While the issue is being discussed, I'll throw in my opinion on the lack of freestyle wrestlers in Kansas. As far as I know, Kansas is one of the few states that doesn't allow their high school coaches to coach during spring freestyle season. Maybe if the high school coaches were able to coach during the spring, they would encourage more of their athletes to participate in freestyle wrestling. Missouri just started allowing their high school coaches to coach in the spring a few years ago and they had multiple all americans this year.

I agree that some of the Kansas high school coaches don't know a lot about freestyle, but I believe more coaches would be eager to learn more about it if they could be involved in coaching it. Most of our Kansas coaches are pretty competitive and will do what it takes to get their kids better.

Until KSHSAA decides to change this rule, I think we could look at setting up some sectional training centers throughout Kansas that run a freestyle practice once a week during the spring that's coached by one of the coaches on the Kansas National Freestyle staff. For example, when you live in a small town in SE Kansas (like Chanute) you don't have the opportunities to practice with clubs such as the KCWC, the Why Wrestling Club, or the Central Kansas team, etc. The kids in the Kansas City and Wichita area already do this. Maybe USA Kansas Wrestling should look at our Kansas coaches that we have on the National staff and make it worth their while to run a practice once a week during the spring in a few central locations.

Let the bashing begin.

Andy Albright
Chanute Wrestling

Alright ... first bash! Albright, what took you so long!!

That's an excellent idea ... few could find fault with your suggestion!

KSHSAA has stubbornly postured with their position on ALL coaching. Perhaps it is about time USAWKS help fund a suit against KSHSAA! Perhaps we could lobby some more financial help and make it a multi-sport action.

We've talked about it before ... maybe it's time again!

How about a high five and hug instead of a bashing? Anything I can do? How about getting 100% support from the KWCA?

Good thing you have long arms Will ... Albright is getting a bit husky these days!

I don't want to ruffle anybody's feathers and I understand where everyone is coming from on the coaching out of season, but I want to give you a coach's perspective on this.

I use to coach in KS and all throughout the midwest. I have coached in states where there is no coaching restrictions and there are both good and bad with both ways.

Points to consider from a coach's perspective:
1) We all know coach's and teachers make so much money all ready, (I'm not complaining, because this is the lifestyle I chose and what I love) but if wrestling coach's can coach year round that will take away their other coaching opportunities and coaching stipends.

2) A lot of coaches are required to coach other sports. The district hires them to coach other sports and this would affect the opportunities for jobs.

3) The numbers in KS are down, but the quality of wrestlers that KS had in Fargo, was almost as good as I have ever seen from them. I don't know if coach's being able to coach year round would change this up. Unfortunately a lot of this comes down to the dedication of the kids. (Some coach's I know would not want to do this either, but it is hard to get the kids to dedicate themselves a lot of times).

5) As far as the KSHSAA handcuffing coaches and athletes, I would have to agree with this. I can also tell you that they do a good job compared to some of the states that I have coached in. I do not think they should be able to tell a kid that they cannot wrestle in certain tournaments. By not allowing the wrestlers to participate in the Oklahoma open, they are taking a great opportunity away from the kids. Also the travel restrictions that they have are rediculous. The high school that I currently coach, lets us travel anywhere we would like, but we have to raise the money ourselves. We attend "The Clash", Reno, and this year we will be taking a few kids to the "Beast" hopefully.

By paying for everything ourselves, they really have no arguments.

These are just some points that I thought I would throw out there. I definitely see all your points as parents, but there are many arguments for both sides. Hopefully KSHSAA will be able to resolve some of these issues and I wish you all luck with your endeavours. I loved coaching in KS and I feel they have some of the strongest individuals in the nation.

Albright, great post. I agree having a few different training centers around Kansas can only improve the quality and number of wrestlers Kansas sends to Fargo every year.

Along the same lines, I am in the beginning stages of planning such a training center for the western part of the state. I have a few ideas, and would really value input from coaches throughout the state, especially in this area.

If anyone has any suggestions, send me a message, and we'll go from there.

There needs to be a site in Sublette, KS. It could become the magnet location for Liberal, Dodge, Garden, Hugoton, Ulysses, etc. Everyone always says that we have an advantage in the KC area but I don't think they realize KC area wrestlers drive 45 minutes, one way, to practice. I think you could get 30 to 50 summer wrestlers at each site if you set them up properly. Hays, Sublette, Pratt, Chanute, Salina, Wichita, Emporia, Colby, Manhattan, Topeka. I think that would give nearly everyone a practice site within 45 minutes.

Mr. Cokeley,

You have some great ideas and I have coached in a state where we had regional training sites set up and it worked amazing. When I coached in Minnesota, we had the same coaching rules as KS does, but you could coach at the regional training sites as long as there was a certain percentage of kids there that were not from your own team. (MN also has the good ol'boy understanding of what people don't know won't hurt them, if your kids were the only ones there, then that is who you coached).

MN is a lot like KS, except they have a major Division I wrestling team. We had the regional training sites set up into three sections. They went North to South and the kids new that there choices were pretty much limited to these three facilities. I had plenty of kids who would drive an hour plus to go and workout at the U of M to get coached by the MN Storm staff.

I applaud your efforts and I hope everything workouts for KS wrestling. There are many great wrestlers and parents in the state and I have always enjoyed competing against Team KS.