State Question

Why is Kansas State so much later than the surrounding states? Texas and Okalhoma have been done for two weeks and we haven't even started our qualifiers. We went to the Big 12 championships and saw some great wrestling...Jake loved it. He and I would love to go watch the National tournament. Since we live in a "late state" we have to go Districts instead. We want a Division I college to pick up wrestling, but the kids clubs could not support it because they would be wrestling Districts instead of attending the NCAA Championships. I really think we are missing out.

Very good point. Oklahoma schedules Kids state the week before HS state in order to allow kids to go watch older siblings, etc. Only problem is, still splits families for regionals! Wish they would go back one more week.

What about the older kids who do HS and kids? If you move it up more than a week or two these kids would miss out. I always just figured that was the reason. When is Texas and Oklahoma's HS state?

Bump

Texas High School state for public schools was Feb 22/23. the same as Kansas. Private schools finished Feb 9(Bishop Lynch)

I also think it should be earlier. I'd love to be able to go watch the Division I's.

I think this is a huge topic that is not discussed enough. We have a long season....why? I think that the state wants to emphasize freestyle/greco so why not end folkstyle earlier to start FS/GR? With kids the seasons start to bleed into one another. Football overlaps wrestling, wrestling overlaps baseball, and baseball overlaps football. Thoughts? How can we handle this? Is it even a thought to consider finishing our season a month sooner?

The season does seem long, but if you shorten it up, you would be eliminating alot of the 14 and unders and 16 and unders that are still participating in high school wrestling. I know we don't get a numerous amount of the high school wrestlers anymore, but do we want to get rid of all of them? That is one thing to consider if you are wanting to shorten the kids season. And would we end up with kids state at or right around the same time as high school. My problem would be that I could possibly have 2 kids in high school action and 2 kids in the kids program action.

Missouri starts their qualifying tournaments a week earlier than us. If the state wants to emphasis freestyle why did they move the state tourny (freestyle/greco) up. If you are serious about it, you really can't afford to take a few weeks off. Just a question. And, I agree, the season is long, a month ago I would not have agreed, but now, yes.

The season is fine how it is.If the season is too long for some of you don't start wrestling until January.

Why do kids get to watch every other sport that they want do when they get older except for wrestling? The season is not fine. I guarantee we wrestle longer and more quality tournaments than most. I'm not complaining about the length of the season, I'm questioning why we have to overlap into the college season. Why can we not go and watch the big boys...what we want to have our kids strive for. Again, how can we expect to get a Division 1 program when we would not be there to support it?

Beeson is absolutely right in my mind!

If we must have a five month season ... why don't we start in October? We should be done in time to watch our high school State and the College's final weeks!

It seems, we get so wrapped up, we don't show our kids that there is something to work for beyond this season! Plus, it can be a great window of teaching!!

Then, we could start our Freestyle and Greco practices in March and they could be ready for tourneys in April!

My personal opinion, is if there is a college dual within an hour of your town, kids clubs ought to flock the place! And, we contend we are fans?

If we start in October we will have to give up football and I think these kids are too young to pick just one sport until they have given everything they are interested in trying a fair chance. I would have no problem starting a couple weeks later and ending a week or two earlier.

Randy, I will guarantee you, even if you shorten the season some club will eventually begin holding folkstyle tournaments on those weekends immediately following. In fact those weekends of high school regionals and state (as some clubs already know), would be perfect for some club to make a bunch of money because they don't have other tournaments to compete with. And in turn, most if not all clubs will support these tournaments, just as they do now.
I have been rather surprised that some club locally hasn't already tried to hold a folkstyle tournament during the heart of the freestyle season. As Ottawa (with the 6U state) and others have proven, if there is money to be made out there, someone will do it.
I don't think it will do any good to adjust our season until we have the hearts and minds of the majority of our parents/coaches/club directors all thinking alike.

When does the football season end for the kids?

Ned

I know ... I have a terrible cold right now and perhaps my medication got the best of me!

But back to what Beeson was saying ... I know for years, I couldn't go to the Big XII (5) Tourney. I have for the past two years! Always before, I was busy with the kids!

Kids wrestling to me is: for the enjoyment of course, promoting development for the next level(HS) and possibly more. Shortening the season still accomplishes this task. Now for the HS kids, if they are interested in obtaining skills for the next level (collegiate, FS/G should be the option, not kids wrestling. Sorry if I stepped on any toes. Just my opinion. I too would love to watch college wrestling but no longer have that luxury.

In regards to Ned's post on when does football season end -

Our youth football practices started the end of July. Our season finished two years ago the first weekend in November and last year, the last weekend in October.

Our youth team did not qualify for the "state" so some even went another week or two.

For some of you, yes I'm sure it is and can be a long season. However, locally we don't start practicing with the membership until after Thanksgiving and generally don't attend our first tournament until mid-December.

If it's too long, don't start so early OR take some breaks throughout the season, especially for the younger guys!! Let them spend the night with a friend or watch cartoons on Saturday morning.

Leanna Grater

Ned,

We start football practice August 1. We practice 2 times a week plus some Saturdays early in the season. Youth Football Season concludes end of October, with a possible extra week the first weekend in November. Total 3 months plus a week.

Wrestling we practice 3 times a week and begin Mid November and conclude end of March, with a possible extra week(Nationals) in April. 4-1/2 months plus a week.

Just for comparison.

Jeff

Conditoning practice for football in Topeka can begin 7/1 2x per week & the regualr season ends the end of October. 4 months if you don't do any post season stuff. There are tournaments that go into November after regular season ends. Folkystyle wrestling practice with the club starts the first of November Monday & Thursday. 5 months if you don't do freestyle/ greco.

I am not wanting anyone to have to choose between football or wrestling. For those who play football, start when football is over. For those who want to continue wrestling, I'm sure there are some clubs that would have tournaments after State. Oklahoma and Texas are done by the time that the Classic roles around and many wrestlers from those states still attend. I would just like the opportunity for the kids to be able to watch the college level.

sportsfan02,

I think once the Kids State tournament is completed that there would not be much demand for wrestling folkstyle tournaments beyond that for the majority of Kansas wrestlers. Most of the folkstyle clubs stop practicing after the state tournament. Some kids do wrestle another folkstyle tournament or two like the Brute Nationals in Kansas City the weekend after Kids State. But for the most part the wrestlers seem to move on to other sports or into freestle/greco practice and competition. For these reasons I think there would be very little demand for more Kansas folkstyle tournaments. That is why I think no one has organized Kansas kids folkstyle tournaments after Kids State.

My son is participating in the Kids State tournament this year for the first time in high school. He is a junior in high school this year. He has decided to wrestle post season this year since he wants to improve his wrestling skills for his final year of high school and possibly to wrestle in college. I personally have been an advocate of the shorter Kids season for many years but I always let him make his own choice in high school whether to participate in it. He decided to this year because he wanted to wrestle at the Brute Nationals since it was in Kansas City. If these post season folkstyle tournaments were not available to him this year, he would be going to freestyle practices right now.