bharmon01

The biggest disappointmment was for every kid that lost on friday night,for every kid that lost saturday morning, for every kid that lost in the semi-finals and wrestleback round, for every kid that lost in the 5-6, 7-8 round and the finals. The only kids that left with some good feeling were third, fifth, seventh and for sure first. Friday night losers, eighth, sixth, fourth and second place finishers all ended with disappointment. Losing hurts worse than winning feels good! This sport will tear your heart out.

looking at all the screen names at the top, it's past 12 up north. It's time to go to bed. Good Luck to everyone tomorrow.

Congrats Jim

Here is the bottom line - the match is over, I argued my point and that was it. I did not throw a fit as was stated in another post. All I did was question the back points and weather we had a takedown in overtime with the weight on the hands after the spin behind. When the decision was made I walked away, never throwing a fit. My heart breaks for my senior, but don't say I threw a fit. I wish the Greencastle kid the best of luck tomorrow night. I hope he wins. Its over, let it rest

Is it just me, or this not the most unforgiving sport? I have coached other sports but wrestling is different for some reason. My high school coach told me I would remember the losses more than I would ever remember the wins. He was so right! The loses always comeback every time I go for a run. I wake up thinking about them. It just wears me out. For some reason I can't let them go. Losing hurts worse than winning feels good, but why so much more in wrestling? I don't know why a lose in wrestling sticks with me more than any other sport I have coached. I hate losing period, but I just can't keep from going back to the wrestling loses. I guess its just all the time invested in preparing, the hopes and dreams invested in this sport. To watch a kid pour his heart into this sport and his dream and then see it come to an end is just devastating Damn I hate this sport, while at he same time I love it. I hate the demons of losing, they tear your heart out. Every time you win your reborn, every time you lose you die a little.

Here is another coach to add to this list - Bo Henry Bloomington North Nick - I'm an old guy who remembers Bob Morris - very good coach who has impacted a number of programs No question in my mind he needs to be considered for the IHSWCA Hall of Fame Keep them coming - there are so many great coaches who have impacted the lives of our student athletes

jsabik- I want to second another post on here and say thank you for your service to our country. Stay safe in Afghanistan and I hope you have a speedy return to the USA and get to watch some good wrestling back in your home state of Indiana. Hope the team you are pulling for did well today. Again, All of us of here back in Indiana thank you for making this day a safe one. god speed and I hope you get home soon. Thanks to the guys who gave Men like jsabik the updates.

For me its my high school coach Keith Farrand Indianapolis North Central

funny thing is I just responded to a post and it went up - but another post I responded to was blocked. Why? who is reading the post before they are placed and then blocking them?

They are losers? Then lets just go back to only winners advance.

Why when I try to reply to some threads does it say I can't? I thought this web site was open to all responses

Y2 - I expected a different response from you - usually you tear my responses apart. The bottom line is I don't know what we could do differently, so it is up to you young coaches to find a way to gt the IHSAA to buy into wrestle backs, class, team dual state or whatever or membership would like to see happen. The only answer I have is keep fighting for what the majority of what our membership wants, even if the IHSAA will vote it down. Like is said earlier, if you or anyone else has a plan to get it done, lets hear it and then go after it. Give us something besides just increasing membership, ethics of our coaches and ethics of our leadership. I really don't know where the questions or our leadership's ethics comes from. The membership voted the current officers in, if there was a question of their ethics, how did they get voted in in the first place? That should have been considered in the vote to start with. Please site the ethical questions you have with our current officers or past officers. Most of theses men have a passionate interest in Indiana wrestling. If they are unethical, how did they get voted in in the first place? I think the most important factor is to get or membership united on a cause. What is he cause? Team state, wrestle backs or class wrestling or something else. Decide what we want to fight for and then go after it and everyone support it even if we may fail with the IHSAA. I think that the most important issue is to get our coaches united in a cause. We are our most detrimental problem. Not being supportive of the cause. United we stand, divided we fall and the IHSAA knows this and plays into this. I know Bobby Cox got on here and read what was said and then used it against our officers in meetings. We have to find a way to get everyone (our coaches) on the same page. That is up to you young guys to figure out how to do it. I'm closer to the end of my career than you young guys, but I will still fight for what is best for Indiana wrestling, even when I'm done coaching. Find a way to get what the majority of our coaches want. Just remember the final decision is the IHSAA - if they want to make the change they will, if not they will justify their decision. This has been my experience in dealing with the IHSAA So just keep fighting, but be united in what you want, even if it may fail in the Executive Board vote!

I Contend- I think the Castle Sectional Sucked last year also 152 Doug Welch State Champion 2011 160 Chad Welch State Champion 2011 171 Drake Stein State Champion 2011 You are right the Castle Sectional Sucked last year Sign your name next time

Yes we were told many times the IHSAA tournament was to decide a champion. Have a competition and win you move on, lose you are done. In my day the sectional started on a Thursday and ended on Saturday with only the champion moving on. The regional was wrestled on Saturday with only the champion moving on. State was an 8 man bracket at Southport - lose first round your out - semi-final winners wrestle for the state championship, losers third and fourth. For a long time only the champion advanced through tournament to state. I believe the coaches association (IHSWCA) helped change that over the years to what we have today. A lot of young coaches today don't realize how far we really have come, if were not for our coaches association. If you want to go backwards, then advance only the champion with no wrestle backs. We think we have it tough today - try one and done of the past I don't know why anyone would want to change our individual tournament, except for wrestle backs t he regional or semi-state. Not even class it. It is the greatest show the IHSAA has, and they know it! They said many times they don't want to change the individual tournament - they just didn't like the team tournament. I some what understand the argument to class the team tournament (if it still existed) but never change the individual tournament. Anyone who has been there on Friday Night knows it is the greatest show in High School Sports, even the IHSAA

Because the IHSAA said "How many times do you have to lose before you are out" "We gave them to you at Sectionals, 4 out of Regionals to Semi-State and State(kinda) - what more do you wrestling coaches want?" "Every other sport is one and done!"

who won? I hope the boilers, but I'm not a big basketball watcher. Boiler up!

Insanity? The IHSWCA proposed what majority of the IHSWCA membership wanted - team state, wrestle backs and even class wrestling - when the IHSWCA proposed it guess what? The same results with wrestle backs and class wrestling. The IHSWCA did get team state, but now its gone. The fact is Blake Ress never wanted team state. We got that when Gardner was commissioner. Blake as our assistant commissioner over wrestling was against it. He made it his mission to find a way to get rid of it from the beginning. We just made it easy on him by holding kids out of the team portion. It comes down to getting the commissioner to support what we want. Get Bobby Cox to support wrestle backs or class wrestling and you have a chance. The commissioner controls the board. The problem is its not just wrestling, but all individual sports. What ever they decide will affect all individual sports, not just wrestling. The IHSAA has to decide if they want this for all individual sports and is it possible for all individual sports. What are the costs to the IHSAA, venues - who will be willing to host events? Officials? That is what they look at, not what is best for wrestling. What do you suggest we do different now? There will never be wrestle backs until the IHSAA decides they want it. They will continue to ask "how many times do you have to lose before your out?" They will argue all other sports are 1 and done if you lose, why should wrestling be any different. There will never be class wrestling until they are ready to class all individual sports. They will always refer to wrestling as an individual sport. So what do you want to propose differently? So I say keep proposing wrestle backs at the regional and semi-state if that is what the majority of our membership wants and keep proposing class wrestling if that is what the majority of our membership wants. And until they are ready to make a change, the the results will be the same. If you have an idea of how we can get different results then tell the membership and lets get different results. This has been the battle for a long time - if you know a better way to get what the majority of our membership wants then tell them and lets go do it. Again - if you have the answer to how to get the IHSAA to make the changes - tell us. How do we now get the IHSAA, our governing body, to say "you know what, I think wrestling needs wrestle backs at the regional and semi-state levels and we need to make wrestling a class sport" The IHSAA will make the final decision. So just keep proposing what the majority of our membership wants no matter what the results. Maybe we will eventually wear them down. Insanity? If you have the magic answer of how to get the IHSAA to give the IHSWCA (Indiana coaches) what they want - please tell us! If fighting for what the majority of IHSWCA members wanted over the years and getting the same results is insanity then I guess I'm insane to having spent as much time, gas and money as I did for most of my career. Please - someone tell me how to get the IHSAA to give us what we want! I would love to know what we could do differently and get different results. Just one old insane coach talking here who fought the fight.

I will join again just like always because I'm a high school wrestling coach in Indiana. Why would you not join if you are a high school coach in Indiana? I will attend the Fall and Spring clinic just like always, because that is part of being a high school wrestling coach. You don't have to agree with everything the IHSWCA does, but as a high school coach at least join it. Then let your feelings be heard. Some of you young coaches don't realize how much the IHSWCA has done for Indiana wrestling. You may not like certain things here or there, but the IHSWCA has done alot of positive things for Indiana wrestling. You young guys don't remember the days when the state tournament was only 3 weeks with a big sectional and 8 regional champions advancing to state. Only the Champion advanced. State (8 man bracket) used to be first round losers out, semi final winners went for the title and losers 3rd and 4th. Then we got semi-state and top 2 advanced to state. Then we advanced 4 to State, if you lost sat morning your kid that beat you had to win to keep you in the tournament. Finally we got top 8 at state , sat morning losers wrestling for 7th and 8th and 6th,5th,4th,3rd how it wrestled out. This all came from input from the IHSWCA that some of you want to bash on this website. When we went back to the current tournament the IHSAA didn't want wrestle backs at the sectional, but the IHSWCA got it. Join the association and let your feelings be heard. Don't just keep posting on here, get involved and try and make a difference.

It will be interesting to see how the IHSWCA Classed Team State plays out. The problem is it is not really a Team State Tournament because all teams in Indiana are not included. IHSAA Team State Tournaments include all IHSAA member schools. The IHSAA tournament doesn't care about power numbers or returning placers, every member school is included in the tournament. I think it has a chance to be another really good super dual tournament, but not a State Champion tournament. Will the IHSWCA give out Team Trophies and rings to the Champion and Runner-up? Will he Media recognize the Champions as State Champions? Will the schools have fire truck rides and a big homecoming ceremony? To me its just not the same as an IHSAA sanctioned event. Yes, it will stroke some egos to say you are state champions, but did you rally advance through a true team tournament? When you think of State Champion or State Runner-up, you think of Blue Ring or Red ring - IHSAA You don't think of IHSWCA, when you think of State Champion. Like I've said before, we let it go last year without even putting up a fight.

No singlet and polo, but I will have running shoes and a tie on.

Brad - sorry to hear about the loss of your father - my prayers go out to you and your family. I'm sure he would want you to go on and coach your team, even with a heavy heart.

If you are not the first, second or third seed the next best seed is sixth. like what was stated earlier, that is a big gamble you will draw into the bottom bracket. Now the question is unethical - if you know your kid is going to wrestle and he qualifies by the criteria to be seeded then he should be seeded, no matter where he falls. If you hold this kid, knowing he is going to wrestle,hoping for a better draw, then you deserve to draw the number one seed in the pig-tail round. like stated earlier - if he has a good chance of wrestling he should be seeded, but if he has no chance of wrestling then don't put him up.

ace2212, wish I knew who you were, always hate screen names and not knowing who I'm going to reply to. Yes we lift preseason and inseason, but who doesn't lift preseason and inseason? We also have weight training classes during school. We don't encourage our kids to cut weight - we follow the weight loss program, but none really cut weight, they just get in shape. Nobody today cuts weight like back in my day. If they do they are illegal by the new weight program. When a football player comes into wrestling he is in football shape, they will weigh a little more and most of the time it is fat weight, not muscle. When they come into wrestling and get into wrestling shape they are going to lose some fat and be lighter than in football, which is good. If they eat right and lift right after wrestling they will increase their weight after losing some of the fat, making leaning athletes. What throws this off also is if you look at their height and weight in a program it has been a "little fudged" and it looks like they lost a lot of weight. When really they haven't. No don't get me wrong, I love football too. I have coached football in Texas and Indiana. I have coached freshman football, scouted for the varsity and coached at the junior high level. In fact I coach the 7th grade at one our middle schools right now. I love to call the offense. I don't know where you coach, because I don't know who you are because you use a screen name. From my experience, football coaches not wanting kids to wrestle because they lose weight has been a problem. I always wonder how much they are losing out on by wrestling rather than hiding out in the weightroom. I would think you want your kids to learn how to compete, weights don't hit back! If you are at a small school I understand you - my son played football at a 2A school and small schools for the most part do a better job of sharing athletes, his team had upper weights and have some good upper weights this year. When our football coach encouraged football players to wrestle, when had some pretty good kids, a 7th Hwt and 4th 189 in 2010. When they didn't have a great season, he stopped encouraging kids to wrestle. The answer to losing was we weren't big enough. We nee to get bigger and if you wrestle that will hurt you - This is the battle I have fought for most of 31 years.

No regionrat, I don't think it comes down to coaches or feeder programs. If an Adult (coach) tells a kid he needs to get bigger if he wants to play - it has a BIG influence on his decision if he is going to wrestle or go to the weight room in the off season. Most big time football programs think kids need to only lift and get bigger or they can't compete. The sad fact is these kids believe if they spend the time in the weight room and lift for football they are going to get big and make varsity and get a scholarship and win state. They think if they don't do what the coach tells them they won't play next year and someone will get ahead of them and take their spot. What they don't understand is if they are a player, the spot is still there and if they play another sport it may even increase their chance of starting. I find it ironic how many kids names that are called on friday night making big plays are kid who wrestle, but these kids coaches tell the team at the end of the season how they need to commit to the weight room and get bigger if they want to play. I have had so many kids not wrestle in high school after wrestling in junior high because they sat they need to lift and get bigger its unbelievable. These adults (coaches) have a BIG influence on their choices. I also understand its easier to go in a weight room and lift than go in a wrestling room and wrestle. There are a lot of coaches who spend time with kids when they are young only to see them not wrestle when they get older because they have been told if they gain so much weight they will play next year. I also understand some kids will use the excuse to lift and get bigger and not wrestle because they just don't have the guts to do it. It's a great excuse to say "I want to lift and get bigger for football" than admit they just don't have the guts to do it! I have done this for 31 years so don't tell me it comes down to coaches and feeder programs. If a football coach encourages his kids to wrestle it will help your program, if not it's an uphill battle. I also understand that wrestling is a tough sport and today's kids are soft. It takes a lot of guts to go out and risk losing by yourself. Most kids today can't do it. It's easier to go hide in a weight room than step out on a mat and maybe lose. Don't make it seem so easy as it comes down to coaches and feeder programs. There are a lot of coaches working their butts off only to see kids not wrestle in high school because an adult (coach) tells them they need to focus on one sport (lift and get big). I can't tell you the number of kids who say I wish I would have wrestled. Shouda, Wouda, Couda What a sad club to be a member of!

Scott Miller - be thankful you have a football coach who encourages football players to wrestle . If he does then eventually you may get big kids, but if he doesn't you never will. Football and wrestling go together like no other two sports. It's too bad most football coaches don't get it.