aoberlin

As big as it is we could do one per semi-state. I would be happy to host one at Homestead next year. 

As big as it is we could do one per semi-state. I would be happy to host one at Homestead next year. 

As big as it is we could do one per semi-state. I would be happy to host one at Homestead next year. 

Which makes no sense since that is probably the 4th placer from sectionals. It should go off the highest placer of the sectionals of the 1st placer that didn't qualify. Or... have wrestlebacks.

Which makes no sense since that is probably the 4th placer from sectionals. It should go off the highest placer of the sectionals of the 1st placer that didn't qualify. Or... have wrestlebacks.

Should be the person beaten by the 4th place finisher.

Which makes no sense since that is probably the 4th placer from sectionals. It should go off the highest placer of the sectionals of the 1st placer that didn't qualify. Or... have wrestlebacks.

No wrestlebacks! We didn't get to in my day whippersnappers!

Did we just become best friends?
Did we just become best friends? 

You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave 🎶

I see a lot of posts complaining and asking why Indiana doesnt' have wrestle backs.  And since this is the time of the year we need them the most, I thought id construct the list of reasons/theories/hypotheses or plain conspiracies as why the great wrestlers of Indiana dont have the essential tool granted to every other state in their state series.  Here's my list In David Letterman style!!!!!!
 
10.We cant be like Illinois theory: In Indiana's continuous competition with Illinois and the resulting inferiority complex, Indiana had to do something different and in the name of conservative stubborness, we found a great avenue to differentiate from the Land of Lincoln,  "We wont have wrestlebacks like those woke liberal dudes to the west".
 
9. The Hunger Games theory:  In the the modern action novel where each district's humble heroes travel to the capitol and are placed in an arena to fight each other to die or move on for the ultimate reward solely for the purpose of the audience's bloody lust for entertainment.  Just like the Hunger games, we in Indiana travel to the capitol and are entertained by the Friday night circus called the ticket round where we love to see our humble wrestlers reach immediate state placing glory.  But also, we love the sudden agony of defeat and seeing ranked wrestler's dreams and hope of destroyed abruptly.  Wrestlers, "May the odds ever be in your favor".
 
8.  Save the IHSAA beautiful mats:  The IHSAA has great mats.   Buy eliminating wrestle backs, were cutting out 29% of wrestling from the tournament thus saving our mats for future years.
 
7.  Let's hang out at Tilted Kilt more theory:   Not that I've ever been there, but by eliminating wrestle backs this opens up more time for the great wrestling fans of the Hoosier state to patronize the abundant downtown dining places like the Tilted Kilt (come on, you guys tipped big).  We love places like "Dicks last resort, St Elmo's (love the Shrimp cocktail) or Fog De Chao for those with big appetite.  Even though I was disappointed when the kid i was cheering for lost and didn't have a wrestle back match, I did have extra time and the consolation to sincerely enjoy some tasty pasta at Buca.  The East Chicago equivalents are Portillo's or El Gran Taco.  But Ive heard Region Rat recommend PoleKatz for their excellent bar food and service.  In Evansville, the wrestling community and guys like TripleB  utilizes the extra time to spend at "Taco Bell, Panda Express and Pizza King".
 
6. Indiana Loves Quality over Quantity hypothesis:  We just want to see good matches and not be distracted by a plethora of matches created by "wrestlebacks".    If it has the word consolation in it, then you're going to have to console us from watching it. The winner's bracket is just so much more watchable and cool. Why stymie the tournament with consolation matches.  Is anybody watching the Ravens vs the Lions this weekend?      Come on everybody likes to see perennial winners and champions like Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs and i guess that other team from California.  But they ain't watching the consolation bowl.
 
 
5.  The biased IHSAA board makeup theory:   The IHSAA board, which has the overarching power to decide wrestling competition rules, is made up of former basketball, baseball and football coaches.  We have very little wrestling representation on the board.  Remember Indiana is a basketball state and those guys get power.   When asked to include wrestle backs, they say we don't have baseball backs, basketball backs, tennis backs or football backs, why should wrestlers get wrestle backs?  Its only a matter of fairness they say.   We did have some hope when the swimming coach on the board did show some interest in the idea, and curiously asked are wrestling backs like the backstroke?
 
4. Sinister Y2CJ41 conspiracy theory:  While Joe Caprino was thinking of ways to improve Indianamat participation and patronization, he conspired this idea in his lair at Victory Bay (yes it exists).  With his capacity to pull strings in Indiana wrestling, and his overreaching influence on the gatekeepers of the wrestling community he, came up with the idea to create controversy and blowup discussion on the Indianamat forum by secretly eliminating wrestle backs in the state tournament.  You notice "wrestle backs" is a common controversial topic????? You ever wonder why we don't have class wrestling????? Just saying i heard something on Qanon. I swear.
 
3. I didnt have wrestle backs when i wrestled:  How many grizzled veterans of the Indiana state tournament post they love the format, and that we have the best tournament in the country.  Even though many were scarred by their bad draws and robbed of placing or their lots were thrown wheel of luck. Its really just a psychological perception to block progress because they didn't have the same advantage.   Old stuck in its ways says: "Why should these young cocky, "soft" spoiled wrestlers have an advantage we didn't.   It's just not fair".    Thus were continually stuck in this circular state of no progress.   These are the same dudes that walked to school 6 miles in the snow and loved it.
 
,
2.  We just arent trying or working hard enough theory!!  Under the current format, we will get bad draws and the better wrestlers wont advance.  But this could be overcome if everybody worked more or tried harder.   If every Indiana wrestler tried harder, we would never have a bad draw regardless of no wrestlebacks.  This is also the same reason we haven't found Sasquatch yet.
 
1. The Ricky Bobby Impact:  "If you aren't first, you're last".   That's the message we're getting.  Anyway, it's all about finding the one champion. That's what counts.  If you lose to the champion, then it doesn't really matter when you lost to him.  You're not important because you're not the champion. See #6 on consolation.   Yes, those silly non- first place medals are just over glorified system of participation trophies.  Why should we spend more time on silly consolation wrestle backs that's only irrelevant purpose is to separate the losers.
 
 
 

Great read. Your story is not an uncommon one. Your perspective at such a young age is rare. Keep at it.

"Parents want." 

Every transfer no matter what is supposed to be approved by the IHSAA and gets the pass of the principal of the recieving school and transferring out school. The parent/athlete needs to submit an Athletic Transfer Report that the principals will need to sign off on. You can have a student from another school that didn't play any sports transfer and they are not allowed to play any sport at the new school until the Athletic Transfer Report has been approved. For the most part, the principals from both the receiving and transferring out are supposed to evaluate if any of the transfer rules in the bylaws have either been broken or met then throw a red flag to the IHSAA or give approval. Transferring is very well defined in the bylaws. https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2022-23 By-Laws.pdf Start reading on page 96 and it goes over all violations and reasons for legitimate transfers. 
 
Someone can correct me if I am wrong I am just reading the rules. We have never had a high-level athletic transfer so I can only go off of the fact we had a student from another school move to us and they never even played a sport but had to still jump through the hoops. How people get around these rules I have no clue. But it is pretty hard to argue if there is a legit change of address barring it being some apartment with an address that "receives mail".
 
Also, remember middle school is the wild wild west and kids can go to any school they want before high school starts as long as the school system they are going to has open enrollment.  Which then doesn't throw an Athletic Transfer Report.

Great read. Your story is not an uncommon one. Your perspective at such a young age is rare. Keep at it.

Every transfer no matter what is supposed to be approved by the IHSAA and gets the pass of the principal of the recieving school and transferring out school. The parent/athlete needs to submit an Athletic Transfer Report that the principals will need to sign off on. You can have a student from another school that didn't play any sports transfer and they are not allowed to play any sport at the new school until the Athletic Transfer Report has been approved. For the most part, the principals from both the receiving and transferring out are supposed to evaluate if any of the transfer rules in the bylaws have either been broken or met then throw a red flag to the IHSAA or give approval. Transferring is very well defined in the bylaws. https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2022-23 By-Laws.pdf Start reading on page 96 and it goes over all violations and reasons for legitimate transfers. 
 
Someone can correct me if I am wrong I am just reading the rules. We have never had a high-level athletic transfer so I can only go off of the fact we had a student from another school move to us and they never even played a sport but had to still jump through the hoops. How people get around these rules I have no clue. But it is pretty hard to argue if there is a legit change of address barring it being some apartment with an address that "receives mail".
 
Also, remember middle school is the wild wild west and kids can go to any school they want before high school starts as long as the school system they are going to has open enrollment.  Which then doesn't throw an Athletic Transfer Report.

With CP favored to win 5: will any Semi-State have more than CP? That leaves 7 spots for the other 3 semi-states because Costello is favored as well as Brabender. Let'em wrestle it out first then bump your chest as the overall nationally ranked favorite. It will get redundant though really quick.  See people get on me for supporting my alma mater but we've won nothing of late so nobody thinks we're on ish. If you win 6 state titles no one will be surprised or impressed. If we get a placer: we will get all types of adulation. Enjoy the wrestling.

Great read. Your story is not an uncommon one. Your perspective at such a young age is rare. Keep at it.

Great read. Your story is not an uncommon one. Your perspective at such a young age is rare. Keep at it.

Great read. Your story is not an uncommon one. Your perspective at such a young age is rare. Keep at it.

Great read. Your story is not an uncommon one. Your perspective at such a young age is rare. Keep at it.

Great read. Your story is not an uncommon one. Your perspective at such a young age is rare. Keep at it.

I think it’s important now that the season is nearing its zenith to address one of the most important issues that I think goes under talked around this time, which is the hard working kids who lose at semi state. Obviously, we should celebrate those who make it to state. That is the goal of almost every high school wrestler, to be among the best in the state and compete in the best venue in all of Indiana. But inevitably, most wrestlers Sunday will not end up advancing to the state tournament. And I think it’s important that we address how to support the kids that lose, especially the seniors who will possibly wrestle their very last matches on Saturday.
 
Last year as a senior, I went into my season with high expectations. For three years straight, I went to everything. My high school coaches could tell you I was person who missed the least practices. I showed up to everything; morning practice, optional practice, summer open mats, I even went to RWA three days a week and trained at my coaches own gym in order to build up my strength and conditioning.  I felt like I was one of the hardest working, toughest people in the state. In middle school at my first off-season tournament I suffered a concussion. My freshman year I broke my left elbow and had to get screws out in, which I still have to this day. Junior year I dislocated my rib wrestling freestyle, and over the summer I suffered severe second degree burns which caused most of the epidermis on my back to slough off. But still, I worked through it all because I felt like if I didn’t I wasn’t being the best wrestler I could. Going into regionals of senior year I broke the scaphoid bone in my wrist, and couldn’t press down or grip my right hand for the rest of season. I felt like all of this only contributed to me being a tougher wrestler on the mat. And even with all of that, I got completely out wrestled at semi state. My broken wrist meant nothing, I did not live up to my potential and didn’t wrestle my best, and that’s why I lost. For at least a month after semi state I was completely in the dumps. It’s like I had a rain cloud overhead, I felt like my career meant nothing. It was over, and I didn’t accomplish what I wanted to. No matter what people said to me, it really didn’t ease the fact that I felt completely empty. I also felt angry. I felt so angry that I had teammates who put in way less practice time than me, who didn’t show up to half the things I did, and yet still advanced farther than I did. I wasn’t angry at them, though, I was angry at myself. I was angry because I felt like that there was something that I must have missed, some piece of the puzzle that despite all my hours I just couldn’t get. And that made me really hate myself for a few weeks. Our sport is so much more draining mentally than it is physically, and for those seniors who lose at semi state, it can really knock your happiness down a few notches for a quite a while. So coaches and parents, if you have a wrestler whose career comes to an end this Saturday, it’s important to not look at their whole career under a microscope and appreciate the whole journey. You got to participate in the toughest sport in the world, you were able to make it to semi state, which while not a particularly impressive accomplishment, still means that likely hundreds of hours of hard work went into that qualification. It’s okay to feel upset, but don’t let it hang over your life. You worked hard, and you did something that most wrestlers in the state didn’t. And to those who have more years, never stop grinding. Embrace it, and make sure to have fun with it. When the sport is fun, you do better. You can make it to state, but you can’t take your foot off the gas.
 
I love wrestling, so so much. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done, and something I plan on continuing even though I’m not on a college team. I’m so grateful to the sport and my coaches for making me the man I am today, and for teaching me such invaluable life lessons. And I think loving the sport is really what’s so important. If you were able to make an athlete fall in love with the sport, with the process, then you succeeded as a coach. If you support your kids and help them foster that love, then you succeeded as a wrestling parent. The lessons athletes learn from wrestling are some of the best life lessons you can learn, and when you are able to fall in love with the sport, these values are only engrained deeper. So to those seniors out there, wrestle your hearts out. Don’t be afraid to lose, don’t be afraid to score points. Leave it all on the mat and put your name in the history books. And to those seniors who worked so hard and end up coming up short, it will suck. But you’ll live. You’ll be okay. And I think that, even if you lose at semi state, if you managed to fall in love with the sport, then it was all worth it in the end. We are all apart of something amazing, and wrestling is absolutely the greatest sport ever. Fall in love with it, and wrestle your hearts out. 
 

I don’t know if you wrestled or not but if you did you would know to be the bad draw. That’s what is taught at Snider and we have a history of winning these so called bad draws.  Did you have Mosier losing last week?  Did you have Trevino?  Exactly; Go Panthers!

Imagine a world (if you dont mind) in which Kresja is still at Delta. Brabender is still at northridge. Veazy is still in state. Rochester doesn't get moved. 😵‍💫 
 
If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle I know I know.
 
But FW SS could've been well represented under the lights when on top of them you factor in Boyd, Tishner, Wood, Doster, Betz, Leech, Keegan Martin, Hinton.