then to York College in PA, and maybe one other location before being moved to Indiana and Wabash College.  Back when I started helping, the IHSWCA had trouble filling the team with our top notch kids.  We got some blue chippers but it was a struggle.  Many of our best programs and coaches simply would not buy in and commit to this event.  Over the next few years we made a significant push to educate the coaches and programs in the state and recruit the very best kids by talking about the event, talking to coaches earlier, and just working harder to be better prepared.  
 
The results were great.  We got better kids each year and for a few years we had teams that were truly powerhouses at a very prestigious event.  We had some great showings out on the East coast, including a runner up finish one year.
 
The Renegades - (who are they and why?)-  The early days, the Blue team would almost always be hard to fill and the coaches who put time into the event would be able to place a wrestler on the Blue team and travel with that wrestler as a coach to a national event on the East coast.  It was a great deal!  However, as the IHSWCA started getting the better kids, the spots on the Blue team became filled with those same upper echelon kids as were on the Gold team.  This pushed the "coaches kids" out of the picture since they were no longer needed to fill spots on the Blue team.
 
The coaches who put the Blue and Gold teams together for this event had an idea to create a 3rd Indiana team (the White Team) and fill it with coaches kids.  This team would get destroyed in the competition but it would give the coaches a small perk for traveling to the East Coast for 4 days on a charter bus etc etc.  The Idea of the White team was nixed by an IHSWCA president who did not want to show favortism to a group of coaches and was worried that the White team not having a "qualifying system" would cause issues.
 
At that time, I stepped down from helping the IHSWCA teams and approached the Scholastic Duals tournament director about putting a team of Indiana Renegades into the event.  The tournament director needed a few teams to fill out the tournament brackets and allowed us to put a team together.  The only stipulation was that we would not try to take any of the wrestlers that have qualified for the IHSWCA teams and we have always lived by that.  To us, there is not even a question of if we should do that or not, because to those of us that do this, we have always felt like the Renegades are an extension of the IHSWCA teams.  The Renegades have been putting teams into this event ever since then, and we work very closely with the IHSWCA to not approach or try to take the same wrestlers that our IHSWCA teams need to put the best possible Indiana teams on the mat.
 
 
A "National" Championship??? - This is where many of the problems that we are seeing stem from.  In 2003 - 2010, this event truly was a National Event.  When we went to Deleware, there would be 18-22 teams of hammers.  2 teams from PA, NY, NJ, DE, VA, IN, NE, IL, and OH, plus single teams from  Florida, Colorado, and Michigan.  When PA and NJ went at it, it was awesome to watch and it was not for women and children!!  BUT....then the event moved to Indiana.  Since then, the east coast powerhouses have decided to stop coming.  Is it fair after all the years we all went out there?  no its not, but what can you do about it?  
 
The tournament leadership has tried (save for another discussion) but has had little luck on bringing the powerhouses back into the picture.  Instead, we now have IN, IL, Colorado, KY, and some other teams.  The event is still very tough but is NOT what it once was.  When it was on the east coast, Mike Moyer and Jeff Peanut Bower with the NWCA were at the event and Jason Bryant was involved and covered it.  Today, the NWCA has its name on the event but I do not know if they actually have anything to do with the event at all.  To the old school coaches who have been involved in this event forever, yes we like to call it a national championship, but the reality is that while it is called a national championship, it is not a national championship caliber event because we know there is a LOT of fire power not attending.
 
So whats the problem and how do we fix it?  The Scholastic Duals needs teams every year.  They need teams to fill brackets and pay the entry fees to cover expenses and make sure the tournament happens.  National Event, regional event, whatever you want to call it, we would all call it a huge loss if it suddenly no longer happened.  As a coach who saw this event back in the hayday, I would like nothing more than to see PA, NJ, NY, VA, etc etc show up with teams and give all of us the greatest HS Wrestling show this side of our State Finals every April.  In a perfect world, this would happen and there would be no need for the Renegades or the Gorillas and I would support that decision 100% while sitting in the front row of beachers watching our states best compete as one team.
 
Back to the Renegades -  Because the event needs teams, the Renegades are allowed in.  We don't rock the boat and we pull on the same end of the rope as the IHSWCA so we are welcomed each year.  We are allowed to bring 3 teams and the teams are put together by a group of coaches in the Northern, the Central and the Southwestern portions of the state.  Our Teams allow 42 wrestlers the chance to get 7-8 dual meets matches versus some of the best wrestlers in the midwest in a tournament that cannot be replicated anywhere else.  Our teams purposely do not approach wrestlers who may end up on the Gold and Blue teams, and in fact, our teams got pilfered for approx 8 wrestlers at the last minute last year to fill spots on the IHSWCA Teams which caused us to scramble to fill spots at the midnight hour.
 
It has become increasingly harder to fill the Renegade teams each year.  The coaches know about us, and we get emails every year from many coaches who want to get 3 or 4 wrestlers onto our teams.  Our teams have evolved enough that we don't want 3-4 guys from any one team and we like to spread the wealth and have a nice mix of teams represented. (Full Transparency - the SW Renegades team is the original team and we usually pull from the Castle Regional first where we can before going out to other areas...this is also why we usually finish lower than the other Renegade teams) We try our best to get state qualifiers first then work down to the semi state level kids.  All in all, we have given MANY guys who were knocking on the door a chance to improve by participating in this event.  
 
The Gorillas - I will not state my opinion of Joe and the Gorillas.  In all honesty, I like to stay out of all of that mess and have done so the last couple of years.  What I will say, is that Joe's picture of what this tournament is and what some of the old timers picture of what this tournament is are two totally different things.  To Joe, this is NOT a National Championship so its comical to him that some people see it that way.  To the Tournament Director, and in the event entry paperwork, this event is indeed thought of as a National Championship and they have put many years of work and effort into seeing it happen each year.  The entry info suggests that teams are made of wrestlers from the same state, and that each state has a qualifying process.  This was the case back in the day....not so much anymore.  These two different ways of thinking have made it a difficult situation.
 
If the event was full of state teams from all over, like it was back in the old days, this would not be an issue, because there would only be the 2 original IHSWCA teams and we would have two REALLY good teams that we could all root for.
 
So basically....blame all of this nonsense on PA and the other East Coast teams who wont do what we did for years, travel and compete.