Bockman,

Whatever works for you and yours should be enough and the truth is it does work for a bunch of kids. While I don't like the idea of bribing them to do a sport, I do see that some kids are def drawn to the awards as opposed to getting nothing at BB or other winter sports. Of course we all pay for that stuff in the long run w/ entries and such. Funny, if all the State series turned out was little quarter sized medals instead of the plaques I bet people would go elsewhere. Which is also kinda sad too.

As for us, we like some of the bigger awards like the eagle trophies and rings, but we have tons of medals from just about everything you can imagine. Karate, Swimming, Baseball, Football, Track, Scouts, Soccer, Highland Games, Scholastics etc.. I tried to teach my kids that it's not the award but the title and the experience is what is lasting. Nobody can take that away from you. When you get older those ribbons, trophies, medals etc.. will be sitting in a box somewhere gathering dust while your trying to get your own kids theirs. However, the fact that you were the xxxl champ of something in 1885 it will be there forever. I for instance have AAU T&F records myself that are over 30 years old and I am pretty darn proud of that.

The one thing my son really likes and this is mostly an OK thing. If he wins down there they give him a nice big T-Shirt from the tournament that says Champion on the back. He could care less about the medal/trophy at that point. The t-shirt consequently gets worn to death over the next year so he actually benefits from that more than any medal.

Bling, is and has being bandied about quite liberally and inaccurately here. Part of the problem with the current system we have here is everyone is trying to outdo each other on awards to draw in the kids. That is either because there are 5 other tournaments the same weekend or they are trying to entice out of state competition. So from my perspective what everyone who has been dogging the KS Series about, is really already being done and with bells on anyway.

The series system they use in OK does not have weekly bling. Just a hoodie and or a t-shirt at the conclusion of the series if you wrestle in 3 or more of the series comps. It's up to each of the tournaments to decide what they give to their champs. Most give medals, bracket and t-shirt, some give Trophies no different than us. They rotate who hosts each year to give the clubs a chance, some choose to host some don't. Tulsa nationals gave away Bicycles to Div outstanding wrestlers and such but not the series. If you take the time to look at what they do then you would understand it better. OK has just about as many tournaments a season as we do. I guess they are just better at doing things than we are??? To blast it because it is being done in OK and they are just different is just wrong and your guilty of being close minded.

I am really tired of everyone thinking that way as it costs people time and money and our kids opportunities because people think they got to do things differently than everyone else or they don't own it. It's kids wrestling, not a political party. Nobody owns it we all own it and it's wrong to let a few people dictate how and when we do things to the degree that we stagnate. KS has a long history of good ol'boy and nepotism locking stuff up all the time, don't want to change or grow. Lots of special interest groups and lobbyist keeping things "status quo" for those who already have the power and money. Look at where we are from it in Topeka today. Things aren't looking so hot for the State of KS are they. Guess what, that ain't about to change soon either. Look for more schools to close, more programs to get cut and taxes to go up.

I really hope that someone can get a series going in this state, if for nothing else the Novice kids. Maybe that would help foster growth in some form or another. From the looks of things Novice tourneys will continue to be on the decline. One thing about having a tight economy is it makes for some hard core wrestling.

You guys prob get tired of me rambling, but I don't really care. Lots of other parents see this and they might gain some understanding from it or maybe can connect some dots that I am not thinking of. Let people decide for themselves what is right or wrong by giving them information to reflect on. Everyone has opinions and opinions are like belly buttons everyone has one or at least had one. Maybe someone will share something with a Dist Rep that might be of some use or advantage for us.

Happy Easter, Troy