Give 'em matches

There's a lot of talk on this forum about promoting the sport, keeping kids - and parents - coming back season after season and week after week. You know what will keep more people AWAY from this sport? Spending 8 hours in a gym on a Saturday and getting 2 maybe 3 matches. Let's practice 6 hours a week and then get stuck in an 8-man bracket with 6 kids, sometimes 5. Some kids and parents are turned off by the amount of time spent at tournaments anyway, then to have so few matches in my opinion keeps this sport from growing.
My son wrestled in the Midwest Showdown this Saturday and he was super excited when brackets were released and he was in a 6-man round robin. Now, we had a scratch, but were still in a 5-man. They also had full mats for all age groups but 6U.
Tournament directors - Combine weights, use round robin brackets, whatever, but fill those brackets and give these kids as many matches as possible. Saturday's are their time to shine, let's give them the opportunity.

It's hard but after years of sitting in gyms and watching my kids wrestle, there's nothing else I would rather be doing. We sat in a gym this past Saturday from noon till 4:30 and only got two matches. We have introduced other friends to the sport but the long Saturdays have made them all quit. I think it has more to do with the kids performance, parents need to be more patient and give their kids time to develope in the sport before throwing the towel.

First off round robins are a good thing. We have a lot of tournaments on our schedule every year. If all the kids wrestled every tournament plus the state tournament series and had 5 to six matches every weekend they would end up with 75-100 matches every year. That is to many competitions in a year for a developing wrestler 8th grade and under (the body needs recovery time). Competition is very important - but for the beginner who goes 0-6 and 0-5 every weekend - we will be lucky to keep them the first year - definitely not one of my goals. High School has 40 - 50 matches per year - unless they wrestle summer. Junior Varsity and Middle School fewer opportunities and matches. Most college guys (For the most part the body is physically developed) have only 25-35 matches per year - unless they wrestle international styles in the summer. There is a point where you can wrestle them to much in competitions instead of just teaching skills and getting them ready for high school or the next level. Lastly - sitting in a gym with your kids (in the winter) and their friends and other parents - heaven. After a week of work - I thought that is what we are suppose to do - spend quality time family and friends.

Very Well Said. We don't often agree, but I'm 100% with you on this.

I think there has been alot done over the years to promote the sport to both parents and kids, lets face it wrestling is tough and not for everyone! I personally kind of like it that way. As far as matches go round robins are nice for beginners. I liked it a few years ago when a couple of the tourments used a scramble format?

I'm glad I opened up this forum today and saw this subject. I am currently deployed and get to watch my sons matches on video after the tournament is over. I understand what Ram and Smokeycabin are both talking about here. These kids do need more matches but with that said to many matches can also be a bad thing. And many of us parents that have wrestled before should know both ends from first hand. I remember traveling a couple hundred miles for tournaments only to get one or two matches. Or being on the other end where I had 19 matches in two days. My son this weekend only had 1 match due to a FF in his last match. But even before the last match when I saw he was only going to have 2 for the day I was on the phone with my wife telling her to go talk to coaches to find him at least one exhibition match. I was truely shocked when she told me none of the parents said yes. Was the day a waste of time because my son only got one match and my family sat around a tournament for 8+ hours? No not at all but it could have been better.

One other consideration for the tournament directors when running big round-robins (5 and 6 matches). How many matches will be created - based on the number of kids registered. The more matches the more surfaces you need to wrestle on in order to shorten the day for everyone and get done at a reasonable time. I wish most of these kids tournaments would do the night before weigh-ins, skin, nail, and hair checks - so the brackets can be done the night before. Except for the state qualifying series.

I agree with the round robins! Another idea ... take one weekend off a month!!

Great responses on both ends of the subject here. Hey, my kids take advantage of what they are given on a particular weekend - whether it be 2 matches or 6. After hitting it hard for a few weeks, we take a week off - most times much to their chagrin.

But this I love the best -
"sitting in a gym with your kids (in the winter) and their friends and other parents - heaven. After a week of work - I thought that is what we are suppose to do - spend quality time family and friends."
Well said Smokey.

Great comments from everyone's posts above!!! If your looking for a smaller tourney with max wrestling-February 2nd. Osage City Invitational. I will put everyone that I can in 5 man round robins as well as keep the match numbers per mat below 100. Sorry but I have to advertise my club and tournament somehow!!
Jamy Dunbar
Osage City Wrestling Club

What else would you be doing on a Sat/Sun afternoon? Housework, lawn work, and kids on videoo games with minimal interaction! Don't get me wrong my sons first season I dreaded the long days and long car rides. But now I wish I could sit in a gym every weekend supporting my son and our wrestling families! He wrestles in college and we still drive hours to see him but it's not with him and not every weekend. So enjoy those weekends and the relationship you are building with your wrestler because the time will be gone like that, but the relationship and memories will last a lifetime!!

Smoky said it best! No place I would rather be than a youth wrestling gym. Socializing with other parents and supporting other wrestlers is what it's about. I've actually gone and dropped off my son and wife at home and come back to a tournament(if it's fairly close) to watch other kiddos and talk with their parents. Whether he wrestles twice or five times...it's always been a fun day!!!