Lodging would be the main issue. Wichita, Salina, or Topeka. Basically we are talking about a 900 kid tournament. Obviously there will be more attendees per entry than most kids tourneys, when you consider cheerleaders, managers, etc. But I think any of those could handle it. I am not familiar with Hays' lodging capacity, but just from memory, I think they would be short.

It is possible to run this thing in two days, but There would have to be different sessions where the place may have to be cleared.

Someone correct my math here, I just threw this together:

Friday Day 1-First and second round 4a and 321a (9AM-3:00 or so, 336 matches on 8 mats, 42 matches per mat)in one session, then 5a6a (4:00-9:00) in the next session. Semifinals and first round backside matches could be all one session all classes.

Saturday day 2: 10:00 AM Semifinals on 8 mats, all classes, 2 matches per class, one semifinal on each mat. Then go into the backside matches immediately following semifinals, and wrestle thru the placement matches except the championship finals.

Saturday 7:00 PM ( yes, an actual set time for when the finals will start, so people could actually plan their day around it)

There would be 29 matches per bracket, 14 weights, 4 classes, so total of 1568 matches (1624minus 56 finals matches) on 8 mats is 196 matches per mat, plus the championship finals, which would be on 4 mats. If we only get 10 matches done per hour, that is less than 20 hours of wrestling before we get to the finals. Friday 9-3 and 4-10 is 12 hours of wrestling. Saturday 10-6 is the other 8 hours of wrestling, and we are at the finals. An hour to tear down 4 mats, and we are ready for introductions at 7:00 PM Saturday night. And we get to see EVERY stud in the state wrestling for state titles, like a lot of other states do, and you leave feeling like you got your money's worth.

I don't want to hear about table workers not being able to work that much, I see the same table workers work two long days straight at TUlsa Nationals, USJOC, etc. If that is an issue, we have to put two shifts of table workers together, so be it. We need to figure out a way to get this done, not try to find ways of why it WON'T work......

Craig, for the first time in a long time, I went down to 5a6a finals, and they have done a great job of making it an event. It didn't feel like they were trying to get it over with like I feel like 4A has become. There was excitement in the air from the announcers, and they actually pronounced names correctly, and announced winners correctly. (if they can pronounce Onwugbufor, they have proven themselves worthy. Heaven forbid, they may have gone to the coach or kid, and asked how to pronounce his name, to make sure they got it right) It still fries my a$$ that the 4a announcer, after Tyler Mies (Meese is how it is pronounced of course) made the finals 3 out of 4 years in high school, still pronounced his name MIZE his senior year.......

Remember, you are still going to be able watch your class, but I'll guarantee you that you will be thrilled to be able to see all of the other kids that you have coached, been dual teammates with, or gotten to know through the wrestling journey over the years.

KSHSAA will look at it as "we won't make as much money as having 4 sites", but they should look at it as GAINING spectators because of the additional interest it will create. And of course, setting up for one large tourney eliminates a lot of duplication of finding mats, scoring tables, referees, etc. etc. I heard 1900 were at Salina on Friday, and I would say that had wrestlers, coaches, paying fans, cheerleaders, etc. So if you take that times 4, you are well within the capacity of most of these venues aren't you?

So let's say I am wrong about a few things here. Go to 3 days and it would be a piece of cake. Fri, Sat, Sunday, and no one misses any more school than they are currently missing.